In 1971, New York-based R&B group The Leceaders released the iconic song “The Thin Line Between Love and Hate.”
Maybe it’s worth keeping that in mind when compiling a list of the most annoying players in the Ryder Cup.
Yes, their antics and behavior may make them the number one public enemy of opposition fans, but to their own supporters, they are heroes.
But which players inspired these extreme and opposite reactions the most? Golf365 watches the biggest villain in the game.
Ian Poulter
European fans love Poulter’s heroism in Ryder Cups.
If there was a player who once showed that he could walk, and talk about conversation, it was Poulter.
The British thrived with his nickname of “postman” – a promise to step up in most cases and deliver time and time again.
But his brave, arrogant gesture angered opposition fans, making Poulter a true hatred for the American crowd at Ryder Cup time.
Patrick Reed
If there is Poulter in Europe, there is Patrick Reed in the United States.
Calling himself “Captain America” in his element, bringing it to the Europeans and in 2016 won the famous rival of Rory McIlroy at Hazel.
Whether it is a competitor or opponent of “Shush”, Reed has real habits, used to everyone, and he does his best under European skin.
Seve Ballesteros
While Seve’s golf magic and charm make him one of the most popular golfers of all time, if you’re an American, it’s certainly not always that in the Ryder Cup.
These stories are legendary, with the Spaniard coughing on a defender or putt, or have little opinion on sportsmanship.
Former Ryder Cup star Curtis Strange was irritated by Seve during the 1987 Ryder Cup and said: “I’m angry, I want to kill him.”
Colin Montgomery
Monty, who has such a great performance in the Ryder Cup, is a European hero and a simple hatred character to the American crowd.
When it comes to Brad Faxon, Venom has increased dramatically before the 1997 Ryder Cup, and the Scots say Americans are “experienced divorce, and mentally I don’t think he’ll be with him”.
Team USA was angry, and Fred Funk famously called Monty the “world bastard.”
Two years later, on American soil, Montgomery’s father James had to leave the route and could not tolerate the bad breath abuse his son suffered.
Tom Lehman
In an incredible counterattack against Europe in Brookline in the United States in 1999, Justin Leonard played a monster putt on 17, which looked like it had sealed the Cup.
Leonard led the green, which included Tom Lehman, who is usually reserved and measured, who is particularly keen on whipping the family crowd.
The problem is that they crossed the European route of Jose Maria Olazabal, who still had a long putt to cut the game in half.
Sam Torrance of Europe was particularly frightened. “This is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he wrote. “Tom Lehman calls himself God. That’s not the act of God’s man.”
Paul Casey
Casey’s comments before the 2004 Ryder Cup became a target for American fans.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, he said of the U.S. team: “We hate them properly. We want to beat them as much as possible.”
Things didn’t go well, and even future Ryder Cup captain teammate Paul McGinley questioned Casey’s language choices. The Irishman said: “Hate is a bad word. It’s a terrible thing in the movement.”
Paul Azinger
The 1991 Ryder Cup was known as the “shore war”, and the Americans first raised their European noses when Paul Azinger and Corey Pavin participated in the practice of wearing a military cap.
The flammable Azinger’s father served in the U.S. Air Force, especially embracing the narrative of the war and becoming a true hatred figure for European players and fans.
After several years of running, Seve once described the American team as “11 Good People and Paul Asinger”.
