Ryder Cup: Steve Stricker knows fans must be part of the event
By Tim Letcher
United States Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker hopes that this year’s event, scheduled for September, will be able to have fans in attendance
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Ryder Cup competition scheduled for September is in danger of facing one of two terrible fates. One, the event could be canceled outright and pushed back to next year. While that is the worst-case scenario, there is another option is, perhaps, worse.
As our Chris O’Day wrote in April, a Ryder Cup without fans is not a real Ryder Cup. The passion that fans bring to the event is unmatched in the golf world and the event would not be recognizable without big galleries cheering on their respective sides.
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United States Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker agrees wholeheartedly. Speaking on “The Golf Affect Radio Show” in Madison, Wisconsin, Stricker let his feelings be known.
“Personally, I would hate for that to happen,” Stricker said. “I mean, this event is made by the fans. To me, if it was without fans, it would almost be a yawner of an event. The passion, I don’t know if it would be there.”
The event, scheduled for Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, could be pushed back a year, as it was after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. However, that would present a number of logistical issues that the PGA Tour and the European Tour would have to work out.
Namely, if the Ryder Cup is pushed back a year, something would have to be done with the Presidents Cup, which is scheduled to be played in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September of 2021. The next Ryder Cup is scheduled to be played in Rome in 2022.
Stricker still hopes that the event can be played as scheduled
“So far we’re planning it as a go, like we’re going to have it,” Stricker said. “But there’s some obstacles that we’re going to have to face. The confidence of the people and the corporate people. It’s going to come down to probably the safety. And who knows, right?”
Stricker also knows that the decision of whether to play or not will have to be made fairly soon.
“They’re going to have to make a decision here probably within the two or three weeks,” Stricker said. “Because the buildup to put all the stands and all the corporate tents, all that kind of stuff, has to happen in June.”
Stricker’s counterpart, European captain Padraig Harrington, recently told the London Times, agrees with Stricker about having fans in attendance. However, Harrington is open to other options.
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“Everyone wants fans to be there, but the question is, does sport need the Ryder Cup and should the Ryder Cup take one for the team?” Harrington said. “Would it be for the greater good of sport? It wouldn’t be in the Ryder Cup’s best interests, but it could be in the best interests of enough people who want to see a big sporting occasion on TV.”
The hope is that the coronavirus pandemic will be in a much better place soon, for the health and safety of people worldwide. And if that’s the case, hopefully the Ryder Cup can take place, with fans in place, as scheduled in September.