Thomas Detry believes he can handle the hostile American crowds and help Europe to Ryder Cup victory this September, having already overcome thoughts of failure to end his long wait for success.
Detry is up inside the world’s top 25 after a historic seven-shot victory at the WM Phoenix Open earlier this month, where he became the first Belgian to win on the PGA Tour and secured a first worldwide win since the 2018 World Cup of Golf.
The 32-year-old has contended on multiple occasions on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour in recent seasons without reaching the winner’s circle, leading to Detry previously questioning whether he would ever claim a breakthrough title.
Detry is among the players looking to make a Ryder Cup debut this September for Team Europe
“I’ve had times literally, when I was making birdies on a Friday, where I was just thinking, ‘I don’t want to make birdies. I don’t want to put myself in this situation and fail again,'” Detry told the Sky Sports Golf podcast.
“That’s sometimes what I had going through my mind, which is a pretty horrible thing to think of. You’re out there playing well and you’re like, ‘here we go. I’m going to be in contention again and I don’t like being in contention because I’m going to fail.’
“Thoughts like that are horrendous and they should never happen, but we’re all human and it is human nature to be like that a little bit. I feel like I had to overcome that.
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“I still feel like I have to battle that. It feels like I all comes easier to some players, but I feel like – to me – it was a bit more hard work and all the hard work paid off.”
Detry had already secured his spot in all four majors this season with his tied-fourth finish at the PGA Championship last May, with a debut at The Masters one of his upcoming highlights.
He already contended at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Texas Children’s Houston Open last season on his way to reaching the FedExCup Playoffs, while Detry started 2025 with a top-five finish at The Sentry before his Phoenix victory.
“Being in position and putting yourself in position is already really hard,” Detry explained. “I’m almost blessed and lucky to be in position a lot, which is something that some guy guys never do.
“Some guys only put themselves in contention only once or twice a year, whereas to me it happens much more often. So that’s already something very positive to look at and to believe that my game is actually pretty good – alI I have to do is trust it.”
Detry ready to handle Bethpage pressure
There are still seven months to go until the 2025 Ryder Cup, where Luke Donald will be looking to regain the trophy and claim a rare win on away soil after captaining Europe to success in Rome.
A hostile New York crowd will provide an intimidating atmosphere for the European players, although Detry – who produced a four-birdie finish to close out his Phoenix victory – believes he has already proved he can handle the American fans.
“I can do it,” Detry said confidently about handling the pressure of the American crowd. “On 16 [in Phoenix], people were shouting at me, ‘USA! USA!’ and I stuck it to a couple of feet.
“It felt like a nice little confirmation that, if I ever had the opportunity to be at Bethpage in September, I think I’ve got what it takes to kick their asses!”
Detry became the third European winner in as many weeks on the PGA Tour, following on from Rory McIlroy and Sepp Straka, boosting his hopes of becoming the third Belgian player – joining Nicolas Colsaerts and Thomas Pieters – to play in a Ryder Cup.
“It would be a dream to play that Ryder Cup, but it’s not a goal in itself,” Detry added. “I’ve got all my other goals and I think that if I achieve all my other goals, I’ll be in that team no problem.
“Ultimately, it’s whoever plays the best closer to that date. Hopefully being part of one of the first teams in a while who wins on USA soil would be just amazing.”
Listen to the full Thomas Detry interview on the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast, hosted every week by Jamie Weir. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker, while vodcast editions can be found on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube channel.
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