Europe’s Secret Ryder Cup Weapon? Vr Headsets Shouting Abuse At Players

Rory McIlroy has revealed a concealed European limb earlier their upcoming defence of nan Ryder Cup: virtual reality headsets shouting abuse.

Luke Donald, Europe’s captain, handed players nan instrumentality during a squad gathering connected Tuesday night. The thought is to effort to replicate what level of attraction – aliases name-calling – nan European squad will person successful what is expected to beryllium nan dispute situation of Bethpage later this month.

“They said: ‘How acold to you want this to go?’” McIlroy explained. “And I said: ‘Go arsenic acold arsenic you want.’ It is conscionable to simulate nan sights and sounds and noise. That’s nan worldly that we are going to person to woody with. So it’s amended to effort to desensitise yourself arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable earlier you get successful there. You tin get them to opportunity immoderate you want them to say. So you tin spell arsenic adjacent to nan bony arsenic you like.”

Donald’s attraction to item is good known but this is simply a striking move. Europe person not won connected American ungraded since 2012. “We are doing everything we tin to champion hole ourselves for what it is going to consciousness for illustration connected Friday week,” McIlroy said. “But thing tin really hole you until you’re really successful that. You tin deterioration each nan VR headsets you want and do each nan different things we’ve been trying to do to get ourselves fresh but erstwhile nan first tee comes connected Friday it’s existent and we conscionable person to woody pinch whatever’s given.”

Pressed connected precisely what messages came done his headset, McIlroy replied: “You don’t want to know. Not for publication.”

McIlroy did, however, play down nan consciousness of nan astir fevered Ryder Cup backdrop successful history. So overmuch has already been speculated astir nan curen European players mightiness person successful New York. The Masters champion said: “I deliberation nan much we talk astir that, nan maddest [crowds] aliases whatever, we mightiness get location and beryllium like, this really isn’t arsenic bad arsenic we thought it would be, who knows. No matter if you’re an American squad going to Europe aliases you’re a European squad going to America, it’s nan same. You cognize you’re not going to beryllium up against not conscionable a awesome squad but nan crowd arsenic well. That brings its challenges.

“New York is decidedly much of a cosmopolitan city, much of a pouring cookware and much backgrounds and group place arsenic portion European. We should get a small much support but astatine nan aforesaid time, you’re going to America pinch an American crowd.”

McIlroy will subordinate his European teammates connected a scouting travel to Bethpage from Monday morning. The Northern Irishman will transverse nan Atlantic successful good fettle aft a 65 to motion disconnected astatine nan PGA Championship.