Ryder Cup 2016: Danny Willett claims brother was right to call US fans "classless b*******"

The Masters champion had initially rejected the comments and apologised to fans 

Jack Austin
Monday 03 October 2016 09:17 BST
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Willett described his Ryder Cup debut as "s***"
Willett described his Ryder Cup debut as "s***" (Getty Images)

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Danny Willett has opened himself up to a Ryder Cup backlash after siding with his brother’s scathing attack on American golf fans last week.

The Masters champions was forced to apologise in the lead up to the Ryder Cup last week after Pete Willett called US supporters “fat, stupid, greedy, classless b*******” in his column for the National Club Golfer.

“For the Americans to stand a chance of winning, they need their baying mob of imbeciles to caress their egos every step of the way,” Peter Willett wrote. “Europe needs to shut those groupies up.”

The article added that Europe's golfers need to “silence the pudgy, basement-dwelling irritants” and “smash the obnoxious dads, with their shiny teeth, Lego man hair, medicated ex-wives and resentful children”.

As a result Willett was subjected to torrid abuse as he represented Europe at Hazeltine and it seemed to affect his play as he lost all three matches he played and only won two holes out of a possible 54 as Europe lost the Ryder Cup 17-11.

Such was the level of abuse that Team USA vice-captain Bubba Watson stepped in to ask the crowd to be respectful, only to be yelled at himself and told to “grow a pair”.

Writing on Twitter, the major winner said: “Very strange week here at the Ryder Cup.. Tried my best but played poorly.. Unfortunately some American fans showed that Pete Willett was in fact correct.

“Nothing to blame my bad play on.. But still shows that sometimes fans don’t know when to call it a day.. Shame really!!”

Willett had initially tried to play down his brother’s comments before the weekend, apologising to all American fans and admitting Pete had “put a downer” on his Ryder Cup.

“I'd just like to apologise obviously to everyone involved for what's been said,” Willett had said last week.

“It's obviously not the thoughts of myself and of the team and of captain Darren [Clarke]. I spoke to him [Pete] on the phone after I was made aware of what was said and what has been going on.

Danny Willett says his first Ryder Cup was 's***'

“And I said to Pete that I was obviously disappointed in what was said and what was written about the American fans that obviously took me under their wing fantastically back in April [at the Masters].”

Rory McIlroy was another subject of the American fans’ abuse leading to the Northern Irishman to get a fan ejected after comments made about his former fiancé, tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.

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