Ugly Americans turn UGLY at the Ryder Cup

We all knew this would happen, right from the moment that Bethpage Black was announced as a Ryder Cup host all the way back in 2013. New Yorkers revel in their mouthy crassness. “I’m walkin’ heah!” might as well be the state motto. Children here learn to say “F*** you” before they learn their own names. Given the chance to cut loose on some outsiders — defined as anyone outside the Tristate area — New Yorkers’ bellows can peel paint.

Which made the first three sessions at the 2025 Ryder Cup so unusual, because the United States’ pathetic on-course performance seemed to dampen the gallery as well. For the most part, the galleries were as toothless as the players they were cheering.

For the most part. McIlroy, because of his status as the alpha dog of the European team — and because it’s clear that he lets these things get to him, if only a bit — heard plenty of chirping from the gallery. On Friday, cameras caught him flipping the bird at the fans, and on Saturday morning, he gave a full-on “Shut the f*** up” to the crowd.

“I don't mind them having a go at us. Like that's to be expected. I mean, that's what an away Ryder Cup is,” McIlroy said after Saturday morning’s session. “Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that's the tough thing.”

But the fans, as it turned out, were only getting warmed up. A perfectly toxic mix of elements — a lovely afternoon, freely flowing alcohol, even more freely flowing frustration — led the galleries to spend the entire afternoon torching McIlroy and playing partner Shane Lowry.

Bethpage Black’s routing includes several greens — including 6 and 8 — that lie in small valleys, with hillsides rising up around them. The fans on those hillsides ripped McIlroy, each screamer emboldening the next. And when it became clear that they were getting under McIlroy’s skin on the 6th green, they only redoubled their efforts.

Some fans started counting out the seconds as McIlroy looked over his putts. Others cut loose with obscenities in the silence before McIlroy swung. Still others took shots at McIlroy’s personal life that drew the attention of both Lowry and local law enforcement. More than one fan who went way over the line found themselves face-to-face with one of the truck-bumper-jawed state troopers who walked the entire route with McIlroy.

As the round went on, security increased; by the time McIlroy crossed back over the road to play the final four holes, he was accompanied by dozens of officers on foot, on bikes, and even on a state-trooper-emblazoned golf cart. Plainclothes officers also mixed in with the crowd, and at least two fans were escorted off the property for getting a bit too vocal.

All the abuse clearly hit home with McIlroy. At one point on 6, he remained in a crouch, saying he wouldn’t putt until the gallery stopped its NBA free-throw-style counting. He failed to hit one of his trademark silence-the-crowd putts until the 14th, when he at last cut loose with joy and relief.

That putt, in some strange and ethereal way, seemed to give Europe enough energy to achieve liftoff. While the Europeans were winning at least two of the matches all afternoon, their leads were slim indeed — usually only a single hole. Had the United States been able to mount any kind of sustained charge, this day, and this Ryder Cup, could have turned out very differently.

Instead, as if galvanized by their teammates’ rally, the team of Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose, already strong thanks to Rose’s flawless putting, cranked up their assault on Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau. They closed out the world’s No. 1 golfer and the world’s No. 1 social media golfer on the 16th hole, 3&2, but not without a little drama.

As the day wound down and the American fans headed to the exits — much to the derision of their European counterparts — the shape of Sunday became clear. This would be a coronation, not a competition. No matter what kind of [expletive] the New York galleries can throw out on Sunday, the scoreboard is the scoreboard.

way to double down on the miserable, rude and ignorant reputation Americans are known for in the rest of the world.

sportsmanship means nothing

The "coarsening" of American society on full display.

It's the Trump vibe. He spreads nasty.

Despite a nearly fatal collapse on Sunday, Europe won! That's a finger in the eye for Trump and his cult followers. Get it right fucking up you!

[quote]It's the Trump vibe. He spreads nasty.

You have no idea.

Bethpage...MagaVILLE full of bridge and tunnel losers They should never have been given such a prestigious event. So happy Europe won!

Go Europe!

In golf?

That's a pretty high brow sport

The Ugly Americans show their ugliness. Sportsmanship and civility are no longer valued by Americans.

This is how Trumpy the American team was: Their captain did Trump's "jerking off two guys" dance Friday.

So so happy the Americans lost!

Congrats Team Europe!

And once again, everything that orange vulgarian touches, dies.

Haha.

Glad they lost.

Such a great win for Europe and corresponding big loss for the home team yet the orange clown couldn't even come up with something insulting on Truth Social.

He's on the slide.

Things are looking dire for FIFA and LA Olympics.

[quote] Rory McIlroy calls out ‘unacceptable, abusive behavior’ from fans at Bethpage Black after win

Rory McIlroy knows he got the last laugh.

He’s leaving Bethpage Black with the Ryder Cup in hand, after all.

But the way the fans treated him and the rest of the European team during their 15-13 win over the U.S. team on Long Island this past week, he said on Sunday night, more than crossed the line.

[italic]“I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week,” McIlroy said. “Golf has the ability to unite people. … It teaches you how to respect people. Sometimes this week, we didn’t see that. So, no, this should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup.”[/italic]

While fans are expected to be much rowdier at a Ryder Cup than they would be at a traditional PGA Tour event, for example, there were several clear instances this past weekend on Long Island where fans appeared to take things too far.

McIlroy had to repeatedly step away from his ball during his match with Shane Lowry on Saturday afternoon as people shouted obscenities and insults his way, and Justin Thomas was constantly having to put his hands up to try and quiet the crowd. As their group made the turn, plenty of police officers actually showed up to start to rein in the crowd. Some people were ejected from the crowd, too, and the PGA of America started flashing behavior warning signs on the scoreboards.

It didn’t just stop there. The targeting of European players continued constantly through the weekend. At one point on Saturday, a fan even launched a drink at McIlroy and his wife, Erica.

[italic]“Erica is fine. She's a very, very strong woman,” McIlroy said on Sunday. “You know, she handled everything this week with class and poise and dignity like she always has.”[/italic]

It was apparently more than just the one beer, too.

[italic]“I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing,” Lowry said.[/italic]

On Sunday morning, comedian and actress Heather McMahan stepped down from her role as the event’s emcee after she joined in with the crowd that was chanting, “F**k you, Rory!” over the course microphone.

Though the constant chatter made the golf difficult, McIlroy said he never felt like his physical safety was ever really in danger.

[italic]“The police out there and the amount of security presence was insane,” McIlroy said. “Look, nothing was going to happen. There wasn't going to be physical altercation or anything like that. … There was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive behavior.”[/italic]

But, like McIlroy noted, they came out on top. The Europeans entered Sunday needing just two points to retain the cup, and they fended off the American push to sneak out with the 15-13 win. It marked their first win on American soil since 2012, and their ninth victory in the ast 12 outings.

[italic]“Look, it was a rough week for all of us,” he said. “But at the same time, we shut them up by our performance and how we played, and we tried to — I chirped back a few times because it got to me a few times, but we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that.”[/italic]

As for the one moment where McIlroy truly snapped back at a fan earlier in the week — he whipped his head around on Friday and told a fan to “Shut the f*** up!” after they were chirping at him — McIlroy was happy when it was brought up on Sunday night.

“It was very f***ing satisfying,” he said.

Pigs - including the female emcee - chanting "fuck you, Rory."

The female emcee even said it over the course microphone.

The moment that Rory McIlroy had to tell a heckler to "shut the fuck up."

I remember when golf used to be so civilized, and no one even made a peep.

Now it's full of savages.

"Are you watching, Donald Trump?"

Wait until i nuke the mother fuckers @R20. We'll see who's laughing then.

Being an asshole has always been essential to Republicanism.

[quote]"Are you watching, Donald Trump?"

Fabulous! The fat old felon grifter and sponsor of dreadful behaviour mocked loudly where it hurts about his precious prideful favourite game. Loser!

MAGA white trash

Trying to come up with words to describe our nation now and I keep coming back to toilet. The USA now is as disgusting as Mark Ruffalo’s unflushed shitter.

WRONG ISLAND TRASH

I think those assholes were planted by you know who. And, as usual, it backfired and flopped.

This is what's to be expected with your current Head of State.

Keep it classy.

I had to stop at Bethpage Black. I have no idea who that is.

Bethpage Black:

The Bethpage Black Course is a public golf course at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, New York. The course was designed by Joseph H. Burbeck, who was assisted by noted golf architect A. W. Tillinghast. It is the most difficult of Bethpage's five courses, and is known for the warning sign at the first tee, placed in the early 1980s, which reads "WARNING The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers".

The course has hosted a number of major championships in recent years, including the 2002 U.S. Open, 2009 U.S. Open, 2019 PGA Championship, and 2025 Ryder Cup.

Rankings

In its July 2008 list of America's greatest golf courses Golf Digest ranked Bethpage Black #26 overall, #6 in the state of New York, #6 of America's 50 toughest courses, and #5 of America's greatest public golf courses. It is also the top-ranked course in the Golf Digest list that is operated by a governmental entity. In September 2020, Golf Advisor ranked Bethpage Black as #1 overall in a list of the top 50 toughest golf courses in the United States.

I’m from the US and in the UK visiting. This issue and Gaza massacre issue have been brought up repeatedly. By the taciturn Brits. I’m trying to cultivate a Scottish accent art this point. It’s mortifying how our image is absolutely trashed at this point. Sport is incredibly important to Brits and a lens through which many things are viewed.

[quote] I think those assholes were planted by you know who. And, as usual, it backfired and flopped.

People from Long Island don't need anyone else to give the a reason to act like fucking assholes.

They are quite capable of doing it themselves.

I'm from the UK, so I was unsure if it was MAGA responsible for this poor behaviour, or New Yorkers. As one can imagine, there was quite a lot of coverage of the abuse/yelling on our news and, when a few of the American supporters were interviewed, I mostly heard replies like: "It's New York! What do they expect?!"

As though all New Yorkers are rude and disrespectful. I've never been to NYC, but I always understood that they had a reputation for standing up for themselves and being forthright in their opinions, as opposed to being inconsiderate and rude without provocation.

Golf is quite respectful here. At least I've never heard rude chants from the crowd on any TV footage I've seen of domestic golf tournaments.

It's Trump and the MAGA mentality giving them license to be boorish, unsportsmanlike, and just crude.

LI includes many chavs. They just have money unlike poorer ones in the UK.

I wish I could care about what an audience shouted at some professional golfer, but I just can't.

Who the fuck cares?

Because it is indicative of the incivility MAGA has caused to America and the world.