G-Mac: Bring on the noise

Partisan, loud, raucous and fun.

Graeme McDowell may believe the hostility of Ryder Cups past at Kiawah and Brookline are consigned to history but that will not mean Europeans will get an easy ride in a sports-mad city just itching to chant “USA! USA!”

McDowell, the European hero two years ago at Celtic Manor when he won the victory-clinching singles match with Hunter Mahan, is heading into his third Ryder Cup on Friday at Medinah having emerged with reputation enhanced from his baptism of fire in front of US fans at Valhalla in 2008.

“There’s a world of difference between playing in front of your home fans and playing in front of the US fans,” McDowell said yesterday.

“Putts that drop in front of your home fans are like a bomb going off, putts that go in this weekend (for Europe) will be like someone’s got a silencer on. It’s kind of a muted applause.

“I remember Valhalla in 2008, some of the really amazing holes, I think 14, the par 3, there was a very big natural amphitheatre around there, and that was one of the most intimidating holes, as a European.

“You knew when somebody birdied 14; you could hear it reverberating around the course.

“I think 17 is going to have that same effect this week, by the sound of things. I mean, Chicago is such a great sports town... and I think they are going to be excited and they are going to be behind their guys. It’s going to be interesting to see the atmosphere.”

If McDowell was in any doubt as to what to expect in the Windy City, Tiger Woods, a two-time major winner at Medinah in the 1999 and 2006 PGA Championships, eliminated it soon after when he took his turn in front of the media.

“It will certainly be partisan, there’s no doubt about it. It will be loud. It will be raucous, and it will be fun,” Woods said.

“It’s the same as when we go to Europe. They get into it for their team, and our fans are going to get into it for our team.”

Although European captain Jose Maria Olazabal leads a more experienced Ryder Cup team than his US counterpart Davis Love III, the visitors have five golfers playing for the first time in the competition in the US — Rory McIlroy, rookie Nicolas Colsaerts, Peter Hanson, Francesco Molinari and Martin Kaymer, although the German was in Valhalla at then captain Nick Faldo’s invitation to get a feel for the competition.

The potential Chicago atmosphere therefore represents a new experience that McDowell, who practised alongside Rory McIlroy, Paul Lawrie and Sergio Garcia yesterday, believes needs to be dealt with and accepted by all the new boys. “There’s something interesting about missing a putt and having the cheers go up,” the Portrush man said. “That’s something we are not used to as golfers. But I think it’s something you’ve got to accept this week, and I’m looking forward to it.

“The days of hostility I think are gone. Well, I say that; we’ll see. But I think our guys are very well respected over here on this side of the pond these days, and I’m looking forward to it. Should be a lot of fun.”

Hanson is not exactly wet behind the ears when it comes to an American experience. The Swede played extensively here this year and is a neighbour of European team-mates McDowell, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose at Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida, yet he does recognise that a Ryder Cup on US soil is a different ball game.

“It’s my first Ryder Cup over here, and playing at home last time was just amazing with the crowd behind you,” the Sweden said. “I think that’s going to be one of the critical tests for our side and we discussed this quite a bit within the team room and we get some boys in the team that played quite a few Ryder Cups over here, and we are trying to get as much information as possible of what to expect and how to handle the different situation playing over here.”