Charles Barkley is clearly as excited as every other golf fan for the upcoming Ryder Cup showdown at Bethpage Black.
Sports fans in New York are built differently and Team Europe will be in for an extremely tough time at Bethpage Black as they look to retain the Ryder Cup.
Barkley knows all about the vociferous support that New York fans provide after his career in the NBA saw him travel to the Big Apple with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets.
Keegan Bradley knows full well just how important the showdown with Team Europe is later this month.
Bradley received praise for not selecting himself for the US Ryder Cup team, and the onus is now on his 12 players to produce the goods.
In fact, Ryder Cup captain Bradley went against the advice of many people by not picking himself, President Donald Trump included.
The United States have won just three of the past 11 Ryder Cups, and that simply has to change at the end of this month.
With that in mind, Barkley has given the 39-year-old some advice on how he should get the fans and his players fired up for the clash at Bethpage.
Keegan Bradley told what he should do at the Ryder Cup to fire up the New York crowd
Bradley is a very passionate man himself.
He proved that during his two Ryder Cup appearances in 2012 and 2014 when he formed an exceptional partnership with Phil Mickelson.
Now it’s his turn to fire up his team, though.
And when speaking to Smylie Kaufman on the Smylie Show, Barkley offered Bradley some great advice on how to do just that.
He said: “The environment is going to be so different. Everybody [on the PGA Tour] is like ‘Rory I love you so much, Ludvig I love you so much’. They will not be saying that in New York.
“So now the only way they shut that down is to play well. The environment is going to be 100% different. You won’t be able to look over and see your cute little girlfriend with the bunny eyes or your wife over there. No. Those drunk fools in New York, that won’t be happening.
“I understand Europe are like we got the same team. Yeah, you got the same team, but if you think this environment is going to be lovey dovey with you like in Ireland [you’re wrong]. You know New York is going to be ready.
“Listen, the first thing I am going to do if I am Keegan Bradley, I am putting that Rory McIlroy sound bite up to start the matches [on the scoreboards].
“I want the crowds rowdy and ready to go. I am playing what he said, I remember him saying it, he was like ‘we are going to go to Bethpage and do the same thing’. I am playing that to start to the Ryder Cup.“
Barkley is, of course, referring to when, back in 2023, Rory McIlroy insisted that he and his European teammates will win the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
McIlroy said: “I’ve said this for probably six or seven years to anyone who will listen, I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf is winning an away Ryder Cup and that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.“
Charles Barkley predicts who will win the Ryder Cup
Barkley is an avid golfer, and when he was speaking on the Smylie Show, his excitement about the upcoming Ryder Cup clash between the United States and the Europeans was obvious to see.
But does he have full faith that the US will be triumphant in New York at the end of the month?
Barkley predicted the outcome of the event, saying: “I think New York is a different animal. I truly believe that. New York, Philly, Boston. Their fans are different.
“You factor in golf and drinking and New York. It’s going to be electric. I can’t wait. We are going US.“
Bethpage Black will undoubtedly be a real pressure-cooker for the Europeans, a cauldron of hate if you will.
Much will depend on how their players stand up to the test that the hostile atmosphere will demand of them.
The 2025 Ryder Cup should be one of the most closely contested affairs that we have seen for some time, and just like Charles Barkley, I cannot wait for it to start.
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