2021 Ryder Cup USA Vikings
USATSI

The 43rd Ryder Cup between the U.S. and Europe began Friday, and as usual the fans brought intense passion with outfits to match. American fans flooded Whistling Straits with red, white and blue while the Europeans wore their fair share of blue and yellow to represent the continent's flag. 

One fan dressed as former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln while another wore a Brooklyn Dodgers Jackie Robinson uniform, two nods to the tournament's return to America for the first time since 2016. The Americans' win in that Ryder Cup is their only victory in the last five meetings with the Europeans. Another fan eager to show his American pride wore a mask of the bald eagle, the country's national bird. 

The American Marshals, a fan group established during the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club, wore red-white-and-blue Viking outfits to honor their first tournament's venue. According to the Marshals' website, they've worn American-inspired Viking outfits to each Ryder Cup since 2008. 

On the European side, some fans dressed in yellow and blue overalls that looked as if they were plucked straight from a Super Mario game. The Americans countered with stars-and-stripes sweat suits, cowboy hats and temporary tattoos of the American flag on their faces. 

Ryder Cup fans have long brought silliness and fun to their outfit planning for the tournament, and the players have begun to do the same. On Thursday Rory McIlroy and his European teammates wore plastic cheeseheads to appease the litany of Wisconsin fans -- most of which, they're assuming, are also Green Bay Packers fans -- at Whistling Straits. 

That may be a sound strategy considering just how loud the American fans can get. 

The Ryder Cup will run Friday through Sunday at the Whistling Straits Golf Course in Kohler, Wisc. Fans can watch on the Golf Channel and NBC or stream on fuboTV (try for free) and RyderCup.com 

2021 Ryder Cup gear now available

The Ryder Cup is on, and team-issued gear is now available. Get jackets, polos, hats, hoodies, and much more to support your team. Shop here.

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