Despite the European team’s early dominance and the Americans’ mighty Sunday charge, the 2025 Ryder Cup will be remembered most for unruly fans at Bethpage Black.
The situation devolved so much on Saturday that many figures in the American game have been apologetic toward the European team.
Former U.S. captain Tom Watson is the latest to join the fray, declaring he is “ashamed” by the American fans’ behaviour in a social media post on Tuesday.
Ryder Cup fans ‘cross the line’ on Saturday at Bethpage
Given the chaos that unfolded on Saturday at the Ryder Cup, it’s easy to forget that early in the week, players, media, and observers found the Bethpage Black fans to be “tame.”
But it wouldn’t last. Some combination of the Americans’ struggles on the course over the first two days, plus perhaps a desire to live up to predictions about fan behaviour this week, caused a minority of spectators to lose the plot over the weekend.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were frequent targets, and the two European stars fed into the chaos by responding to the crowd with obscene gestures and expletives of their own.
U.S. players Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, and Scottie Scheffler were among those trying to quieten the crowds on Saturday. They later apologised to their opponents for the fans’ bad behaviour.
American captain Keegan Bradley admitted that some fans crossed the line of what is acceptable.
After the matches, Lowry revealed that McIlroy’s wife had experienced “astonishing” abuse during the event.
Which brings us to Watson.
Watson blasts U.S. Ryder Cup fans, apologises to Europe
Watson is a two-time U.S. Ryder Cup captain. While his American team won the first time around in 1993, his 2014 Ryder Cup captaincy lives in infamy. The U.S. team got pummelled by the Europeans, losing a third-straight Ryder Cup by a score of 16.5-11.5.
In the aftermath, some players criticised Watson, and the PGA of America overhauled the U.S. Ryder Cup system.
On Tuesday, Watson took to X.com to first congratulate the victorious European team, “I’d like to congratulate @RyderCupEurope on their victory. Your team play the first few days was sensational.”
But he quickly moved on to criticising the fan behaviour.
“More importantly,” Watson wrote, “I’d like to apologise for the rude and mean-spirited behaviour from our American crowd at Bethpage.”
Then he went further, declaring that he was “ashamed” of what transpired over the weekend.
“As a former player, Captain, and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened,” Watson wrote.
While some fans were certainly out of control at Bethpage Black, and indeed may have marred the event forever, it doesn’t offer a complete picture of the American side.
The U.S. players largely acted with class and respect all week long, both amid the chaos on the course and following their loss. European stars McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood admitted as much during their celebration Sunday night.
I’d like to congratulate @RyderCupEurope on their victory. Your team play the first few days was sensational.
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…
— Tom Watson (@TomWatsonPGA) September 29, 2025
This article originated on Golf.com
