Stenson: Fan-less Ryder Cup Better Than No Ryder Cup

The Swede has give his thoughts on the many issues facing the Ryder Cup in 2020.

Stenson: Fan-less Ryder Cup Better Than No Ryder Cup

With the Coronavirus pandemic still having a strong impact on the world of sport and golf, the question of whether the 2020 Ryder Cup will take place at all is becoming an ever-increasing issue.

Set to be hosted at Whistling Straits, one of the main problems is whether fans will be allowed to attend the event, and if they are not, then should the Cup be postponed to 2021?

The fans usually play a huge part in every Ryder Cup event so the prospect of hosting one without them is an idea that doesn't seem popular, with people like Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and USA captain Steve Stricker speaking out against it.

However Swedish Major winner Henrik Stenson has acknowledged that if the Cup cannot be postponed to 2021 then he would much rather play the event without any fans.

Speaking during his podcast, “Almost an Hour presented by Callaway Golf,” he said;

“For the atmosphere and for the feeling, for us as players that would be, very blunt, it would be something that you can’t really imagine at this point.

"Then looking at the bigger picture, if that’s the only way that the Ryder Cup can go ahead, and if it’s not an option to play it next year with crowds, with fans, then I would prefer to play a Ryder Cup than to not play a Ryder Cup.”

Stenson's usual Ryder Cup partner, Justin Rose, has also given his thoughts on a fan-less event and said it could be even more intense.

"We might actually be used to it [no crowds] by then," Rose told Golf.com. "It might almost be interesting if the Ryder Cup is the first event with fans.

"Who knows how the summer is gonna play out? The thought of a Ryder Cup without fans is mind-blowing, but what is the new normal? Would we rather still have the opportunity to play? You can't just bump everything to 2021 because 2021 becomes chaos if that's the case.

"In one way, it could be more intense between the two players. There's nowhere to hide, nowhere else to look. You know, it's eyeball to eyeball. It could create a bizarrely intense environment."

It is believed a decision on the event will be made towards the end of June.

Don't forget to follow Golf Monthly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.