Tobin: Ryder Cup was rock bottom

I’ve had some time to digest the debacle that was this year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York.

While the takeaway should have been the improbable and dramatic run the American team made and the great golf they played during Sunday’s singles matches, what this year’s Ryder Cup will be remembered for is the worst display of sportsmanship I have ever seen in golf.

Spectators launched profanity-laced verbal attacks toward European players and, in some cases, their wives and families.

American players, at times, were reduced to crowd control, trying in vain to silence the crowd’s profanity-laced rants during Europeans’ pre-shot routines and, in some cases, during their swings.

Rory McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll, were favorite targets. Fans reportedly yelled homophobic slurs at him and Stoll was allegedly hit by a beer can tossed by a spectator.

McIlroy was subjected to a steady stream of “F*** you, Rory” chants. At one point, McIlroy gave it right back, telling fans to “Shut the F*** up.”

I don’t blame him. Fittingly, he followed with an even better answer – stiffing his approach to two feet for birdie.

There was an embarrassing encounter between a caddie and an opposing player who objected to the behavior of the caddie, who apparently forgot it wasn’t his player’s turn to putt.

USA captain Keegan Bradley shared his take after the Europeans put the Americans away, 15-13.

“The Ryder Cup is full of passionate fans,” he said.

No, Keegan.

This Ryder Cup was full of ignorant, out-of-control idiots, including an emcee hired to announce on the first tee, leading fans in a “F*** you, Rory” chant.

There were countless other cringeworthy moments, including televised player walkups to the first tee. Next thing you know, the Ryder Cup will have players singing and dancing like it’s Banana Ball.

Preferred lies? I thought this was real golf – apparently not. Lift, clean, and place? Just another weekend round at the club. I wonder if the leaf rule was in effect.

American team members were paid $500,000 apiece. Europeans played for nothing. Granted, $300,000 of each American stipend goes to charity, but, still, can anyone get past that optic?

And a ridiculous rule giving both sides a half-point if a player can’t suit up. I’m sorry, but that’s a forfeit. And wasn’t it predictable that the winning captain agreed with the rule, while the losing captain did not?

Let’s talk about the television coverage.

Those stupid final score “projection” graphics, shown in place of real-time scores, along with Draft Kings’ betting odds. At times, it seemed like NBC was reading them from a Magic-8 ball.

NBC reported that a fan was squeaking a rubber ducky to try to distract McIlroy, saying spectators had “smuggled” duckies onto the grounds.

Turns out, the duckies were garnishes for a Ryder Cup signature cocktail sold at concessions. NBC, you had been on-site for at least a week and nobody on your team noticed there were plastic toys floating in people’s drinks?

And who the hell are “Bones” and “Smylie.” I had to Google them. Weren’t we all relieved when we later learned “Smylie” was the guy who uncovered the real truth behind the rubber duckies?

“Incredible reporting,” an announcer said.

Forget about the insipid commentary from the so-called analysts. It was positively painful.

That Sunday, the Americans were staging a comeback for the ages, holding the Europeans at bay for hours and preventing them from finishing an unprecedented massacre on U.S. soil.

With four matches remaining on the course, Americans led two of them and were tied in the others. The Americans had a legitimate chance to win all of them and flip the script. The European team was on the verge of blowing the largest lead in Ryder Cup history.

So, where was NBC? Taking long commercial breaks that showed silent split-screen video of the action. How about muting the commercials and unmuting the golf? It seemed we saw more product pitches than golf shots – at crunch time of potentially the biggest comeback in golf history.

Full disclosure: I only watch golf if there’s nothing else, except for the U.S. Open and The Open because you know someone there will crash and burn. Who doesn’t love a good train wreck?

For two days, the Ryder Cup was just that. While the Europeans played pitch and putt, the Americans couldn’t punch their way out of a paper bag.

Yet, I was glued to it.

I tuned in early at noon, expecting the blowout would be over in a couple of hours.

But then, the Americans remembered how to play, clawing back into it and winning match after match. It wasn’t until Irishman Shane Lowry birdied the 18th hole some five hours later to secure a half-point and stop the European bleeding. The Europeans erupted in a jubilant greenside celebration. You’d have thought they’d won a billion-dollar Powerball drawing.

Well, that’s it, I thought. The Europeans finally found a way to win and end the madness. The choke was over.

Only the Europeans hadn’t won the Cup. Lowry’s putt, as dramatic as it was, secured only a tie, thereby allowing Europe to retain possession of the Cup.

Sunday, the announcers yapped incessantly about the number of points the Europeans needed to “retain” the Cup – not win it. Isn’t the goal always to win the game? Since when is a tie good enough?

As far as the Ryder Cup’s legacy goes, the 2025 event at Bethpage Black has to go down as the worst – a total and abject lack of sportsmanship, decency, civility, and accountability.

The failure of the PGA of America to anticipate and curb the constant barrage of vulgar assaults leveled toward European players and failure to provide adequate security is indefensible, especially after the PGA had hyped the event since day one as a Super Bowl-type spectacle.

What was the PGA thinking?

PGA President Don Rea had an interesting take. He compared it to a kids’ soccer game.

“Well, you got 50,000 fans who are really excited and, heck, you can go to a youth soccer game and get some people who say the wrong things,” he said Sunday before the singles matches.

Yes, youth sports often bring out the worst in people, but I’ve never seen anyone hurling F-bombs – by name – toward kids on opposing teams.

Maybe I just missed it . . .

Rea encouraged fans to cheer on the Americans “like never before . . . and get them (the players) out of crowd control.”

Hmmm.

So, Rea knew the fans needed crowd control. Doesn’t that suggest he knew it went beyond these ugly American morons just saying the “wrong things?”

Rea said he didn’t hear the abuse leveled toward McIlroy. It’s not clear if he heard that Stoll was allegedly hit by a beer can tossed by a fan. That’s beyond fans being “excited.” That’s assault.

Later on, PGA CEO Derek Sprague condemned the fans’ and emcee Heather McMahan’s behavior.

“I sent a long email to share with Rory and Erica, and just told him that we will do better in the future,” Sprague said in an interview with The Athletic. “I don’t condone this type of behavior. This is not good for the game of golf. It’s not good for the Ryder Cup.”

On Oct. 4, Associated Press reported that Rea sent a letter to PGA of America member golf professionals, in which he finally changed his tune.

“Let me begin with what we must own. While the competition was spirited — especially with the U.S. team’s rally on Sunday afternoon — some fan behavior clearly crossed the line,” the letter stated. “It was disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative of who we are as the PGA of America or as PGA of America golf professionals. Rea continued, “We condemn that behavior unequivocally.”

It still begs the question why the PGA did nothing as it was happening. And why it took so long to admit this was a huge problem.

My husband, Jim, a former president of the New England P.G.A. and 49-year member, said “As PGA members, we are leaders charged with introducing and growing the game. What happened at the Ryder Cup presents a false image of what this game represents. The lack of PGA leadership to immediately own this debacle and acknowledge their failure due to weak preparation is a disservice to the 29,000 PGA members and everyone who loves the game.”

Will we see similar behavior from the fans at Adare Manor in Limerick in 2027? McIlroy promised we will not.

At a nighttime press conference following Europe’s victory, McIlroy said golf teaches etiquette and respect, but “this week, we didn’t see that.” He said the inappropriate behavior was limited to a minority but, “We will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable.”

His next statement was spot on.

“I didn’t hear a lot of shouts for Scottie (Scheffler) today, but I heard a lot of shouts against me. It’s, like, support your players – that’s the thing.”

Rory is right. It’s the thing.

Anne Marie Tobin is a sports reporter for the Item and sports editor of the Lynnfield and weeklies. She also serves as the associate editor of North Shore Golf magazine. Anne Marie joined the Weekly News staff in 2014 and Essex Media Group in 2016. A seven-time Massachusetts state amateur women’s golf champion and member of the Massachusetts Golf Association Hall of Fame, Tobin is graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Suffolk University Law School. She practiced law for 30 years before becoming a sports reporter. Follow her on Twitter at: @WeeklyNewsNow.

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