[PHOTO: Vaughn Ridley]
It needs to be said bluntly, because it’s the truth: the predominantly Canadian crowd at Royal Montreal for the Presidents Cup was embarrassingly flat on Day 1. Like, praying in church silent. Alone in Death Valley quiet.
Beyond a couple of thousand people in grandstands on the first tee, cheering dutifully but not passionately to an MC’s hype, the gallery seemed not much bigger than a mid-level PGA Tour event, and the energy couldn’t match those at places such as Hilton Head or TPC Deere Run.
Canadians are renowned for being polite, but this seemed more like strange indifference, considering a decent portion of the country loves golf and should take pride in getting such international attention.
Maybe they thought they were attending a golf tournament instead of a team tangle that embraces reasonable raucousness. Compared to the Ryder Cup, the first day was like playing and watching golf in a leafy mausoleum.
And don’t take our word for it. A couple of the International players’ wives would agree. In fact, we’d bet it was going to be a conversation at dinner, and maybe even in the team room.
The best example of the frustration came as Match 1 was being played on the back nine. Jason Day and Ben An didn’t lead after the first hole in their eventual loss to Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau, 1 up, and they trailed by two holes while making their way up the par-4 14th fairway. In a cart near the edge of the fairway, and in front of a fans in a hospitality tent and at the ropes, wives Ellie Day and Jamie An tried to start a chant for their guys. “I-N-T! I-N-T!” they yelled while pumping their fists. This, as International captain Mike Weir and his wife drove close by.
Reaction: a couple of half-hearted responses. Cheerleaders at a high-school football game do far better. And worse, one fan, in the silence, screamed “U-S-A!” aggressively back at them.
“What the f–k?” was the disgusted reaction to the apathy by someone in the International entourage.
Two holes later, there was plenty to cheer because the match was tied after the Internationals won the 15th with a birdie and saw the Americans miss shortish par putts at 16. But then Schauffele stuffed his tee shot close on the par-3 17th to make a birdie for the US to retake the lead.
Again, as the teams headed to their critical 18th tee shots, the International WAGS tried to get the crowd going. Again, the reaction was murmurs. “This is lame,” said a wife, seemingly now resigned to the library vibe. Another player family member was more animated. “Weak crowd! I need more!” he exclaimed in the direction of the grandstand.
Surprising stuff. Can the Internationals blame the gallery for already getting smoked by the US? Probably not. But should we be disappointed in Canadians treating this like a club curling? Absolutely.
Hosers? Try Snoozers.