Memories of the acrimonious 1999 Battle of Brookline resurfaced on a tense opening day of the 37th Ryder Cup as Europe's Lee Westwood accused his American opponent Boo Weekley of overstepping the mark in trying to whip up the passions of the home crowd.
Westwood, who has not lost a rubber in the tournament since the singles round of 2002, was particularly annoyed when Weekley celebrated wildly, and prematurely in hindsight, after holing a "monster" putt on the 12th hole when the Englishman was still weighing up his own putt for a potential half.
Watching Weekley unashamedly beg for more acclaim from his supporters, an inspired Westwood and his rookie partner Soren Hansen produced a tremendous finish of three successive birdies to square their match on the 18th green with both American balls in the water.
"The crowd had been pretty noisy all day long, and on that last green they were pretty quiet," said Westwood, who reduced his team's first-day deficit from a potentially crippling four points to a more manageable three. "Hopefully that will set a trend for tomorrow," he remarked.
"You walk a fine line when you start doing that sort of thing - using the crowd to your advantage when you're at home," added Westwood, a significant contributor for Europe in six Ryder Cups. "I don't mind when they're raising their arms and whooping the crowd up but not when Boo holed it from off the back and I've still got a putt for a half. There's no need to do it between the shots."
Weekley, whose unusual forename brings affectionate rather than disagreeable "boos" from the gallery whenever he hits a good shot, was unrepentant after entertaining a following that included the basketball legend Michael Jordan.
"I really don't care if I did," said the Floridian who is on record as preferring to go shooting and fishing than competing on the golf course. "They do the same over there [in Europe] from what I've heard, so why not?
"I'm not there to make him mad or aggravate him but I want everybody here to enjoy what we've got going on, and I want them to pull for us and holler. As long as they are quiet when they hit their shots it shouldn't matter."
The gritty half enabled Westwood to equal Arnold Palmer's record undefeated run of 12 rubbers, but it was not enough to retain his place with his tried-and-trusted foursomes partner Sergio Garcia in yesterday morning's round of foursomes.
Westwood, never previously rested since he made his debut as Nick Faldo's partner in 1997, had no problem with his captain's decision. "I am getting too old for 36 holes in a day," he declared.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
The%20specs
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Guide to intelligent investing
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
More on animal trafficking
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
How to avoid crypto fraud
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Easter%20Sunday
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000