One of the most intriguing aspects of the crowd problems at the 2025 Ryder Cup was the awkward position the American players were put in as they watched several of their European counterparts get relentlessly heckled.
Unfortunately, one of the talking points the 2025 Ryder Cup is likely to be remembered for is the behaviour of some of those outside the ropes in New York.
Rory McIlroy endured a particularly difficult week. But it appears that the atmosphere got uglier and uglier as Europe got closer to the finishing line on Saturday afternoon.
The situation prompted Tom Watson to issue an apology to the European team. Meanwhile, Johnson Wagner said he was horrified to see what McIlroy went through.
What Ben Griffin’s caddie said to Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood about the Bethpage crowd
Justin Thomas tried to calm the crowd as he and Cameron Young faced McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the fourth session. But Thomas was also trying to inspire the majority of genuine fans who had been given nothing to cheer for the best part of two days.
It is clear that Thomas was not alone on the American side in feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Speaking on the Quiet Please! podcast, Ben Griffin‘s caddie Alex Ritthamel suggested that he felt compelled to show his support to Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood after their match on Friday afternoon.
“There was a lot of energy. I unfortunately heard some things that I probably could never repeat. You only get to hear really what you’re around for. I felt bad for Justin and Tommy. I even expressed that to them after we finished,” he said.
“Ben made his putt on seven, I think it was probably 60 feet, and then Rosey made a 40 footer on top. That popped a seal on things and really got things going. But they were both great and it was a lot of fun.”
The European Ryder Cup player who impressed Alex Ritthamel most in New York
Unfortunately for Griffin, it proved to be a disappointing week. He was only used in one match before the singles, with Rose and Fleetwood winning against him and Bryson DeChambeau.
Europe were sensational over the first two days, putting themselves in a position where they were able to win just one match in the singles and get across the line.
Only Sepp Straka and Rasmus Hojgaard – the player Griffin beat on Sunday – failed to win at least 50 percent of the points available to them.
But when asked which European player impressed him most, Ritthamel suggested that he was blown away by how Rose performed on Saturday against DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler.
“The match that we played with Rosey, the old guy, I want to say he carried that team. He was making putts,” he added.
“I got out there towards the back nine [on Saturday], and Bryson and Scottie as a team were 10 under through 14. And Tommy and Rosey were 13 under through 14, and I think they said Justin was nine under on his own ball. Every time you saw Rosey need to make something or hit a shot, he seemingly did it.
“Rory, with everything that was going on out there, played pretty damn good. They all played pretty well. I think Rosey, for the old guy on the team, he played pretty damn special.”
It is remarkable what has happened to Rose in the last two Ryder Cups in particular. There are few signs of him slowing down at this stage of his career.
With that, it would come as no surprise if he got the chance to write another chapter when it comes to his Ryder Cup story when the event reaches Adare Manor in 2027.
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