Els Just Has To Get Something Off His Chest About Crowds: "We shut up and we get on with things."
/While you were sleeping, the Presidents Cup captain’s presser took an intriguing turn when Tiger Woods delicately addressed crowd jeering at Royal Melbourne. The remarks came in the wake of Patrick Reed and caddie Kessler Karain getting into it with a fan, resulting in Karain’s expulsion from Sunday singles bag-toting.
Q. The comments you've made about the galleries, do you think it's become disrespectful and gone too far, particularly today?
TIGER WOODS: You know, it has happened. Have people said things that have been over the top? Yes. I've heard it. I've been in the groups playing when it has happened, and I've been inside the ropes as a captain today witnessing it.
As I said, all I ask for all the galleries is be excited but be respectful of the players, all 24 of us.
Then a few questions later, Captain Ernie Els just had to get something off his chest. Note the jump-in here without a question:
Q. Tiger, did you have any thoughts on that? Was there a desire to keep as many guys fresh, or not?
TIGER WOODS: Well, that's one of the neat things about playing in team matches. Guys are, in this format, are expected to play two sessions, and could go up to five, all 12 guys were aware of that. There were things that could happen and we could make adjustments on the fly, some guys would sit; some guys would go.
Today, sitting out four players in each session is never an easy thing, and we got feel for who was playing well, who was ready to go, different pairings, and we went with it.
ERNIE ELS: I just want to say one thing about the crowd. I've played in many Presidents Cups. I've played in the U.S. many times. If you look back at New York and how these players were treated in New York, this crowd is pretty quiet.
I mean, we just get treated the same wherever you go as an away game, there's some heckling going on and we all know that, and you prepare for that, and that's just the way it goes.
We shut up and we get on with things. That's what we did in New York. So it's part of the game. And I'm with Tiger; I absolutely, I'm against heckling. I'm against crowds being disrespectful to the players, but it happens. We as professionals, we move on.
I think Tiger is one of the ultimate professionals that's ever played the game. I've played with him where he's been heckled in U.S. Opens and a lot of other places. He's taken it on the chin and he's moved forward. He's been an example.
Same has happened to me. It's happened to a lot of players. But I must say, this Aussie crowd, okay, they got a little bit boisterous this afternoon with a couple of beers, but which crowd doesn't. You take it and you move on.
Well okay then.