Advertisement

Danny Willett apologizes for brother's column dissing U.S. fans

CHASKA, Minn. — Danny Willett had to clean up his brother’s mess late Wednesday, apologizing for his brother P.J.’s characterizations of American golf fans.

Writing a Ryder Cup column for the U.K.’s National Club Golfer, Willett said the European team needed to take the air out of the American fans early in an effort to win at Hazeltine National.

Pete Willett wrote that the European team needs to “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.” He also said the Europeans should “smash the obnoxious dads, with their shiny teeth, Lego man hair, medicated ex-wives, and resentful children.”

His brutal description of American fans — even if biting satire — caused a wave of problems for the Masters champion and captain Darren Clarke.

“It was tough then to kind of get your head around everything,” Willett said in an interview with Golf Channel. “You kind of wanted to get off the golf course and hopefully get it sorted, you know, like I said to Pete today, as quick as possible and, like I said, hopefully draw a line under it and get back to what we’re doing.”

Clarke reacted before Wilett.

“I showed it to Danny, and he’s bitterly disappointed in his brother’s article,” Clarke said. “It is not what Danny thinks. It is not what I think. It is not what Team Europe stands for.”

Danny Willett also spoke to U.S. captain Davis Love III to apologize for his brother.

“He took it very well and I think he’s drawn a line under it obviously for himself and for the team,” Willett said. “So hopefully everyone else can do the same and hopefully we can get on and have a great tournament.”