Playing the Ryder Cup in the United States is never easy. Playing it at Bethpage Black, one of the hottest courses in the US, could be even more challenging. Starting Friday, the public course in New York will be a hotbed of heat, but McIlroy and his teammates are practicing with virtual reality.
Ryder Cup, news
Eleven out of twelve players (Sepp Straka is still in Austria for personal reasons) received a virtual reality headset from captain Luke Donald.
Virtual up to a point. In the headsets provided in the days leading up to the competition, the Team Europe players simulated every (worst) possible condition. Applause, shouts and chants, insults, and a lot of untimely and inappropriate noise. In the Ryder Cupessentially the only team golf competitioncheering is permitted, but the "north curve" is not an option. In Europe, you see all sorts of things in the stands; you hear chants after chant, but when the player addresses the ball, silence falls. This isn't the case in the United States.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rory McIlroy revealed the new development, speaking of reproduced sounds that can become "as loud and offensive as you want."
Bethpage Black, the public course hosting the 2025 Ryder Cup, has a reputation for having some of the loudest and sometimes most vulgar fans in golf. That's why the European team has taken action. Thanks to virtual reality, players can visualize the course while simultaneously immersing themselves in a soundtrack of chants, noises, and insults.
"It's just about simulating images, sounds, and noise," McIlroy explained. "That's what we'll have to live with. It's best to desensitize ourselves as much as possible before we get there. You can make them say whatever you want, even the meanest things."
Compared to the last Ryder Cup played in America, Europe will be able to count on greater support. In 2021 at Whistling Straits, COVID-related travel restrictions prevented most European fans from following the team, contributing to a clear American victory.
ADVERTISEMENT
It's only natural that Rory is keen to win in New York. To prepare for the American force, the Northern Irishman has also been doing some self-study. McIlroy observed how another world number one, Novak Djokovic, handled a noisy crowd during a match he won at the 2025 US Open.
Djokovic found himself in a one-man showdown with local hero Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarterfinals. The Serbian handled the pressure well, even going so far as to slap kisses at the crowd cheering against him. An attitude McIlroy greatly appreciated.
The Serbian and the Northern Irishman know each other quite well. McIlroy, among other things, had already addressed the European team during their 2023 victory in Rome, giving a motivational speech on how to deal with moments of intense pressure.
