Even European captain Luke Donald weighed in on the inappropriate behavior of American fans. This was just part of a tumultuous second day in the Ryder Cup being staged at Bethpage Black. After an emotionally charged day of play, Donald threw the word “disrespectful” at the crowd after they clearly crossed the line. Players suffered constant boisterous harassment as they competed. This incident exemplifies the brutal competition between the squads. Beyond that, it raises troubling questions about fair play and sportsmanship in similarly high-stakes events.
Needless to say, the competition got incredibly fierce on Saturday. U.S. captain Keegan Bradley strongly pushed back against suggestions that he or his players had provoked any of the negative crowd behavior. He reiterated the importance of fan support to the effort. He’s been inspiring participants to show up and get pumped for the games. Bradley fired up the gallery while running down the 18th fairway with a huge U.S. flag in practice. Clearly, his mission was to create a “rowdy” energy.
Rory McIlroy, one of Europe’s marquee players and best performers in the week, had a dreadful Saturday. As he and his compatriot Shane Lowry fought through a constant onslaught of special Irish-American hating directed specifically at them, as McIlroy prepared to hit his full swings, the spectators’ invasive misconduct became more aggravated than ever before. At one point during a chaotic morning practice he yelled angrily at a spectator. His afternoon match was fraught with disruptions. Almost as unsettling, both Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas had to plead with the gallery to stop the chaos.
Despite facing significant hostility, McIlroy and Lowry managed to focus on their game and ultimately clinched a win against their opponents, Justin Thomas and Cameron Young. The spirit the European team displayed on Saturday was genuinely astonishing. They drowned out the crowd’s bad vibes and swept the competition, winning both sessions to take a dominant 11.5-4.5 lead heading into finals.
In reflecting on the atmosphere, Luke Donald noted, “It was loud, it was raucous. It’s something we prepared for, and we can see how well they have dealt with it.” What he started to appreciate was how European players had psychologically prepared themselves for that very hard place to play. This preparation helped lay the groundwork for their success on-course.
One player who really thrived on the atmosphere was Shane Lowry, though, showing a completely opposite disposition from fellow Irishman and team-mate McIlroy. McIlroy recognized how damaging some of the comments have been. Lowry fed off the electric New York atmosphere, which only added to the overall intensity of the bouts.
The emotion in the air was undeniable as competitors had to fight through not just their opponents, but the hostile crowd. Collin Morikawa wants the fans to bring the “absolute chaos” at the event. He points to the contradictory role that player performance plays on crowd engagement during huge tournaments, like the World Cup.
As the competition heats up, fans are left with burning questions. To what extent should they be expected to go in their cheers, and is conduct that steps over that line defendable under the banner of competition and exuberance.
Leave a Reply