On September 25th, we had the opportunity to attend practice for the Ryder Cup. Chicagoland has been filled with excitement for the event, which was evident when we were among 30,000 spectators there for the first day of practice.

Before I get to my experience, here’s a couple things about me. I’m not a golfer – I wish I was and am trying to get better – but it’s mostly about cute outfits and fresh air when I hit the links. I didn’t own golf clubs until college and haven’t only been playing more than 2 or 3 rounds a year since I met my husband. However, being an avid sports fan does also make me a golf fan. I starting watching the sport on weekends when Tiger Woods hit the scene in 1996 and slowly learned the rules and terminology. I married into a golf family and can fit in with my vocab, even if my game needs some work still. This was the first professional golf event I’ve attended and really enjoyed the atmosphere.

Tuesday was also my first visit to Medinah Country Club – historic, majestic, beautiful – you get the picture. The course was in great shape and had several good places to set up camp and watch the players. It also had a massive golf shop (comparable to many gymnasiums), but the food options left something to be desired. However, the sun was shining and weather was great to take in everything we could that day. The crowd was also a lot of fun and we enjoyed interacting with other golf enthusiasts.

Once we scoped out the course and did some damage to our wallets at the golf shop, we found a great spot along the 2nd green. You could see the players tee off over the water and then they were putting right in front of us. We got there as the last European group was on the green and noticed how interactive they were with the fans when they moved onto the 3rd tee box. Excited by this, we got in position to watch all the Americans play this hole. I was able to get some great pictures all day of them playing (bonus of going to practice where cameras are allowed) and was hoping to get some autographs too for my flag. It was really impressive to watch the professionals hit the balls, and to be so close to them. When the first group was ready to move onto the next hole, the fans were disappointed to see that no one would stop for signatures while they barely looked at the crowd, other than to hand out a few hat pins. Unfortunately, the same practice took place with the groups that followed – other than a few who stopped to sign flags. At least I got to see all of my countrymen tee off then – including Tiger “grassface” Woods.

Frustrated, but not ready to give up, we moved on to the back 9. This time, we found a great spot along the 17th green where they would have to walk past us since there was just water on the other side. It was going to be perfect for autographs! However, this spot also came with a 2+ hour wait due to the super slow speed of play. I understand that this was the first time out practicing, but spending 20 minutes or so on each green to mess around based on future pin placements seemed excessive. This is one place where I thought Medinah was lacking – keeping everyone moving along, and informing the crowd of what was going on. It didn’t help that the screen by the water wasn’t working. Nonetheless, we were patient and then in a perfect place to see everyone putt and then walk past us.

The Europeans were the first to come up, and you could see from the start that they lived up to their reputation of being friendly with the crowd. I was really impressed with the way they engaged with the fans and took the time for several autographs. I was very excited to have Rory McIlory sign my flag and also got to talk to Graeme McDowell (who I find very cute and we snagged a great picture of). Perhaps the funniest part when the Euros were there was when Sergio Garcia was walking right towards me (eye contact had been made and I was ready to get his signature) when Paul Lawrie swooped in and cut him off…I was mad at first, but at least Paul has won a Major. Overall, I got signatures from 5 Euros and was excited about that while also be very impressed with the way they treated all of us watching.

Then, it was time to watch team USA. They couldn’t have been more opposite than the Euros, other than spending even more time “playing” on the green. I was very taken back by the way they were as they walked past all of us – barely acknowledging the crowd and refusing to sign anything until after the round (even though that was not consistent). Perhaps the most infuriating part was when Phil Mickelson (who I’ve never cared for) turned to the crowd and snapped “I don’t sign autographs when I play!” Guess what dude – this is a practice round that you guys clearly aren’t taking seriously and you’re very rude. While we were waiting for the last group, which included Tiger, we were eventually told that they stopped playing after 9 holes – so much for staying true to their words for signatures! Many people around us were disappointed because they didn’t get to see him play at all that day and I was not impressed by the move. In the meantime, the speed of play re-rerouted the celebrity tournament and we were unable to see any of them play. Again, the lack of communication from the organizers bit us! So, it gave me time to go to the 18th hole and see if the word of the US golfers was worth anything. I was able to get 2 signatures while being smushed among people as they treated us like an assembly line and made no eye contact. Again, not impressed here – but give them a little credit compared to many of the US golfers who miraculously disappeared when it was time to keep their word.

After it only took us 15 minutes to get there, leaving was much more difficult. It took us over 25 minutes to get out of the parking lot and nearly an hour to get home. This game me time to adore the flag (I was very proud of myself for getting 7 signatures on it) and reflect on the day.

First of all, it was an awesome experience that I’m grateful for. I did find out that the USA had handed out pins in the past too, so I was a little less annoyed. Then, I found out that they had a different tune on Wednesday and were actually giving out autographs between holes – even Tiger was! This made me a little upset after how I had been treated by them the day before (and I even had a sweet older lady next to me who I commiserated with). Maybe I had bad luck. Maybe they were told to act differently after rumblings from day 1. Who knows! Either way, it opened my eyes some to the less than popular reputation Americans have around the world. If the US golfers act like they did towards their own fans when they are in tournaments abroad, they are not positive representatives for our country.

As I watched the first day of matches, I was very conflicted as I thought about my interactions (or lack there of) with the 24 men participating in the event. Do I stay true to my country and cheer for America and follow my emotions and pull for the Europeans? To be honest, I felt more of the latter happening on day 1. I do think it will be highly contested by the time in concludes and am hoping for some exciting golf to watch. But unlike many people here, I won’t be sad if the Ryder Cup goes to the good guys – who unfortunately are from across the pond!