New York golf fans have somewhat tarnished their reputation after their last two major events.
The Ryder Cup descended into somewhat of a farce. The torrent of abuse launched at the European team, especially Rory McIlroy, crossed the line of what is acceptable at a sporting event.
Insults, including at players’ families, were fired towards them from behind the ropes, and the situation was so bad that the national guard was called to the golf course.
Then New York hosted its first major golf event since the Ryder Cup, and once again, the fans were at the forefront of discussion. Their treatment of Wyndham Clark on the final day of the US Open led to claims that the city should never host another event.
But this is wildly unfair to the New York fans, as the US Open was nothing like the Ryder Cup.
Why the New York crowd at the US Open cannot be compared to the Ryder Cup
The behaviour at Bethpage Black was inexcusable. The crowd crossed the line entirely with how they behaved towards the players, and New York didn’t cover itself in glory. But that’s not what we saw at Shinnecock Hills.
At Shinnecock, the crowd was rooting hard against Clark. From the first tee shot, the fans were shouting, “Get in the bunker”, and that continued throughout the round. Every big Clark moment was met with eerie silence, and every mistake met with rapturous applause.
But this wasn’t like Bethpage. The fans didn’t cross the line with personal insults towards Clark. The Oakmont locker rooms were occasionally referenced, but reportedly, these fans were removed from the premises.
How did you feel about the New York crowd’s treatment of Wyndham Clark?
We must be able to differentiate between fans with a rooting interest and those who are abusive. It’s sport, and fans should be allowed to express their desire for someone to lose as much as they express their support for another player.
Clark should be able to handle that. As Don Draper said, that’s what the money’s for. And Clark did deal with it. The fan reception made his day more difficult, but he overcame it, and the fans applauded his victory at the end of the round.
But so long as the behavior doesn’t turn into what we saw at Bethpage Black, then fans should be allowed to express their rooting interest. The sport would be a hell of a lot more boring if they weren’t.
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