Rory McIlroy has revealed a secret weapon in Europe’s Ryder Cup armoury: virtual reality headsets that shout abuse at players to simulate the hostile atmosphere expected at Bethpage Black later this month.
Europe captain Luke Donald handed the headsets to his players during a team gathering on Tuesday night. McIlroy said he encouraged the abuse to be pushed to the limit: “They said: ‘How far do you want this to go?’ and I said: ‘Go as far as you want.’ It is to simulate the sights, sounds and noise that we are going to have to deal with.”
The Northern Irishman added that the aim was to desensitise the team before they face what is anticipated to be a fierce American crowd. Europe have not won the Ryder Cup on US soil since 2012, and McIlroy noted that while nothing can fully prepare them, the headsets are part of a broader effort to be ready.
McIlroy downplayed suggestions that the crowd might be the most hostile in history, remarking: “The more we talk about that, we might get there and it actually isn’t as bad as we thought.” He also pointed out that New York’s cosmopolitan nature might attract some European support.
The world number three will travel to Bethpage for a scouting trip on Monday, fresh from a closing 65 at the PGA Championship.
In other news, Alex Norén won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth after a playoff, birdieing the first extra hole. The Swede, a vice-captain for Europe at Bethpage, said he “trusted the process” after his second win in three starts.
