In 1971, New York-based R&B group, The Persuaders, released the iconic song, ‘Thin Line Between Love And Hate’.
It’s perhaps worth bearing it in mind when compiling a list of most hated players in the Ryder Cup.
Yes, their antics and demeanour may make them public enemy No.1 to opposition fans but to their own supporters they’re heroes to be revered.
But which players have most inspired these extreme and opposite reactions? Golf365 looks at the tournament’s biggest villains.
Ian Poulter
European fans loved Poulter for his heroics in Ryder Cups.
If ever a player showed he could walk the walk as well as talk the talk it was Poulter.
The Englishman thrived on his nickname of ‘The Postman’ – promising to step up when needed most and delivering time and time again.
But his brash, arrogant posturing riled opposition fans, making Poulter a real hate figure to American crowds at Ryder Cup time.
Patrick Reed
If Europe had Poulter, the USA had Patrick Reed.
The self-styled ‘Captain America’ was in his element taking it to the Europeans, winning a famous head-to-head with Rory McIlroy at Hazeltine in 2016.
Whether it be “shushing” rival fans or opponents, Reed had a real habit of winding everyone up, doing whatever he could to get under European skins.
Seve Ballesteros
While Seve’s golfing magic and charisma makes him one of the most loved golfers of all time, it certainly wasn’t always that way in Ryder Cups – if you were an American that is.
The stories are legendary, the Spaniard coughing on backswings or putts or showing little regard for sportsmanship.
Former Ryder Cup star Curtis Strange was so riled by Seve during the 1987 Ryder Cup that he said: “I was so mad I wanted to kill him.”
Colin Montgomerie
A hero for Europe with so many outstanding performances in the Ryder Cup, Monty was an easy figure of hate for American crowds.
That venom ramped up significantly ahead of the 1997 Ryder Cup when, speaking about Brad Faxon, the Scot said the American was “going through a divorce and mentally I don’t think he’ll be with it.”
Team USA were furious, with Fred Funk famously calling Monty “the jerk of the world”.
Two years later on American soil, Montgomerie’s father James had to leave the course, unable to tolerate the foul-mouthed abuse his son was getting.
Tom Lehman
During the USA’s incredible fightback against Europe at Brookline in 1999, Justin Leonard holed a monster putt on 17 which looked to have sealed the cup.
Leonard led a charge onto the green which included the usually reserved and measured Tom Lehman, who was particularly keen to whip up the home crowd.
The problem was they stepped over the line of Europe’s Jose Maria Olazabal, who still had an admittedly lengthy putt to halve the match.
European’s Sam Torrance was particularly horrified. “It’s about the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he wrote. “Tom Lehman calls himself a man of God. That was not the behaviour of a man of God.”
Paul Casey
Casey became a target for American fans for his comments ahead of the 2004 Ryder Cup.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, he said of the US team: “We properly hate them. We wanted to beat them as badly as possible.”
It didn’t go down well and even teammate Paul McGinley, a future Ryder Cup captain, questioned Casey’s choice of language. “Hate is a bad word to use. It’s a terrible thing in sport,” said the Irishman.
Paul Azinger
The 1991 Ryder Cup is known as the ‘War On The Shore’ and the Americans first got up the noses of Europe when Paul Azinger and Corey Pavin turned up for practice donning military caps.
The combustible Azinger, whose father served in the US Air Force, particularly embraced the war narrative and became a real hate figure for European players and fans.
After several run-ins down the years, Seve once described the American team as “11 nice guys and Paul Azinger”.
The post The most villainous Ryder Cup players in history – who’s No.1? appeared first on Golf365.
Article Link: Ryder Cup: The biggest villains ranked and why they were so hated