European Ryder Cup Team Bracing For Donald Trump Appearance, Hopeful For No Delays
Trump's presence at Bethpage could be pure chaos
The crowds and overall scene at this month's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black are expected to be unlike anything the event has ever produced, and that was before President Donald Trump's recent announcement that he would be making an appearance on site in New York.
While the idea that the New York sports fans are going to create the greatest home-course advantage the U.S. team has ever seen may be getting blown out of proportion a bit, there is no denying that Bethpage is going to be incredibly rowdy as the event officially gets underway on Friday.
You add President Trump into the mix on that Friday morning, and you not only have a potential logistical nightmare, but yet another factor Team Europe will have to deal with in its attempt to hold onto the cup.
European captain Luke Donald is doing what he can to prep his squad for what will be a truly unique experience.
"The PGA of America’s job is to make sure it’s seamless, and he wants to be there to probably greet the players, and I think the crowd is probably going to be loud no matter what," Donald said ahead of this week's BMW PGA Championship.
The Ryder Cup trophy is seen at the Bethpage Black Course.(Photo by Gary Kellner/PGA of America via Getty Images)
"Again, I think just as long as we know that the president is going to be there, it’s not like he’s just going to turn up and we didn’t expect it. We know he’s going to be there, so it’s fine.
"We will have a unified approach amongst the players, the caddies, the wives, everything. Obviously, we’ve been told by the PGA of America, that a strong amount of police are going to be there," he continued.
Perhaps the biggest concern for all involved is the President's presence and the added security measures potentially creating mass chaos entering the grounds.
His recent appearance at the U.S. Open men's final in New York led to a lengthy delay to begin the match, and thousands of fans missed plenty of the action as they were stuck outside the security gates in lengthy lines.
Bethpage Black and the PGA of America will have had many weeks to prepare for Trump's arrival at the Ryder Cup, but there is only so much they can do to prepare when it comes to the property set to welcome well over 50,000 fans.