The Ryder Cup has been out of control for years, but in New York, it reached a new level. Rory McIlroy, in a moment of frustration, even asked security to remove a spectator for the deafening noise that gave him a headache. This happened in 2016 at Hazeltine, but the behavior at Bethpage Black shocked those who have witnessed championship golf at this public Long Island course, even without the flag competition that characterizes the Ryder Cup.
The atmosphere had been tense since Friday morning, when a fan shouted "Fore, right!" as Jon Rahm was preparing to tee off. A small group began hurling insults at McIlroy, something that was repeated Saturday morning by Heather McMahan, who was hired as the PGA of America's host of ceremonies.
Since 1999, when Colin Montgomerie endured personal abuse that led his father to walk off the course, the Ryder Cup crowd has been losing control. That year, the crowd turned against the home team after a loss, but on Sunday, the situation changed dramatically with the return of the United States.
The curiosity about how New York fans, accustomed to teams that fail to live up to expectations, would react was quickly resolved: they opted to intensify their animosity toward the Europeans.
Ted Bishop, former president of the PGA of America, commented on the chaos: “Things got out of hand, which was disappointing. We knew the crowds would be like this. If you've been to any sporting event in New York—the Yankees, the Mets—that's what you get here.”
Bishop was PGA president when the Ryder Cup was awarded to Bethpage Black and was also the one who appointed Tom Watson as captain at the age of 65, leading to the creation of a task force to give more control to the players.
The situation is complicated by a culture that makes fans believe this behavior is acceptable. Recall an episode at the Players Championship, where a University of Texas player recorded McIlroy being booed after a shot that ended in the water. McIlroy, seeing this, walked over and took the player's phone.
At Bethpage, the atmosphere was not only loud but also rude. McIlroy expressed that golf should be held to a higher standard: "I don't think we should accept this in golf. We should hold ourselves to a higher standard than what was seen this week." However, McIlroy and Shane Lowry also responded with insults.
A worrying phenomenon has emerged on both sides of the Atlantic: the immediate reaction of the crowd to a missed putt or shot. Previously, there was a delay of a few seconds before the crowd applauded; now, the response is instantaneous, and this seems unlikely to change again.
With the extremes of the Ryder Cup now behind them, it's time for the 10 players involved at Bethpage Black to focus on their future. Rasmus Hojgaard, fresh off his Ryder Cup debut, is looking to maintain his full status on the PGA Tour. He currently sits 87th in the FedEx Cup standings and will compete this week in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, where the top 100 will retain their PGA Tour cards.
Among those also in Mississippi are assistant captains Brandt Snedeker and Francesco Molinari. Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, and Robert MacIntyre have traveled to Scotland for the Dunhill Links Championship, where Hatton is the defending champion.
Meanwhile, Tabitha Furyk, Jim Furyk's wife, recalled that Thomas Bjorn approached her at Bethpage Black to inquire about her pro-am schedule. Bjorn and assistant captain José María Olazábal traveled from New York to Jacksonville on Monday. Furyk, meanwhile, will be transitioning from assistant captain to playing for the first time since his hip replacement surgery in April.
Honor for Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood, who was Europe's leading points scorer at Bethpage Black, received the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award, which recognizes the player who best embodies the true spirit of the Ryder Cup. The award is named after Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, who made Ryder Cup history by allowing the 1969 matches to end in a tie. Fleetwood went 4-1-0, raising his mark in four Ryder Cups to 11-4-2. He also kept his cool during a tense moment when Justin Rose admonished Bryson DeChambeau for encroaching on his space while he was studying his putt.
“Sportsmanship is important to our game, and the Ryder Cup is the most intense environment we've ever experienced, where situations can always arise that test us,” Fleetwood said. “But Luke Donald has instilled an incredible attitude in this team that drives us to always play with the right spirit. That's helped us win the Ryder Cup again.”
Advances on the PGA Tour
Wake Forest alum Michael Brennan is one of 10 PGA Tour Americas players moving up. Brennan won three times to secure his Korn Ferry Tour membership and received a $$25,000 bonus for leading the Fortinet Cup in Canada. He also earned a spot in next year's RBC Canadian Open. The other top-10 players advancing to the Korn Ferry Tour are Jay Card III, Davis Lamb, David Perkins, Brett White, Derek Hitchner, John Marshall Butler, Drew Nesbitt, Theo Humphrey, and Carson Bacha. Nesbitt will also enter the Canadian Open as the top Canadian on the points list.
Interesting facts
Tyrrell Hatton has gone eight consecutive Ryder Cup matches unbeaten, dating back to his singles defeat to Justin Thomas in 2021 at Whistling Straits. … The upcoming Solheim Cup in the Netherlands will feature a local presence, as Anne van Dam has been named assistant captain to Anna Nordqvist. … Nicolas Colsaerts will make his 500th European Tour appearance this week at the Dunhill Links Championship, retiring from professional golf after this year. … The Travelers Championship generated more than $1.4 million for 245 charities, the highest tally in the tournament's history. …
The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Memorial will again offer a spot in the British Open to the non-exempt player, as will the Canadian Open, which will have three spots available.
Statistics of the week
Since the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, Scottie Scheffler has won 381 TP3T of his tournaments and 221 TP3T of his Ryder Cup matches.
Final word
“It’s the best. It’s more fun than any event we’ve ever participated in. There’s nothing else you can be involved in that allows you to take a beating like we did in the first two days and still enjoy it as much.” — Justin Thomas on the Ryder Cup.
