European Ryder Cup Players Are Steeling Themselves for New York Fans

Lines have been crossed in previous Ryder Cups in terms of behavior but the hope is that fans at Bethpage Black don’t go that far.

Patriotism figures to be high come Friday when the Ryder Cup begins, but hopefully not at the risk of disruption. / Michael Reaves/Getty Images

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The hope is that spectators are Bethpage Black root vociferously for the home team but do so in a manner that is partisan but not off-putting.

Whether or not that is realistic remains to be seen as the Ryder Cup begins Friday morning.

Both captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald called for passion as well as decorum. All know that cheering of bad shots is an accepted practice at the Ryder Cup, as is some good-natured taunting and ribbing of the opponents.

But too many times, a line is crossed, often by a small minority of spectators. In a golf setting, however, that is all that it takes.

Rory McIlroy had to have a fan ejected during the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. Four years ago at Whistling Straits, both Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry saw family members endure excessive abuse from fans during the U.S.’s 19-11 victory.

Fitzpatrick, who won the 2022 U.S. Open, said he did not instruct his parents to not come to Bethpage. But they won’t be here.

“There’s two things on that,” Fitzpatrick said. “There is, obviously, a little bit of that; they didn’t have a great experience in Whistling Straits. That’s not like a lie or anything or making anything up.

“But the other thing is, both my parents are playing next week in the Dunhill [Links Championship, a pro-am event in Scotland]. They also didn’t really want to ruin that experience, as well, because that’s obviously special to have that.

“It’s a combination. It’s a lot of travel. It’s obviously a busy week. It’s a tiring week. And then they obviously want to have a nice week next week, as well, with me and my brother [Alex, who is also a pro golfer playing in the event]. No denying that they had a bad experience in the past, but there’s no reason why it has to be like that this time.”

Tough Crowds Are Part of the Deal

For the most part, European players have simply acknowledged that a tough road crowd is part of the Ryder Cup.

“That was my first Ryder Cup experience,” Lowry said of Whistling Straits in 2021. “And obviously my first away one, kind of unexpected going over there.

“But when you’re ready for something, it’s never as bad. Like I think the New York fans have been great this week so far. Obviously it’s practice days and it’s a little bit more lighthearted. It is what it is. I played an away Ryder Cup and a home Ryder Cup, and I’m pretty sure Rome wasn't much fun for the Americans, either.

“I think you have to be yourself, do your own thing, try and use it as best you can. You know, allow it to help you as opposed to let it hinder you. I think we are all ready for it and we are all mentally prepared for it. We’ll see.”

Rory McIlroy, who was celebrated by all fans when he won the Masters in April, understands that the dynamic changes this week.

“I think everyone has to find their own balance of what works for them,” McIlroy said. “We’re playing in an environment that we are not really used to or we don’t get to play in very often. I’m very lucky, I get a lot of support pretty much everywhere I go when I play golf, and it’s going to feel a little different for me this week.

“But that’s to be expected, and that’s totally understandable. I feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd. But then there’s times where I haven’t engaged enough. So it’s really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance.

“I felt like at Hazeltine, I probably engaged too much at times, and then Whistling Straits, I didn’t engage enough and felt pretty flat because of it. It’s just trying to find that balance.”