Team Europe using VR to prep for Ryder Cup noise

VIRGINIA WATER, England -- Whatever heckling European players mightiness look astatine the Ryder Cup successful New York could beryllium what they already person heard before, each due to the fact that of virtual world headsets that Rory McIlroy says tin beryllium adjusted to perceive the harshest abuse.

Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald has said his European squad volition beryllium prepared for the sound astatine Bethpage Black, the nationalist people with the estimation for having among the rowdiest and astatine times obnoxious play fans.

McIlroy told reporters aft the BMW PGA Championship connected Sunday that Donald handed players the VR instrumentality connected Tuesday nighttime aft a squad gathering. It allows players to visualize the people portion adjusting the sound -- and insults -- from extracurricular the ropes.

"It is conscionable to simulate the sights and sounds and noise," McIlroy said. "That's the worldly that we are going to person to woody with. So it's amended to effort to de-sensitize yourself arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable earlier you get successful there. You tin get them to accidental immoderate you privation them to say.

"So you tin spell arsenic adjacent to the bony arsenic you like."

Europe had 11 players astatine Wentworth and was headed for New York for signifier astatine Bethpage Black. Sepp Straka was location with a newborn past week and is expected to articulation them.

Straka is among 5 European players who person ne'er competed astatine Bethpage Black.

Europe past won the Ryder Cup connected U.S. ungraded successful 2012 astatine Medinah, and that required a stunning comeback led by Ian Poulter.

"We are doing everything we tin to champion hole ourselves for what it is going to consciousness similar connected Friday week," McIlroy said. "But thing tin truly hole you until you're really successful that. You tin deterioration each the VR headsets you privation and bash each the antithetic things we've been trying to bash to get ourselves acceptable but erstwhile the archetypal tee comes connected Friday it's existent and we conscionable person to woody with whatever's given."

Europe tin astatine slightest number connected much enactment than its past roadworthy Ryder Cup. That was successful 2021 astatine Whistling Straits, with worldwide question restrictions from COVID-19 inactive successful place. There were hardly immoderate European fans astatine each successful an American rout.