The Ryder Cup crowd at Bethpage Black became the source of extreme controversy during Saturday’s round.
America’s home support was accused of being tame on Friday, but they certainly responded to that criticism the following day. The level of abuse hurled at Rory McIlroy during his fourball match meant state troopers had to be called to the course to defuse matters during his match.
Much was made of the New York crowd before the Ryder Cup, and for some, their worst fears were realised. The atmosphere surrounding McIlroy and his partner Lowry went far beyond what is expected of a sporting environment.
After winning the match, Lowry said, “It was something I had never experienced.” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley was also asked about the crowd, and whether the hostility went too far.
Keegan Bradley defends Ryder Cup crowd after Rory McIlroy controversy
Bradley, among others on the U.S. side, has done his best to hype up the New York crowd this week. He was even seen running down the fairway with an American flag on Thursday.
All efforts to light a spark in the crowd appear to have backfired, however. They were stirred into a frenzy by Saturday afternoon, not helped by McIlroy biting back at fans during his morning match.
It was put to him after the Saturday session that his fans may have crossed the line, to which he responded: “I mean, we have passionate fans out here. Their fans are loud, too. It’s an honour to play in front of New York fans.”
It’s an understandable response. Bradley’s poor decisions throughout the week have called into question his ability to captain the team. It would be ill-advised for him to criticize his home support and turn them against him.
If this American disaster continues into Sunday, they might not need much help with that!
Keegan Bradley blames European putting for Ryder Cup disaster
Team USA requires the largest-ever comeback in Ryder Cup history to win the tournament. After losing Saturday fourball 3-1, they trail 11.5 – 4.5 with one day remaining.
They were simply outclassed by Europe, who sank putt after putt all day long. And that’s what Bradley blamed America’s heavy deficit on.
He said, “I am seeing what looks like a historical putting performance. They are making everything. They are a great team with great players. They are a tough team to beat right now.”
It’s true, Europe’s putting has been off the charts. They are currently +9.55 on strokes gained with putting for the tournament. But there’s clearly more to it than that.
Bradley’s pairings for the morning’s foursomes demonstrated pure stubbornness. He stuck with Collin Morikawa and Harris English after they were beaten badly on Friday, and McIlroy and Fleetwood dispatched them once again on Saturday.
He also stuck by Russell Henley as a partner to Scottie Scheffler, and the world number one has now been beaten in each of his four events.
Nearly every decision Bradley has made has bitten him, and it would do him well to take some ownership of that.
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