CHASKA, Minn. — Danny Willett made his Ryder Cup debut Friday afternoon to a chorus of boos after his brother wrote hateful words about U.S. fans earlier in the week.
Willett, the reigning Masters champion, was controversially held out of the morning wave in favor of Thomas Pieters, but played the first Ryder Cup match of his career during Friday afternoon fourball, paired with Martin Kaymer, and lost 5 and 4.
Though his brother is a writer and Willett said he has nothing to do with what his brother publishes or says, he knew it would be tough playing in a hostile environment this week.
"It was anticipated," Willett said after his round. "It was one of those things, like I've said before, coming to America is a tough one. They gave me a little bit more, but yeah, I think it was exactly what we thought it'd be."
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Willett did show off a bit of his sense of humor by trying to find a positive to his unfortunate situation.
"There was a few little shouts in there, and bits and boos, but hopefully they (the U.S. fans) are all following me around so the rest of the lads can do their business," Willett said.
Despite the lopsided loss, Willett had some positive moments. He drilled a long birdie putt on the first hole, after Brooks Koepka had his birdie already conceded. Willett added another birdie on the ninth hole, but he received little support from Kaymer.
But Danny Willett gets a huge cheer holing long birdie putt at 9th...only to be followed by a guy who screams "But we still hate you, Danny!
— Randall Mell (@RandallMellGC) September 30, 2016
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"For me it was a tough day," Kaymer said. "Obviously when you get a pick, you try to do your best to contribute something to the team. That didn't really happen today. But at the end of the day, it's not really about me. It's about the whole team."
While that might be true, Kaymer looked flat while falling to 0-2 on the day. He may not see many matches Saturday, despite being one of the most experienced players on the team.