U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love
III has warned Europe's players to expect an atmosphere "like nothing
you've ever seen before" when the biannual match begins in Illinois on
Friday.
Spanish captain Jose Maria Olazabal will be hoping to lead Europe
to a fifth win in six tournaments at the Medinah Country Club.
But Love, a two-time winner of the cup as a player, has told
Europe's top golfers to expect partisan support from the American fans.
"It's going to be incredible, big golf and a
big stage," Love, a 20-time winner on the PGA Tour, told a press
conference.
"I
think the first tee could be the loudest any of these guys have ever seen to
start off a golf tournament. So I expect a lot of passion. If we are winning
holes, it's going to get pretty loud out there, and that's the home field
advantage is all about."
Despite the raucous reception which awaits world No. 1 Rory McIlroy
and his European teammates, Olazabal, a three-time winner of the Ryder Cup as a
player, is looking forward to sampling the event's unique flavor.
"We respect each other a lot," double Masters champion
Olazabal said of the rivalry between the two teams. "Obviously we are
going to try to beat each other, no questions about that, but we respect each
member of our opponent team.
"Davis and I, we have competed against each other quite a few
times, not just in the Ryder Cup but in other events, and here we are sitting
together and each one of us has a huge respect towards the other."
Love, the 2007 PGA Championship winner, echoed his counterpart's
sentiments, saying: "We are fortunate to play a game and represent a game
that is the model for all other sports.
"It always has been ... We are fortunate that the Seve
Ballesteroses and the players that came before us demanded that ... respect of
the game and to carry on traditions of the game.
"I think this match and the friendship that it begins with and
the friendship that it ends with is different than any other sport."
Olazabal's compatriot Ballesteros, who passed away last year after
a lengthy battle with a cancerous brain tumor, is a Ryder Cup legend due in no
small part to the partnership the pair forged in the event.
There are rumors the European team may honor his memory by playing
in his famous blue and white attire on Sunday, though Olazabal was coy on the
subject of any planned tributes to Ballesteros, saying: "Seve is going to
be there in our team in some way or form.
"I have to say in that regard I talked to Davis regarding that
question ... he was very understanding of it and I'll say no more at the
moment."
Cnn.com September 25, 2012
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