CHASKA, Minn. — You can’t miss it at Hazeltine National, the symmetrically soothing blue and yellow European flag that flies side by side with the Stars and Stripes all over the course.
Yet one of the chief symbols of this Ryder Cup also provides one of its greatest paradoxes, thanks to the summer’s seismic global political shift that saw the United Kingdom vote to leave the European Union.
Brexit was more of a political statement and a signal of future trade and immigration policies than something that will drastically change life as it is known, and it isn’t going to have a structural effect on the Ryder Cup.
The recent developments create a peculiarity, but not necessarily a problem. At least not yet. There are no immediate plans for Team Europe to stop using the flag at the Ryder Cup, even though the banner is the EU’s official symbol, not that of Europe itself.
“It makes no difference to us whatsoever because the U.K. is always going to be part of the European continent,” Europe captain Darren Clarke said earlier this year. “So we’re going there as Europe. We will still use the European flag because that is our continental flag, and that is what we’re going to do.”
At this event, the anthem played for Europe is Beethoven’s Ode To Joy, rather than the individual song for each nation. Again, that particular tune is the EU’s official title, rather than that of the continent as a whole.
Added into the mix is that the Europe squad, as usual, has a distinctly British flavor. Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Danny Willett, Matt Fitzpatrick, Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan all hail from England. Rory McIlroy and captain Clarke are from Northern Ireland.
Before 1979, the tournament was the United States against Great Britain and Ireland, before European players were admitted to improve the competitive balance.
“We are about coming together as a European team,” McIlroy said. “Nothing else.”
It is not inconceivable, however, that the issue may rear its head down the line. Pro-Brexit politicians previously were rankled by the use of EU symbology in connection with the team.
For now though, the flag, the anthem, and the color scheme remain, part of the ongoing folklore of golf’s greatest team event.
RYDER CUP WEEK AT HAZELTINE