“I've shouted plenty of things” – US Ryder Cup star Jordan Spieth says he empathizes with fans yelling at players
The Ryder Cup is highly competitive for players and a matter of passion for any golf fan.
Passionate fans stand out from the rest of the crowd with their yelling and wild comments. While many players find that annoying, Jordan Spieth empathizes with them.
Ahead of the big event in Rome, Spieth has admitted that he’s probably like any other passionate sports fan. The US player, while speaking about fans yelling at players, confessed that he himself has “shouted plenty of things” at sports events. The 30-year-old golfer said that he understands that ‘it's all just sport and move on’ when coming across loud fans.
In his pre-Ryder Cup press conference at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Jordan Spieth said (as quoted by Golf Monthly):
“I've shouted plenty of things at sporting events at people that I have no reason to do, so I also try to say, ‘pot and kettle,’ and recognize that it's all just sport and move on.”
The comment from Spieth came after he was asked about playing in front of a pro-Europe crowd in Rome. The golfer, along with his teammates, is likely to receive some screams on the greens. However, the golfer seems confident on taking on the competition without the home crowd advantage:
“I try and just throw it out of my head and just stick to what I'm doing because I think blocking out the noise is the healthiest thing to do.
"I played a lot of matches with Patrick Reed—when he felt insulted, he turned the notch up. When I feel insulted, I don't turn it up or down. I'm just like, ‘OK, they are drunk, move on.’"
It's pertinent to note that Spieth, a four-time Ryder Cupper, has played and lost twice away from home.
The golfer tasted defeat with his US side in 2014 in Scotland and 2018 in France. Despite forgettable past results, he's looking forward to making it big in Italy.
Jordan Spieth relishes big crowd at Ryder Cup
Interestingly, the PGA Tour star even noted that he relishes big crowds now. Replying to queries on how it feels like playing in front of aggressive crowds, Spieth drew parallels to a football game where players are constantly targeted by fans:
“That's what this tournament is about, so it's probably the most similar to like a football match of any other golf tournament, that's for sure.
"And I think that we enjoy that. It's an exhibition that we prepare like it's the biggest tournament in two years, and part of that is … there's a lot of uniqueness to this event, and one of them is the crowd.”
Furthermore, the golfer also lauded golf fans. The four-time Ryder Cup player noted that even away fans laud a good putt. He dubbed the crowd “very educated and fantastic” and noted that they’re there to have fun with the players.