Europe prepares for the worst from fans

European captain Bernhard Langer, whose missed six-foot birdie putt cost his team the Cup in 1991 and brought cheers from a boorish US crowd, has his team ready for a repeat of the ugly taunts and poor sportsmanship from 1999.

‘‘I’m going to prepare them for the worst, which we hopefully won’t experience,’’ he said. ‘‘There have been occasions when the home crowd was very much against the other team. So I will prepare them for that. I’m hoping the players will behave like sportsmen and gentlemen as we normally do. I hope the crowd will be reasonable and fair.’’

This is the first Ryder Cup on US soil since the premature American victory celebration on the 17th hole at Brookline in 1999 after Justin Leonard sank a 45-foot birdie putt. Spectacular as the shot was, the US team dancing on the green was an insult to the Europeans, who awaited Jose Maria Olazabal’s 25-foot birdie putt to halve the hole and keep Europe’s hopes alive.

The Spaniard missed and the US team claimed the Cup.

But after a day of taunts and rudeness from over-the-top US supporters, the Europeans took motivation that inspired them to win back the Cup two years ago at the Belfry.

‘‘Personally I think it was a little bit over the top,’’ Langer said. ‘‘It’s not a war. We’re not shooting bullets. We’re not trying to kill each other. We’re actually just competing in a great contest. We’re friends.’’

An abundance of alcohol kept the insults flowing at Brookline. But officials have taken steps here to crack down upon crackpots. ‘‘If there’s too much alcohol or too much this and that, some people lose control,’’ Langer said. ‘‘We know once in a while they have gotten out of hand. We will do our utmost to keep it in the true spirit and let our clubs do the talking.’’