Jon Rahm Faces Creative Heckling from New York Fans at Ryder Cup

FARMINGDALE, New York – As the Ryder Cup approaches, European golfer Jon Rahm is finding that no amount of technology can prepare him for the creative heckling of American fans. Despite the team’s use of virtual reality headsets designed to help players manage the intense atmosphere, Rahm noted that the real-life experience has already exceeded expectations during practice rounds.

The VR headsets aimed to desensitize golfers by simulating personalized abuse from fans. However, Rahm quickly learned that the inventiveness of the crowd at Bethpage Black is unmatched. “I don’t think that we’re creative enough in those VR goggles to what we’re going to hear this week,” he remarked on September 28, 2023. The 29-year-old golfer is preparing for his fourth Ryder Cup, and he has already faced some humorous taunts.

During a practice round, Rahm was targeted with jibes referencing weight-loss drugs. He recounted, “Yeah, first shot in the practice rounds, yeah. I don’t know exactly what he said, but I think what he said was – what did he say? He either said, ‘Hey, Rahm, where is the Ozempic?’ or ‘When’s Ozempic?’ Something ‘Ozempic.’ I just don’t know what word exactly. It was funny.”

Rather than being unsettled by the creative insults, Rahm appears to be embracing the uniquely passionate atmosphere that New York crowds are known for. He acknowledged that while the practice sessions have maintained a light-hearted tone, he anticipates the intensity will increase significantly once the three-day competition begins on September 29, 2023.

“We have all been in a home game trying to say some things about the away team, right, but some people come up with things that I would never in a million years come up with, and it’s a lot of fun to be a part of,” Rahm said. He added that the humour he has encountered so far has been genuinely entertaining, noting, “So far, the humour that’s been there, it’s really funny.”

As the Ryder Cup kicks off, Rahm and the rest of the European team will need to navigate not just the competition on the course but also the vibrant and sometimes unpredictable energy of the American fanbase. With the event set to begin, players will soon discover just how much the atmosphere at Bethpage Black can influence their performance.