Mailwatch(ed) Forum

I've just been watching the Ryder Cup where the USA are under the cosh, at 3 down but doing well in the last match, Trump's plane flew over the course. The American captain said this will be the turning point. The USA then lost two of the next three holes. It would be lovely to see them take a real thrashing on Day one with Trump in attendance.

I wonder how quickly Trump will disappear if it looks like the USA are going to lose.

US golfers were madly anti-Bill Clinton and refused to meet him after winning the Ryder cup until the captain, Tom Watson, forced them to grow up. It won't be much different today.

Not to say that the Europeans are all liberal leftists, but it would feel nice to beat them. Just like the 2003 Rugby World Cup win was good partly because John Howard didn't get to gloat about it.

I don't follow golf at all but the reports I've read make for rather pleasing reading. Europe beating a churlish US team supported by heckling oafs, watched by the oaf in chief.

Well, it is Noo Yoik...

Highest-rated comment on the BBC SYB on their coverage:

As a side note, isn't it good to see Europe - complete with plenty of EU flags - representing a united European continent, with British players included and playing key roles? As if Brexit never happened... I wish.

It's Trump's sport and these are his people.

This is true. Abusing the opposition is a typical Trump tactic.

The boorish behaviour of the gallery has long been a factor in American Ryder Cup events. Why, is another matter entirely.

davidjay wrote: ↑Sun Sep 28, 2025 12:20 pm The boorish behaviour of the gallery has long been a factor in American Ryder Cup events. Why, is another matter entirely.

Americans do not play the big international team sports with their traditional rivalries - football, rugby, cricket. Yeah, they've got basketball and ice hockey but these have limited strong international competition. So, they get all worked up about the golf when it becomes a team sport on home soil every 4 years.

Also, the tendency of Americans to have "world" events that only they are invited to.

American TV generally only shows highlights of things such as the Olympics, so all they show is clips of Americans winning. After all, who wants to see your people losing?

Andy McDandy wrote: ↑Sun Sep 28, 2025 1:12 pm American TV generally only shows highlights of things such as the Olympics, so all they show is clips of Americans winning. After all, who wants to see your people losing?

Yes, the regular sports fan is fed a diet of the "big four" team sports which are fairly US exclusive.
Other nations do play baseball and ice hockey - just like the Netherlands play cricket.

And there's an awful lot of copy covering those sports, so many fans get their fill on domestic stuff.
Compare with football fans being able to binge on domestic football (through with a greater injection of international players).

A few American sports fans do look beyond their borders and can hold rational conversations about soccer, rugby and some fairly obscure sports.

Andy McDandy wrote: ↑Sun Sep 28, 2025 1:12 pm American TV generally only shows highlights of things such as the Olympics, so all they show is clips of Americans winning. After all, who wants to see your people losing?

We're getting just as bad now.

Don’t think Donnie showed up to the course. Incredible fight back by the USA in his absence, but Europe retained the Cup.

I nearly threw up in the car listening to his inane babbling about his "beautiful" plan for peace on the radio on my way home.

What is Trump's "or else" in his Gaza ultimatum? The bit he is not saying out loud must be deeply concerning.

Or else we'll keep backing and supplying the people bombing, shooting and executing you?

Another day, another embarrassing display of senile ramblings.