There were strong reactions from golf fans, sportswriters and even former players about the bad behavior at Long Island’s Bethpage Black over the weekend.
The abuse and taunts were so horrible that former U.S. team captain Tom Watson took to social media to apologize to the European players saying “as a former player, Captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened.”
Ryder Cup tournaments are known for their spirited and passionate fans, but this year many say the heckling and taunting reached a fever pitch. It began before the first tee Saturday morning when a PGA-hired emcee led the crowd on chant, cursing out Rory McIlroy, the second-ranked golfer in the world.
Mark Cannizzaro, a sports columnist for the New York Post, was sitting in the stands and could not believe what he was hearing.
“I looked over and asked, ‘Is this really happening?’” said Cannizzaro, who has covered 14 Ryder Cups. “This is essentially welcoming the crowd to do that for the rest of the day.”
“You think of all the children and the kids listening to that,” said Martin Ennis of Kildare, Ireland. “That was really over the top.”
“I think the Ryder Cup sort of creates an atmosphere that encourages that to some extent but there’s a line and that line was crossed,” said Sue Bieber, of Farmingdale.
As rowdy fans heckled European players and made noises during their back swings, others mocked McIlroy and his wife relentlessly. While McIlroy mostly focused on his game, which seemed to improve as the chanting got louder, he fired back at times.
“I chirped back a few times because it caught up to me,” said McIlroy in a post tournament news conference, “But we tried to handle everything that came our way.”
Team Europe dominated Team USA at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Cam Rogers, National Golf Expert at Bleav Network, breaks down what went wrong for the Americans.
Making headlines overseas, one fan tossed a drink at Rory and his wife on the course. The Team Europe star admitting it was a rough week, “but at the same time we shut them up with our performance and how we played.”
The PGA says they implemented more security and state troopers to help with fan behavior. For some fans, passion comes with this tournament.
“You know, violence — like throwing cups at Rory’s wife — that’s never OK, but i think it’s OK to be passionate,” said Joe Tammaro, of West Islip. “It’s offensive but it’s part of the Ryder Cup.”
Meanwhile, Team Europe took extra joy in their victory, with champagne and song — even calling out President Donald Trump in a video, singing “Are you watching, Donald Trump?”
The president responded on Truth Social and said “Yes, I’m watching. Congratulations.”
The next Ryder Cup is in two years and will take place in Ireland.
Source link
