Collin Morikawa acknowledged fan behavior during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black “probably crossed a line” after members of the European team detailed their difficult experiences on the course.
“I think fans can do and say what they want sometimes,” he said Wednesday prior to the Baycurrent Classic in Japan, per ESPN.com. “It probably crossed a line out there, so I would say there’s a line that needs to be drawn. But what’s so different and unique about golf is that we hear nearly everything what people say because people have access to be so close to us. I think you have to learn how to find that division of what’s appropriate and what’s not.”
The atmosphere at the Ryder Cup is unlike any in golf because fans have such clear allegiances. The host country counts on having a home-course advantage.
Within that context, Morikawa called the Bethpage Black crowd “kind of tame” during practices and said he wanted the first day to be “absolute chaos.”
The two-time major champion got his wish and then some. The European players were frequently targeted with verbal abuse, and that even extended to Rory McIlroy’s wife, Erica.
After the Ryder Cup concluded, PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague told Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard there’s “no place for it in the game of golf and we are not happy with what happened last week.” He added he planned on sending the McIlroys “my heartfelt apologies” in particular.
PGA of America president Don Rea also described the events as “disrespectful” and “inappropriate” in an email to his members.
Morikawa downplayed the impact he thought his remarks had on influencing the Ryder Cup environment.
“I think we’ve taken what I said a little out of context,” he said. “I think Ryder Cups are meant to have a lot of energy, right, and I think me saying the word ‘chaos,’ I didn’t mean for them to be rude, right? So like, that’s not on me, I believe, for me to take credit for people being rude. I think what I meant was like I wanted energy, right?”
The Europeans overcame the partisan crowd to beat the United States 15-13, fending off a late comeback attempt by the Americans.
The next Ryder Cup is slated for Ireland’s Adare Manor in September 2027. Local fans probably won’t respond in kind to what unfolded at Bethpage Black, but they won’t be rolling out the red carpet for the United States team, either.
