SHEBOYGAN — Outside of the actual golf being played, the Ryder Cup is known for crazy outfits. Many Americans and Europeans wear the most patriotic and outrageous outfits they can put together. From head to toe, every inch is covered in their teams gear.
Many fans buy these outfits specifically for the Ryder Cup weekend.
“The only way to get garments of this quality is to get them custom made so we found our finest tailor and had them made for us," Simon Richards from England said.
This is his third Ryder Cup and he loves wearing his Team Europe suit to each day of competition.
“If you’re going to come onto foreign soil, you gotta represent," Richards said.
It was lot easier to find crazy American outfits than it was to find crazy Team Europe outfits. Other than there being less European fans at the tournament, it's likely easier to buy specific USA gear versus trying to find lots of clothes that celebrate the European Union.
It turns out these outfits are expensive too.
“Yea I don’t even want to talk about - our wives don’t want to know how much we invested in this. It gets pretty expensive, but it’s well worth it," Dusty Pearson from Phoenix, Arizona said.
Other fans spent anywhere from $100 to $250 on their weekend outfits.
Now that fans have dropped a couple hundred dollars on their outfits, they need to find ways to justify their purchase. When asked about when they will wear their American flag overalls again, a group of friends jokingly answered:
“At least every fourth of July.”
“Probably Tuesday to work.”
“(To) renew my vows.”
The decorum of fans at the Ryder Cup is one of the reasons why this golf tournament is so special. There is a unique rowdyness to the fans that you don't get at other golf events. After all, it looks more like the Fourth of July BBQ at Whistling Straits than it does a golf tournament.
