Ryder Cup Debate Dominates Early "Return To Golf" Week Chatter

The PGA Tour’s “Return to Golf” at Colonial features influencer-enhanced global live content executions, predictions of record-shattering ratings and all-star field. Yet on the eve of coming back after three months of hiatus, the Ryder Cup remained a a bigger topic in press conferences.

While threatening to becoming as tedious as Major League Baseball’s bickering, the debate over a Ryder Cup with or without fans continued the Charles Schwab Challenge. Team USA Captain Steve Stricker suggested a compromise might make all sides happy.

From Rex Hoggard’s GolfChannel.com report.

Although no decision has been made on that front, Stricker was confident a compromise could be reached, pointing out that if Wisconsin were to allow 50-percent occupancy, that would be good enough for players.

Where that falls with two-time Ryder Cupper Brooks Koepka is not clear. The World No. 2 reiterated his belief that money is the only reason the matches would be contested without fans, and his view that players will not play if fans are not there, fist pumps would not be forthcoming.

From Brian Wacker’s GolfDigest.com item:

“If we’re not playing in front of fans, it’s just like us playing a game in Florida,” Koepka said. “If there's no fans out there you're not going to see guys fist pumping and that passion behind it.

“The Ryder Cup is a true sporting event. It’s different than any other golf tournament we play. It’s a true sporting event, and I think if we can have fans, that’s perfect, and if we can't, it just seems kind of like an exhibition—which it kind of already is. I just don’t want to play it without fans.”