Gary Player has been accused of being disingenuous after backtracking on his comments regarding the Ryder Cup.
Player is unquestionably one of the most controversial voices in the world of professional golf and he lived up to that reputation with his recent comments on the Ryder Cup.
On Saturday, Player suggested that the Ryder Cup should be ‘abolished’ after some of the fan behavior that he witnessed at Bethpage Black.
“Everybody is drinking. I don’t know if you noticed the Ryder Cup this year. Everybody is using the ‘F’ word. I’m just going to digress for a minute. The reason why the Ryder Cup should be scrapped, I’ll tell you.
“Yes, I would like to see them abolish it, and I’ll tell you why. Nobody loves golf more than me, but I love golf to such an extent that I sat there and cringed. The whole world was watching and all you heard was ‘F’ this and ‘F’ that and you see people misbehaving.”
“There is. Just look at Augusta. Do you ever see that at Augusta? Do you ever see that at the U.S. Open? The British Open? No.”
Player was clearly very angry indeed after what he witnessed at Bethpage.
However, the South African golfing legend performed a complete U-turn with a statement posted to his official social media accounts on Wednesday.
Gary Player under fire after his official statement following Ryder Cup comments
Player took to his X account on Wednesday and released the following statement.
He said: “My comments about the Ryder Cup were intended to be a warning that this great tournament is at risk of coming to an end if the recent behaviour in New York is allowed to continue, or even worse, escalate further at future events.
“I love the Ryder Cup format as do many millions of fans all over the globe. I want to see this great team competition continue to grow in a manner that allows it to meet the changing commercial needs of its sponsors and partners. But, I desperately want this growth not be at the expense of the dignity and respect which golfers and golf supporters have historically shown to one another. That is what I spoke about and what I am warning about now. I want nothing more than that the Ryder Cup continues in perpetuity. I love the Ryder Cup so much that I am presently assisting in the design of a golf course at Luton Hoo, outside London. In that design I am particularly focused on producing a course that will meet all the criteria for a future Ryder Cup venue.
“There were thousands of supporters and workers at Bethpage Black who behaved in the manner of how golf tournaments should be characterized. From the players to the fans, let’s work together to make the Ryder Cup’s future shine bright.“
Many golf fans took to Twitter and criticized Player for his statement, with one fan exclaiming, “Gary, it was a direct quote. Try to be a man and take the L here.“
And the comments kept coming with one fan saying: “Everybody knew that this type of behaviour was going to happen. Apparently everyone but Gary Player,“ and another stating: “Gary just trying to stay relevant smh somebody take his phone away.“
Player was then labeled as ‘disingenuous’: “I wish people would just stick with their opinions. I respect their right to have that opinion but to walk it back just seems disingenuous.“
Numerous other fans echoed the same sentiment with comments stating: “Gary bragging about himself and stirring the pot to stay ‘in the news’. Ryder Cup isn’t going anywhere,“ and, “I think he caught a lot of heat over that one.“
“If there’s any chance to talk about himself, Gary is all in,“ one fan claimed, while another said: “Never misses a chance to talk about himself!“
Other fans demanded that Player take accountability for his initial comments on the Ryder Cup.
“Just to reiterate, I don’t want the Ryder Cup abolished, even though I said it should be abolished’. ‘Also, I won the world match play 5 times’.“
While another fan said: “This is fine but he did say he thinks the Ryder Cup is the worst event in golf and should be abolished. Just like McDowell, the subsequent clarification misses something important: accountability for their own choice of words. Both still blamed media – for directly quoting them.“
It’s clear to see from those comments on social media that golf fans are not happy with the U-turn performed by Player.
He literally said the Ryder Cup should be abolished. He wasn’t misquoted, those were his words, and he would have got far more respect had he owned his comments, rather than backtracking on them.
Gary Player named only two Ryder Cup players who showed class
Player was extremely forthright in his opinion of what happened at Bethpage Black in September.
Before his latest interview dropped, he made comments on the Ryder Cup three weeks ago.
Player criticised the behavior of the Ryder Cup fans, and certain players as well.
He said: “I look at it and I’m in a state of shock. I think, what would Ben Hogan have said, you know? What would Byron Nelson have said? What would Arnold Palmer…If Arnold Palmer saw that today.
I was disgusted,“ he later added. “So to me, the Ryder Cup is a shambles.“
“I love the fact that they say ‘USA, USA.’ I love how the British respond in their way. I think that’s exciting. But the Ryder Cup to me is the worst event in the world.
“And to see the (PGA of America) hire a lady to stand on the tee — if you want to call her a lady — and saying ‘F you Rory. F this European team.’ Are we crazy? And then the head of the (PGA of America) says, what was so serious about it?
“Golf has never been that,” Player said. “Golf has been a gentleman’s sport. So, and to see that, and to see the players using this ‘F’ word, I mean, the whole lot.“
Player cited two players he “admired” for their class: Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. and Europe’s Tommy Fleetwood.
It’s fair to say that Player was not a fan of what went down at the 2025 Ryder Cup, and that makes his latest official statement all the more bizarre.
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