By the time Team USA fans at Bethpage had finished their latest Saturday libation and turned their attention to Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, they had to know the weekend was pretty much lost. A two-year hangover comes next. Might as well break free from all acceptable decorum and turn a blowout into a circus. Might as well make this as loud and as painful as possible.
And they did. Probably set a course record in that department.
It made for some incredible scenes as security shepherded this title-tested duo around Bethpage. McIlroy and Lowry tried to ignore the heckles but also gave it right back at times en route to building something that now seems inevitable. Team Europe wakes up with 11½–4½ lead while wondering just how far these hostile hosts are going to take this thing. Barring something truly historic and borderline mind-blowing, that will be the biggest drama remaining.
It also made some compelling theater of the mind for those who may have taken the Americans' lack of morning life as a sign to run some errands. On SiriusXM’s Ryder Cup Radio, the crew dutifully provided real-time updates on just how contentious the situation had become, reacting to jeers and sneers intense enough to warrant extra security. What stood out was the sound. How thunderous a cacophony of voices blending into one can be. Especially in a sport that every other week of the year plays out as the quietest.
There’s something about not being able to see exactly how McIlroy and Lowry handled the pressure and habitual line-stepping. There’s something about trying to piece together exactly was going on out there. It takes a little patience and takes a little imagination but it makes for a timeless memory that you'll compare against the actual video.
The Ryder Cup, as mentioned yesterday, breeds discussion because the airwaves aren't as cluttered. There's not an endless stream of shots taking place. SI’s Michael Rosenberg observed that it's hard to fully appreciate how little golf is actually played until you attend one. The Ryder Cup is about etching history and the cherry on top for legacy consideration. In that way it mirrors the NFL and NBA, the two dominant sports show topics.
Golf has a hard time breaking free of these but with one group on the course the mind can wander into these more hot take-y matters. And one of the strongest observations through two days is that Rory McIlroy is the face of golf. Not just for his Grand Slam play on the course but for the way that he’s covered. The way he became the face of the PGA Tour. How he painted one of the narrative masterpieces back in April at Augusta. He is, without question, at the center of the frame in the media picture.
Scottie Scheffler is better but Rory is the character. Bryson DeChambeau has the main-character energy to surpass him but not on Sunday. Loved or loathed, there is a reason McIlroy took the brunt of Long Island intensity on Saturday. He’s made it everywhere and now he will, barring a miracle, make it here while others make him hear.
More Ryder Cup Coverage on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rory McIlroy Can Make It Anywhere, at Any Volume.
