Former U.S. Ryder Cup captain and Hall of Famer Tom Watson apologized on behalf of American fans for the behavior at Bethpage Black this past weekend.
Watson took to social media Monday morning to both congratulate Europe for beating the United States 15-13 in the Ryder Cup on Sunday, and to apologize for the harassment that was thrown their way at the iconic public course on Long Island.
“I’d like to congratulate Europe on their victory. Your team play the first few days was sensational,” Watson wrote on social media. “More importantly, I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Bethpage. As a former player, Captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened.”
Watson won 39 times on the PGA Tour in his career, including eight major championships. He won the British Open five times, most recently in 1983. The 76-year-old played on four Ryder Cup teams himself, and served as the U.S. captain twice — first in 1993, when the Americans beat Europe in England, and again in 2014 when they fell in Scotland.
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While rowdy behavior is both expected and encouraged at the biennial event between the United States and Europe, there were several clear instances where fans in New York crossed the line this past weekend. European star Rory McIlroy called that out on Sunday night after their victory, as both he and his wife, Erica, faced the brunt of it.
McIlroy had to repeatedly step away from his ball during his match with partner Shane Lowry on Saturday afternoon, and the PGA of America sent out extra security to walk with them halfway through the round. A fan threw a drink at McIlroy and Erica on Saturday afternoon, and the event’s emcee actually stepped down on Sunday morning after she joined in with the crowd in chanting, “F*** you, Rory!” over the microphone.
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There was even one instance where McIlroy fired back at the crowd and told a fan to “shut the f*** up!” after they were chirping at him. He then stuck his approach shot with within a few feet, which he later said felt “very f***ing satisfying.”
McIlroy described it as “unacceptable and abusive behavior” from the American fans.
“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.”
Justin Thomas, who played against McIlroy and Lowry on Saturday, was repeatedly seen trying to tame the crowd.
“I think that anybody that was out there could pretty blatantly tell you that there was some things said,” Thomas said. “Cam [Young] and I said it to Shane and Rory yesterday that we felt for them. It was unfortunate.
“Cam and I just wished that we gave them something to cheer for instead of people to cheer against. I think that was kind of the main consensus of the last two days, that we weren’t giving them enough to cheer for, and they were just trying to help us win. I guess that’s the New York fans for you.”
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