Luke Donald Criticizes PGA of America’s Response to Vulgar Fan Behavior at Ryder Cup

Speaking to The Times, the European captain reflected on Bethpage and comments the PGA of America president made after.

Luke Donald reflected on the PGA of America's handling of fan behavior at the 2025 Ryder Cup. / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

It’s been three months, but the fallout over the Ryder Cup’s raucous atmosphere continues. 

The New York crowd at Bethpage Black was verbally abusive toward the Europeans, and the flames were fueled in the week after with PGA of America president Don Rea downplaying the vulgarity, saying, “Well, you’ve got 50,000 people here that are really excited and, heck, you could go to a youth soccer game and get some people who say the wrong things.”

European captain Luke Donald recently spoke to The Times of London and criticized Rea’s handling of the fan behavior. 

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“That was disappointing because anyone who was in Rome and New York knew it was completely different,” Donald said. “Singing ‘Hats off to your bank account’ [as European fans did in Rome] is slightly different to ‘F--- your five-year-old’ or whatever it was, and this wasn’t just one or two guys, it was hundreds, maybe thousands.”

Some fans shouted homophobic slurs and constant profanities, causing European players to back off shots. At one point, Shane Lowry had to be restrained from entering the gallery in anger, and Rory McIlroy’s wife had a beer thrown on her. 

Rea received more blowback when a video surfaced of him singing Kareoke of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” at the team hotel after Saturday’s matches, which was the height of the fans’ rowdiness. Rea later apologized. 

“As a leader, you have a responsibility,” Donald said. “Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes and f--- up. Just own up to it. Just say, ‘We should’ve done more. This isn’t acceptable and we will do better next time.’ I would’ve loved to have heard that message rather than, ‘Well, it happens and it happened over there.’ I don’t think that’s what leaders should do.”

The Europeans of course won, 15-13, for their second straight victory in the biennial matches. The 2027 Ryder Cup will be played in Ireland.

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