Martin Kaymer, the German who was part of Europe’s defeated Ryder Cup team last weekend, delivered yet another grim assessment of the behaviour of certain sections of the US crowd during the tumultuous tussle at Hazeltine.
While the tranquil life on the links of Carnoustie during the opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship yesterday was in stark contrast to the racket of the Ryder Cup, Kaymer unveiled his own experiences of the hostility and heckling that marred proceedings in the Minneapolis suburbs.
Danny Willett, the Masters champion who endured a thoroughly miserable debut in the biennial event, had stated on the eve of the Dunhill Links that his family had been targeted by some of the more venomous elements of the crowd and his European team-mate Kaymer added his opinions to an issue that continues to be a major talking point in the golfing world.
Kaymer, a winner of the Dunhill Links Championship in 2010, said: “I just find it amazing. They are standing there with their children in their hand and they say things that makes you think, ‘that's your child next to you, what role model are you?’. It's a bit shocking sometimes the comments you hear.
“There were names that we got called that you would never, ever put in your mouth in any media or even alongside your friends. I think you just need to escort those people off the property as quickly as possible and we keep on playing golf. There are just some idiots.”
Kaymer, one of six European Ryder Cup players competing in the £4 million Pro-Am this week, opened with a one-under 71 at Carnoustie but that left him seven shots behind the early leader, Alex Noren, who blasted a course record-equalling eight-under 64 over the Angus links.
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