[PHOTO: Ross Kinnaird]<\/p>\n
Bethpage Black is one of the more beloved courses by the American golf populace thanks to its public roots. Just don\u2019t count Paul Azinger among that crowd.<\/p>\n
Azinger, the 1993 PGA champion and 2008 United States captain, blasted this week\u2019s Ryder Cup venue in an appearance on the \u201cStraight Facts Homie\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Will Bethpage be a breaking point for fan behaviour?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI really don\u2019t like Bethpage Black,\u201d said Azinger, who also made four Ryder Cup starts as a player. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of awkward angles, downhill tee shots to fairways that angle away, uphill second shots where you can\u2019t see the landing area. It\u2019s just hard, and you cannot fluke your way around there.\u201d<\/p>\n In his view, Azinger is not alone in his opinion.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like Keegan\u2019s going to have to get these guys on a mission and on a mission quickly and single-minded to figure out how to fall in love with Bethpage Black. I guarantee you they don\u2019t love it either,\u201d Azinger said. \u201cMe and you don\u2019t love it. They don\u2019t love it. Europe doesn\u2019t care what the course is. Our guys might.\u201d<\/p>\n Azinger also asserted that most of the US players don\u2019t know the course.<\/p>\n \u201cI think one of the biggest mistakes that the American Ryder Cup team always seems to make, or the PGA of America, is they go to courses that we\u2019re not familiar with,\u201d Azinger said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that the Black course hosted the PGA Championship just six years ago, although the past two European Ryder Cup venues in Italy and France hosted DP World Tour events in the lead-up to the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n RELATED: The PGA of America needs to make this simple change to dial up the drama on the final hole at Bethpage Black<\/a><\/p>\n One of the expected advantages for the Americans will be the raucous New York crowds, which have shown a penchant at past events at Bethpage to be some of the more boisterous in the sport. However, Azinger even sees that as a potential problem.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel if the US gets off to a bad start, even the crowd can be volatile there,\u201d Azinger explained. \u201cThat\u2019s why I told Keegan right out of the gate, \u2018Buddy, you gotta win the crowd.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Azinger, whose captaincy at the 2008 Ryder Cup is often viewed as one of the high points of the American team this century, did have one final piece of advice for Bradley.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t play videos of people like Michael Jordan wishing them luck and the president wishing them luck \u2013 that just makes you want to throw up,\u201d Azinger said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t help me. I already know they want us to win. It didn\u2019t help me ever. I hated it. It made me more nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n