Day two of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black was an extremely dramatic one, with Rory McIlroy among those playing a key role.
The 2025 Ryder Cup had previously been relatively incident-free, but McIlroy received huge abuse during Saturday’s action.
Keegan Bradley labelled the American fans “passionate” as the atmosphere took a turn for the worse, with one day of action still to go at Bethpage Black.
McIlroy claimed 1.5 points for Europe from his two matches on Friday, before clinching a further two for the visitors from two more matches on Saturday.
He partnered with Tommy Fleetwood in day two’s foursomes, defeating Harris English and Collin Morikawa.
What Justin Thomas did as police were called in amid Rory McIlroy abuse
But tensions then flared during his four-ball match with Shane Lowry, with the pair having met Justin Thomas and Cameron Young in New York.
Sharing insight into that match, Kira Dixon said on Sky Sports Golf: “I was out for most of the day walking with Rory’s group and at about the sixth or seventh hole is when it started to take a turn for the worse. That is when you started to see a lot more police presence come out.
“There was an additional 20 to 30 police officers in plain clothes, on foot, on bicycles and Rory and Shane were pointing folks out in the crowd to have them removed from the premises because there were so many comments which were not only over the line but the timing of them.
“It was happening just as they were trying to putt or just as they were ready to take the club back, which is just going to create a problem for any golfer.
“The personal and deep cut comments is something that Rory has said that he knew would come and Shane said he knew would come.
“Justin [Rose], when I spoke to him earlier in the week, said we have had the virtual reality practice but of course there is nothing that can prepare you for when you are in the heat of battle and are having to hear those comments over and over again. It’s quite exhausting.
“You could tell it was a very emotional day for both Shane and Rory and also for that matter Justin Thomas. He spent a lot of time and energy today trying to quiet the crowd.
“Any time something was said out of turn or in bad timing, he was apologising to Shane and Rory and taking a lot of his time away from focusing on his own game and lining up his own putts. So it was a draining day for all but the Ryder Cup continues.”
Justin Thomas deserves huge praise for his actions at the Ryder Cup
As Rose alluded to, Team Europe tried to prepare for Ryder Cup noise, a strategy that has seemingly paid dividends thus far.
They enter the final day of action with a commanding 11.5-4.5 lead, having won both sessions on Saturday 3-1.
But much of the exciting action was overshadowed by a handful of fans who clearly crossed the line on a very tense day at Bethpage.
The Europeans were expecting a hostile atmosphere, and that is a key element of an away Ryder Cup, but there is undoubtedly a line that the abuse must not cross.
American star Thomas evidently felt some of the home fans indeed crossed that line, and rather than taking a back seat, he stepped up and dealt with the incidents directly.
And he definitely deserves big praise for his actions, with such an approach certain to have been difficult given America’s struggles and the simple fact that he was playing in front of his own fans.
Thomas even helped raise the atmosphere throughout the match, but importantly he was imploring the American fans to celebrate big USA shots, and indeed in a respectful manner.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
