Careful, this is no joke.
Getting used to insults, interruptions, and boos is part of Team Europe’s training for the 2025 Ryder Cup, which starts next Friday.
Not tomorrow. Next Friday. The team flies out this Sunday to New York.
They’ve been practicing with personalized insults and booing.
Bethpage Black is going to be hostile territory. Picture all of New York showing up just to make noise, yell at you, and do everything they can so your team loses.
That’s the Ryder Cup. That’s the deal.
The European players are using VR headsets where you can select the level of insults and noise you want.
Apparently, there are several levels.
You strap in, load up Bethpage Black, step onto the 1st tee, and then dial in the amount and quality of abuse you think you can handle…
Rory says: “Any psychological help is welcome if it keeps old ghosts from coming back.”
Jon Rahm also tried it and said: “Virtual reality never comes close to real life.”
As for me, I’ve noticed I actually play better when people try to mess with me. It’s like extra fuel.
That guy who swears he’s better than you and hangs around to watch how you play the next hole?
I make him wait. I do my full routine, like some kind of tribal ritual.
And then, boom. My best shot. I often hit the green—only when someone’s trying to distract me. In “Real Life Mode” I’m average, but those people switch me into “Rory Mode.”
You know what I mean, right? It’s like I’m inside that VR sim.
And then I feel like doing Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s move—that one where he sheathes the sword with his club.
Instead, I just pick up my tee and mime the same gesture into my golf bag while shooting them a look.
Hahaha.
That can’t be simulated. But it can be trained.
Go out there and hit it hard, before the Ryder.
Have a great weekend, golfers!
P.S. I’ve got a short article on my site with the key info about this year’s Ryder Cup for you.