I am a lifelong sports fan. I love the rivalries, the passionate fans and the suspense that make sport great, but what happened this weekend at the Ryder Cup in Bethpage on Long Island was ugly and gave American sportsmanship a black eye. I will return and discuss some of the ugly incidents that occurred this weekend but first let us explain to non-golf fans what the Ryder Cup is. Golf is usually an individual sport, but the Ryder Cup is something different. It is a biennial event that rotates between the United States and Europe as hosts. The Ryder Cup pits teams of the best European golfers against their American counterparts. (The USA vs. Great Britain and Ireland competition expanded to include the Continent in 1979). It is a rare chance for golf fans to cheer their nation on. Cheering on one’s nation is fun, but the nationalism that was on display by some fans at Bethpage was repugnant and Irish golfers got some of the most abuse.
After the end of the match, American golfing legend Tom Watson apologized to Europe’s Ryder Cup team members and their entourage for the behavior of the American spectators at Bethpage Black while admitting he was “ashamed” of the abuse hurled at European golfers. “I’d like to congratulate Europe on their victory,” Watson posted on X. “Your team play the first few days was sensational. More importantly, I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Bethpage. As a former player, captain and as an American I am ashamed of what happened.”
The chief target of some of the abusive American fans’ abuse was Northern Irish golfer and Ryder Cup captain Rory McIlroy. Not only was McIlroy a target of abuse, but his wife also was. One of the spectators hit her with a beer during the competition. Even the female master of ceremonies Heather McMahan, who was hired to fire up the crowd at the 1st tee, was recorded using a megaphone before Saturday morning’s foursomes attacking McIlroy in language so foul it cannot be reported in the Echo. In response the Pro Golfers Association announced that McMahan, would not host from Sunday’s proceedings. The PGA also apologized for the crude insults hurled at European players.
The crude insult hurled at McIlroy became a recurring chant, and by the end of Sunday the obnoxious fan behavior was so horrible during McIlroy’s double with Irishman Shane Lowry against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young that the PGA of America had to bring in a squad of state police to try to restore order.
The Europeans won the cup, but the abusive milieu took some of the luster off winning. McIlroy said of his ordeal, “I don’t mind them having a go at us, that’s to be expected, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is.” He continued, “Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing. You know, look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine. But just give us the respect to let us hit shots. Give us the same chance that the Americans have.”
His friend and partner at the Ryder Cup Shane Lowry was also the target of abuse. Lowry, a winner of the Open Championship, from Clara, Co. Offaly, is the son of Brendan Lowry, who won the 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final with Offaly. Slurs against the Irish were part of the torrent of abuse Lowry endured. Lowry finally got so upset that he hurled an expletive at one of the rude fans. Lowry praised McIlroy’s wife stating, “I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing, and the way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that.”
Asked at the end of the competition about the abuse he and his wife received, McIlroy commented, “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week. Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people. Sometimes this week we didn’t see that. So no, this should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup. We will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable.”
Golf is considered a gentleman’s game, and most crowds are polite. The Ryder Cup was a sorry spectacle and perhaps a reflection of the larger breakdown of civility and manners in society. No athlete, amateur or professional, should have to endure the taunts and abusive language the McIlroy family and Lowry did. The PGA must act the next time the U.S. hosts the Ryder Cup to make sure that such ugly scenes are never repeated.
