The Ryder Cup will be remembered for a sensational final day of golf, when the United States roared back at the Europeans and came ever so close to producing what would have arguably been the greatest comeback in the history of sport.
However, the contest between the USA and Europe at the world-renowned Bethpage Black will also go down as one of the most vitriolic editions of the Ryder Cup, given some of the behavior witnessed on the grounds in Farmingdale, New York.
The light-hearted banter from the early hours of Friday morning was quickly replaced by ‘nasty’ insults being hurled at the European Ryder Cup players.
The tension in the air was palpable, and the American fans seemed determined to make the atmosphere as hostile as possible for Luke Donald and his players.
Some of the behavior from certain sections of the crowds at the Ryder Cup was described as ‘disgusting’ by Brandel Chamblee, with certain fans crossing the line.
Rory McIlroy bore the brunt of the hostility from some of the New York fans. However, McIlroy did insist it was the minority at Bethpage who caused the trouble, rather than the majority.
Now The Golfing Gazette has obtained comments from three European fans who witnessed everything that went down last week.
The truth about the Ryder Cup fan abuse at Bethpage Black
Josh Stimson was at Bethpage firmly in support of Team Europe, and he gave us the lowdown on what went on regarding the abuse that was aimed at some of the European stars.
“My experience of it was a bit strange,“ Stimson said. “I would say 85% of people were fine. They were absolutely sound. We met some Americans out there, the older generation were absolutely sound but there were probably 15% that were just disgraceful.
“I got the impression those people were not golf fans, probably on the booze all day with their mates and they were just spouting rubbish to be honest.
“They were targeting McIlroy, Lowry, and Rahm got quite a bit as well, Fitzpatrick. It was almost like it wasn’t even banter, it was just targeted abuse to be honest.“
Stimson then went on to say when the atmosphere was at its most tense at Bethpage.
“I’d say the Friday morning was the worst. That was the time when they wanted to make it as hostile as they could and when Europe were battering them, it shut them up a bit.
“Then Saturday afternoon it got a bit hot with Fleetwood’s caddie and Bryson’s caddie, that really lifted the atmosphere as well, you could feel it feeding off that.“
And the viewing experience? Stimson admitted that planning was the key.
He said: “It was very busy but if you did it properly and planned where you were going to go. We went to a hole and watched everyone come through and then moved to a hole and watched people come through later on. So when you are there, you don’t see huge amounts.
“There are monitors everywhere so you watch a lot on the screen but get to see certain holes and get the atmosphere.
“We were on the 15th tee box and that was where McIlroy came walking through and was getting hammered by the Americans, and he pointed at the board. It was literally all blue and he was pointing to it, that was literally right in front of me. That was awesome because it showed all the Americans that they could not say anything to that.“
Sonny Martin from England was another lucky fan who got the chance to watch the Ryder Cup live and in person, for the small price of $800 no less!
He attended the Ryder Cup at Bethpage with his father and opened up on what the atmosphere was like on the first tee.
“They had music pumping like a concert before play began,“ Martin explained.
“Keegan came out probably 45 minutes before the first tee time and rallied the crowd, with a final war cry of, ‘let’s f—— go boys’ very loud on the microphone.
“It started to then be a lot louder,“ he continued. “With a sudden unprompted rendition of the star spangled banner!
“The closest I can describe the atmosphere on the first tee as the players started to come out of the tunnel was like a football match when you’re close to the corner flag with loud constant shouts of ‘USA’ and just general abuse thrown at the European players.“
According to Martin, there was personal abuse aimed at Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka accompanied by constant shouts of ‘shank it’ during the European players’ backswings.
He did admit that some of the chanting was good natured, saying: “I mean, some lines were funny and got a chuckle out of me.
“But it was far too much at times. The players for the European side never hit a shot I saw without boos or jeers reigning down on them in their pre-shot routine and during their actual shot or putts.
“Seeing the putts go in, the fist bumps and yells from the Europeans in person hit different.
“And sitting or standing in the same spot allows you to have a laugh and joke with the home fans as well.“
So would Martin consider going back to the United States to support the European team in the future? Most definitely yes is the answer.
He explained: “I would for sure go back. The experience in general was amazing.
“The atmosphere was rowdy but never did you feel threatened by the home support.“
Aside from all the talk about the hostile atmosphere, another point of contention was the sheer cost of attending the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
“Food and drinks markets everywhere,“ he said. “You can eat as much as you want and at $800 a ticket I probably should have eaten more,“ he said jokingly.
“Beers are very expensive – $16-20 a beer – but where else are you going to get them? You aren’t allowed to bring anything on site.“
A few bad apples spoiled the barrel as the Ryder Cup turned ‘nasty’
Another Englishman, Luke Taylor, was at Bethpage, and he suggested that some American fans were more interested in abusing the European team than they were supporting their own players.
He said: “The home fans were loud on the first tee and in pockets during the round, but we didn’t hear much support of their own players. We weren’t there on the Sunday so didn’t see what it was like. But we heard it was electric.
“We did hear a lot of abuse shouted at McIlroy and others. Lowry got a lot of personal insults and I even heard some nasty things shouted at Straka. It was even happening on Friday afternoon but to be fair it was some people shouting out random insults, the majority of American fans were fine and knowledgeable about the game.“
Getting around Bethpage to follow his favorite players was problematic though, it seems.
“It was very hard to follow the groups you wanted to because of the sheer volume of people, but we sat around the par three on the back nine, the 14th, on the first day and it was a great atmosphere. Where the pin was located made it really accessible so there was a lot of excitement every time someone hit their tee shot.“
However, the cost of the Ryder Cup experience at Bethpage has put Taylor off going back!
“I will be going to Adare Manor in 2027 but not back to the States for a while, as it was just too expensive,“ he exclaimed.
So there you have it. The general consensus is that small pockets of non-golf fans tried to ruin the experience for everyone else.
If we’re being honest, that happens in every sport, especially when alcohol is involved, but it is something the PGA of America needs to look at moving forward.
Big change is required, and it would be great if a tad more decorum was brought back to our great sport, specifically the Ryder Cup.
The European players should be doing everything in their power to ensure that the same does not happen at Adare Manor in 2027.
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