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Chaska — Danny Willett really had no idea what to expect during his first career match in the pressure-packed Ryder Cup.
When it came to the partisan American crowd, he knew exactly what was coming.
The 28-year-old Masters champion was heckled and jeered throughout his Ryder Cup debut Friday afternoon, a vociferous response from fans at Hazeltine who took exception to a crude but humorous essay penned by his brother this week that called American golf fans "fat, stupid, greedy (and) classless."
From the moment the Englishman stepped to the tee box at No. 1 until he and partner Martin Kaymer were defeated by Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka on No. 14, Willett heard from a Hazeltine crowd of more than 50,000.
"It was anticipated," Willett said.
"Like I said before, coming to America is a tough one, just like when the Americans come to Europe. They gave me a little bit more. And yeah, I think it was exactly what we thought it was going to be."
There were playful taunts like a chant of "Will-ett's bro-ther! Will-ett's bro-ther!"
Several fans asked Willett to get them a hot dog, a reference to a plea in Pete Willet's blog for a British golf outlet that the European team silence "the pudgy, basement-dwelling, irritants, stuffed on cookie dough and pissy beer, pausing between mouthfuls of hotdog so they can scream 'Baba Booey' until their jelly faces turn red."
Others were a little more aggressive, telling Willett to hit it in the water and hollering "your brother's an idiot!"
American vice captain Bubba Watson implored some of the more unruly fans to calm down on a few occasions and European teammate Rory McIlroy said a minority of fans were hostile and perhaps crossed a line, prompting him to deliver a bow after finishing off Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar with a 20-foot eagle putt on No. 16.
