The poor behaviour of the US crowd was the talk of the day as Europe opened up the biggest ever lead heading into the Sunday singles at the Ryder Cup in New York.
Personal, homophobic, sexist and xenophobic attacks against Rory McIlroy and other members of the European team created a hostile Saturday afternoon atmosphere at Bethpage Black, but the visitors brushed off the insults to take a 11.5-4.5 lead off the back of winning six of eight matches for the day.
McIlroy was the chief victim of verbal assaults widely described as the worst behaviour ever seen at a golf tournament.
Watch every round The 2025 Ryder Cup exclusively LIVE on Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports | 26-28 September | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
The American spectators attempts to put the Europeans off their game only backfired, however, with a European team consult also revealing another key aspect of the biennial event that has galvanised the visitors.
The numbers behind Europe’s dominant opening two days are also simply mind-blowing, and with just 2.5 more points required to retain the Cup, the contest may be all but over.
Here are the biggest talking points from day two of the Ryder Cup!
“Guys, shut the f*** up!” | 00:23
‘WAS JUST TERRIBLE’: RORY OVERCOMES CROWD ‘GAUNTLET’
Former professional turned analyst Brandel Chamblee revealed on Live from the Ryder Cup, that he had never seen anything like the fan behaviour on Saturday afternoon.
State troopers had to be called to separate the players from the fans as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, in particular, were relentlessly abused by patrons.
But the pair of good friends stuck together to overcome the hostility, and claim their first victory together as a pair in the Ryder Cup.
It was a performance that will go down in the event’s folklore, and Chamblee believes that the focus should be more on the incredible efforts of the Irish duo than the disgusting behaviour of vocal spectators.
“The more profane the fans got, the more insane the quality of play of Europe got,” Chamblee said.
“You’ve got give Europe a lot of credit,” he added.
“They back away and for the most part, they’ve not been agitating the crowd further by overreacting.
“They back away. They regroup and take care of business.
“And Rory has received the brunt of it, and he’s getting the brunt of it because he’s their best player.”
Europe’s Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy react after their match win on the 18th hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)Source: AP
Aside from when McIlroy told patrons to “shut the f*** up” during his morning foursomes match with Tommy Fleetwood, and when Lowry had to be held back from approaching a spectator, the Europeans did an impressive job of staying restrained.
McIlroy and Lowry took their chances to let out some big celebrations after sinking crucial putts, and the former also pointed to the scoreboard at one stage, but they maintained their composure when it mattered.
Abuse was often hurled during a European player’s backswing or in their putting stroke, but the visitors prepared for dealing with such unsportsmanlike actions by wearing virtual reality headsets and having to hear abuse as they played a shot.
But that could never have fully prepared them for the real thing, especially for McIlroy.
“I mean the best player is certainly going to get the most,” former European Ryder Cup captain McGinley said.
“He was ready for this, mentally ready for this.
“Watch the evolution of Rory McIlroy as a Ryder Cup player on top of being a grand slam winner is phenomenal.
“This is one of the toughest days he’ll have ever had on a golf course.
“The abuse was very personal. You saw his dad in the background.
“The abuse that Rory was getting was just terrible.
“But I bet you that in 25 years time when he and Shane are sitting down, and having a beer, they will remember with fondness this day.
“They came through it. They walked the gauntlet and they won.
“This is a day they will never ever forget in their careers.”
Europe’s Rory McIlroy celebrates after a putt on the 14th hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)Source: AP
In their respective press conferences, team captains Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley did their best to remain diplomatic when asked about the crowd behaviour.
European skipper Donald said it cross the line at times, saying “what I consider crossing the line is personal insults and making sounds when they are trying to hit on their backswings or very close to when they are trying to go into their routines”.
“That did happen a little bit,” he continued.
“It’s happened at other Ryder Cups, too. It’s something we prepared for, and I can see, I think, how well they have dealt with it.”
Bradley, meanwhile, pinned the blame on his team for the crowd’s poor behaviour, and said things got “pretty violent” in Rome two years ago.
“I mean, I thought the fans were passionate. I mean, their home team is getting beat bad. You know, they are passionate fans,” Bradley said.
“I wasn’t at Rome, but I heard a lot of stories that Rome was pretty violent as well. But the fans of New York from what I have seen have been pretty good.
“You’re always going to have a few people that cross the line, and that’s unfortunate. I was happy to see our players trying to quiet down some people that were like that.
“Part of it our fault. We are not playing up to the standards that they want to see, and they are angry, and they should be.”
United States captain Keegan Bradley watches on the 13th hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)Source: AP
‘IT UNITED US’: PRIZE MONEY ROW INSPIRES EUROPE
Overcoming the hostilities is not the only thing that has brought the European team together this week.
One of the big talking points of the build up to this Ryder Cup was the issue of whether or not players should be paid.
The European stance has been clear that the event is purely about the honour of representing the continent, while the Americans opted to have players paid for the first time this year.
The payment controversy hit boiling point in Rome when Patrick Cantlay allegedly did not wear his team hat in protest, he later denied that claim.
If it was Cantlay’s intention, it worked as US players will receive US$500,000 this week – US$300,000 of which must go to charity, while players can do as they please with the remaining US$200,000.
In the past, US players received a US$200,000 payment that had to go to a charity of their choosing.
Sticking to their principles has been a theme Luke Donald has ran with for the European team, and adviser Paul McGinley said the European stance is an important ode to the former players, who are not as well off as the modern day players.
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 27: Captain Luke Donald of Team Europe acknowledges the crowd on the first tee during the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 27, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“You’ve got to build a story for your team to rally behind, and the money thing, it certainly united us. It didn’t divide us,” McGinley said on Live from the Ryder Cup.
“It united us and it was also good for our soul as a team.
“Now, people might say that’s airy fairy, it’s not.
“The soul of a team and feeling like you are on the right side of things is a very important psychological place to be.
“And I really feel that Luke galvanised the team based around money.
“We feel very strongly about this, that this is not about getting paid.
“It should not be about getting paid. It is sacrosanct as an event because there’s so much money running around the game at the moment, and this is not a hill to die on.
“There’s loads of other ways of making money in professional golf.
“We’re representing so many people: our families, our countries, our continent.
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 15: (Top L-R) Vice-captain Alex Noren, vice-captain Edoardo Molinari, vice-captain Francesco Molinari, Ludvig Aberg, Sepp Straka, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Rasmus Hojgaard, vice-captain Jose Maria Olazabal, and vice captain Thomas Bjorn (Bottom L-R) Team adviser Paul McGinley, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, team captain Luke Donald, Tommy Fleetwood, and Viktor Hovland of Team Europe sit for the official team photo ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 15, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. Andrew Redington/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Andrew Redington / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
“We’re all honouring the players that we have come behind.
“Believe me, in Europe we don’t have a very lucrative pension scheme the way that American players have.
“A lot of ex-American players, when they retire, they inherit a pension scheme from the PGA Tour, a non-contributing one by the way, that they didn’t put into, that is very lucrative depending on how successful they were.
“Anybody that has spent a long time on Tour, there is a fairly lucrative pension fund.
“I play on the legends tour over in Europe. I play with ex-Ryder Cup players, and I’m not going to mention any names, I’m not saying they live on the bread line.
“But they live a very, very humble existence because they don’t have a whole lot of money.
“We don’t have a pension fund in Europe.
“We don’t have the wealth of America.
“They’re ex-Ryder Cup players, who played with the same passion as these current players play with, so we felt it would be wrong to be taking money in the modern game where there‘s so much money coming to the modern players and to our team in other ways.
“This wasn’t a hill to die on and I think that united us as one.”
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 27: (L-R) Captain Luke Donald and vice captain Edoardo Molinari of Team Europe shake hands on the 18th hole after the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 27, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
TIGER-LIKE EUROPEAN PERFORMANCE
On the actual golf course, the Europeans have been the ones to put their money where their mouths are.
They have won six or eight foursomes matches, and also claimed 5.5 points in four-ball to dominate every session so far.
They are the just the second team to win each of the first four sessions, and will no doubt have their eye on matching the European team of 2006’s effort of winning all five sessions.
Luke Donald’s men became the first team to win three sessions in an away Ryder Cup on Saturday, and they continued to dominate the alternative shot format, having picked up seven points in Rome.
It was utter dominance, led by Tommy Fleetwood, who has claimed a perfect four points.
Rory McIlroy (3.5), Jon Rahm (3) and Tyrell Hatton (3) have also been outstanding contributors.
Brandel Chamblee believes the Europeans have been head and shoulders above their rivals, just like prime Tiger Woods.
Europe’s Jon Rahm celebrates after a putt on the ninth hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)Source: AP
“What we saw today was the absolute finest performance we’ve seen from a team,” Chamblee said.
“I actually think the European team’s performance is the equivalent of what Tiger Woods did in 2000, literally, at the US Open.
“Tiger Woods was, of course, 12-under par and Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez were at three-over.
“Would you say Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez played poorly that week? Absolutely not.
“They played great. It was just we saw something that was unprecedented.
“What we saw yesterday, what we saw today, is unprecedented.
“Not only do they have the largest lead ever, they’re doing it on foreign soil.”
“What they did yesterday, was they did dominate,” Chamblee added.
“The United States came back with a foursomes performance that was equal to what Europe did yesterday.
“It was the best foursomes performances I’ve ever seen from any team ever, but what Europe did was they upped their game even over yesterday.
“Yesterday, Europe was 16-under par in the foursomes. I’d never heard of that. Never seen that.
“This morning, the USA was 16-under par in the foursomes. It was just that Europe was 22-under.
“In the afternoon in best ball, Europe was 34-under. The USA was 31-under.
“I know they feel bad, but they played their hearts out today.
“What we saw was an absolutely inspired team in Europe.”
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 27: Tommy Fleetwood of Team Europe and Bryson DeChambeau of Team United States exchange words as they walk to the 16th hole during the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 27, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. Harry How/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Harry How / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
‘I DIDN’T SEE THAT LEVEL’: EURO GREAT’S REVEAL
Victorious European Ryder Cup captain in 2014 and current team adviser Paul McGinley let his guard down somewhat on Saturday evening, and revealed some behind the scenes insights into this stunning European performance.
On Live from the Ryder Cup, McGinley did not go into too much detail, but shared how Europe have been data-driven throughout the event.
The Americans on the other hand ignored the numbers by sending out Collin Morikawa and Harris English together in foursomes twice, the data suggested that of the 132 possible combinations Keegan Bradley could have gone for, they were the least optimal, and unsurprisingly they lost 5&4 and 3&2 to Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood.
The Europeans meanwhile landed on their pairings through statistics and experience.
“Data has become such an important part in leading us to decisions, and leading us to pairings,” McGinley said.
“It became very clear, very early on that rookies don’t perform on the road.
“That we needed an experienced team.
“Now, we had the qualification process that had to be transparent, that didn’t exclude anyone from making it, but it was certainly heavily weighted towards guys with experience coming back.
“We’ve got 11 of the 12 players (from Rome) back.
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 27: Tommy Fleetwood of Team Europe smiles on the 18th green after the Saturday afternoon four-balls matches of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course on September 27, 2025 in Farmingdale, New York. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Richard HEATHCOTE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
“Eduardo Molinari put that qualification process in place, and he was very, very fair.
“We also had a rookie who made it from the DP World Tour, and we also had a LIV guy who made it from the DP World Tour because he was banned on the PGA Tour and couldn’t make any points.
“So, it was very fair and equitable, and we had 11 of 12 guys returning.
“Coming on the road to America with experience was clear, data led us in that direction.
“The other first thing we did was put back in place a captain who’d been there before.”
Despite all that preparation, McGinley is still surprised by the Europeans boasting a seven-point lead heading into the final day.
“I knew we were good,” he said.
“I knew we were well prepared.
“I knew if we didn’t win, we’d come close.
“Let’s not jump ahead until it’s over.
“What I didn’t know is that we’d be so far ahead, as we are now, and have played as well as we have for four sessions in a row.
“I didn’t see that level.
“I knew it would be better than good, but I didn’t see extraordinary, and what we’ve seen is extraordinary.”
