U.S. Ryder Cup Team Wears Patriots Jerseys, Hits Golf Balls In Gillette Stadium

NORTON, Mass. — Jordan Spieth wasn’t the only golfer who had a little fun at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.

The eight golfers who already qualified for the U.S. Ryder Cup team got a VIP tour of the home of the New England Patriots just a few days before teeing off at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

And since we are talking about golfers, of course they took out a few clubs and hit balls from beyond the end zone toward the middle of the field.

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Just for the record, Phil Mickelson stuck it closest to the pin, and he did it with right-handed clubs.

In addition to that, the golfers and team captains also were treated to a meal, heard an inspirational speech from 1980 U.S. olympic men’s hockey gold medalist Mike Eruzione and met a few notable Patriots, including owner Robert Kraft.

“Mr. Kraft was awesome,” FedEx Cup standings leader Patrick Reed said Thursday. “He was so much fun, and to see your name kind of pop up around the stadium, everything that could light up in the stadium, any screen had red, white and blue all over it. It was just so cool. To show us the trophies, they’re all sitting there, all four of them and the four rings. I actually got to try on one of those rings. I don’t know how some of those guys can actually wear something like that, it was so big.

“But it was so cool. Just to hang out with somebody like that, you don’t really know what to expect. I mean, for how successful he is, who he is and all that, he’s just a normal guy. You go out and you’re just chatting with him as if he’s an old friend. It’s cool to see. I was just so much fun. Hopefully we can do it again sometime.”

And maybe next time they can bring along a trophy of their own, too.

Thumbnail photo via Ian Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports Images