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American fan behavior turns ‘nasty’ at Bethpage Black as Shane Lowry gets fan evicted and Rory McIlroy suffers abuse

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
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The abuse being dished out to the European players at Bethpage Black crossed a line during the Ryder Cup on Saturday.

Shane Lowry and his partner Rory McIlroy were on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse from the New York fans during their match against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young.

Back in 1927, the Ryder Cup was started with the hope that the competition would be played in good spirits.

Bethpage Black turned into a cauldron of hate on Saturday, with the good-natured banter crossing the line into unnecessary personal abuse.

The five-time major champion clashed with fans in the morning foursomes as he told the Bethpage Black crowd to ‘shut up’ in no uncertain terms.

McIlroy has been incredibly strong in the Ryder Cup over the past decade or so, and he has been sensational this year at Bethpage.

Shane Lowry gets fan evicted at Bethpage and Rory McIlroy suffers abuse

The fans at Bethpage gave Lowry and McIlroy a really tough time.

Shane Lowry of Team Europe and teammate Rory McIlroy walk the fifth hole during the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

At points during their round, the Irish duo were made to wait on numerous occasions until the fans quietened down before they could hit their shots.

Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir was on the grounds at Bethpage on Saturday and he opened up on how things had crossed the line.

Weir said: The crowd is the other big talking point and it is getting pretty nasty out there. It got nasty last night in that final match with Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy, some very pointed comments and expletive laden abuse hurled at both of them.

It was boiling over this morning as well. It is on this side of the road, holes one and then 14-18. The others there isn’t too much, it’s all fairly good nature and to be honest the ole, ole, oles are outnumbering the USA’s.

But it can get pretty febrile over here. And you heard Rory McIlroy tell someone to shut up with a few other words thrown in the middle before promptly hitting it to two feet. So that goes to show you don’t wind up Rory McIlroy!

But at times it is getting pretty nasty out there. Shane Lowry has just had to get a fan evicted as well.

What Nicolai Hojgaard told Jamie Weir about fan behavior at Bethpage

Weir revealed what Nicolai Hojgaard told him about the fans at Bethpage.

I was having a conversation with Nicolai Hojgaard while walking a couple of holes earlier and he was saying from a player’s point of view it’s so difficult to gee yourself up off negative energy.

Europe tends to cheer our players on and encourage them and you can feed off that. But over here where the fans are more focused on abusing European players than encouraging their own players that creates a negative atmosphere and energy and as a player that is very difficult to feed off.

The American fans have clearly not helped their players this week, and that’s a real shame.

They seem to be more intent on causing problems for the European Ryder Cup players than actually supporting their own team.

Perhaps it’s no wonder why Team Europe have been so dominant.