Justin Thomas is wary of the raucous New York crowd turning on the United States team if they fail to perform at the Ryder Cup.
Most of the narrative in the build-up to the tournament has been about how hostile the home supporters will make it for Europe, with Luke Donald deploying virtual reality headsets that play insulting messages to help his players prepare for the environment.
But Thomas knows a passionate New York crowd can easily turn if there is plenty of blue on the leaderboard at Bethpage Black.
“I think it’s something that will be unique about New York maybe versus other home Ryder Cups, if you will, is they expect us to play well and they want us to play well, and if we don’t, they’re going to be upset with us and disappointed with us and rightfully so,” he said.
“I think New York….they like their championships. They want to win. It’s no different for the Ryder Cup.
“That’s what we’re going to try to do for them and give them a reason to cheer even more.
“But I’ve said it all year and all along, I’m happy to have them on my side, that’s for sure.”
Thomas, who was a member of the successful US team at Whistling Straits in 2021, says the players have to expect some interaction from the crowd as long as it does not cross the line.
Asked about Europe’s use of VR, he said: “I hadn’t heard that. That’s kind of wild. I’d be curious to see what that looked like.
“There’s so much noise that you can’t hear all of it. You definitely hear some stuff.
“But at a Ryder Cup, you kind of know what you’re going to get.
“I go back and forth. There’s obviously never in any sport a time to get personal or disrespectful, but at the same time it is the Ryder Cup, and it’s a home game for a reason.
“There’s been plenty of good, plenty of bad on both ends, and you hope to give them reason to cheer for the good.
“I think all the players are in the same boat, is once it ever gets to a point of being a little bit more personal of families, family members.
“Look, if we’re not playing well and you’re talking trash about us, we probably deserve it. But if you start getting into the loved ones, that’s I think when everybody starts really kind of getting a little bit chippy.”
American team-mate Xander Schauffele says the partisan support is all part of the experience.
“The fans are what make this event special,” he said. “If you think about not having fans or enough of them, it would be like what we did on Monday, which was really cool, to play with my team-mates out here in sort of peace and quiet.
“But when it comes to getting the juices flowing of the Ryder Cup, you need fans to be there. You need them to do their thing.
“Whether it’s everyone singing their songs, they’re sort of like pub drinking songs in Europe or the heavy USA chants we get here, I love all of it, to be completely honest.”
