An exhausted Rory McIlroy and smiling Shane Lowry embrace after their Saturday fourballs win at the Ryder Cup.
It will go down as a Ryder Cup epic, but, until the dust settles, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s win over Justin Thomas and Cameron Young will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Rob Jerram had a close-up view at Bethpage Black.
This is the world we now live in. People spend ridiculous money to come to elite sport, drink heavily and scream vitriolic abuse at the very men they’ve paid $750 to watch… but never met.
Criticising the team or competitor you’re not rooting for is nothing new. As a football fan, I can’t pretend I haven’t called the odd stranger a “w*nker” or worse as they do their job on a pitch 60 yards in front of me. But there’s a line. And that line was left far in the distance at Bethpage on Saturday afternoon.
While Friday was chaotic thanks to the visit of President Trump – the ultimate example of a man who believes you should be able to speak without any thought of consequences – it never threatened to boil over. Not even close. In fact, it was barely tepid, even later in the day when plenty of Michelob had been consumed.
But day two had a different feeling. A feeling that there could be the “absolute chaos” Collin Morikawa had urged earlier in the week. From the moment an MC encouraged the packed grandstands to sing “f*ck you, Rory” before the sun had fully risen, it was clear that the gloves were coming off. Once the home side had suffered another heavy session defeat and the beers had started flowing, so did the abuse. When McIlroy light-heartedly blew kisses to the crowd as he was booed during his and Shane Lowry’s afternoon fourballs introduction on the first tee, it seemed to light the blue touch paper for sections of the US ‘support’ to enter into extreme vocal abuse.
There was the usual, good-natured boos and jeers – the sort of comments McIlroy had said he had no issue with after his morning victory… as long as it didn’t cross a line and players’ routines weren’t impacted. Sections of the crowd had clearly stopped listening before that second, and key, part. Or, more likely, they didn’t care.
There was a barrage of comments on every hole about McIlroy and Lowry’s personal appearances, their family members (many of whom were present), relationships, and, in McIlroy’s case, rumored and past relationships. The majority were laden with expletives – all were screamed by American voices. It was the sort of abuse that would land you a slap if you aimed it at someone in the street.
It caused some genuine fans to look at the culprits in disgust or urge them to shut up, players to become understandably rattled, and families to become upset. Justin Thomas who, alongside Cameron Young, forged formidable opposition for Europe’s pair, repeatedly gestured for fans to tone things down or be respectful at key moments as things got out of hand.
Security and police presence around the match rapidly increased as images and videos of incidents spread on social media, with the atmosphere reaching boiling point, the players beginning to snap back with profanities of their own.
By the 6th hole the abuse had gotten so bad and so incessant that McIlroy’s wife, Erica (an American, let’s not forget) left the course, unable to listen to anymore. It was that hole where her husband refused to putt until the crowd was silent, forcing the match referee to intervene and the reminder of spectator etiquette to be beamed through screens across the course. It made little difference. Seemingly, nothing was off limits, and I was understanding why Matt Fitzpatrick’s parents, who were upset by abuse at Hazeltine in 2016, had decided to stay away this time around.
At the 10th tee, Lowry had reached the end of his tether. Two years ago, on Ryder Cup Saturday in Rome, it was the Irishman preventing Rory McIlroy from confronting a caddie in a car park. This time it was a caddie preventing a clearly fuming Lowry from entering the crowd to confront his latest abuser. He rescinded, before pointing the man out to security and gesturing that he was ‘gone’ through gritted teeth.
Later in the match – one that, when the dust settles, will go down as one of the Ryder Cup greats – Lowry’s father had to be stopped from entering a grandstand to confront people, clearly tired of having to listen to his son be heckled.
Throughout the afternoon, and with warnings of the consequences of abusing players glowing on the giant screens across the course, countless people were identified and ejected from the site, their $18 beers removed and thrown in the trash, their overpriced tickets ripped up. The “what, why me?” look on their faces, a sad reflection of men presumably unaware that inappropriate abuse isn’t acceptable just because you’re trying to ‘help’ your underperforming team win the Ryder Cup.
One fan aimed a barrage of loud and deeply personal abuse at Europe’s lead duo as I stood with other media on the 17th tee. When he was pointed out to police by a well-known UK golf broadcaster, the culprit pretended he hadn’t said anything before trying to force his way through the officer and breach the spectator rope to get to him, spitting abuse and threats before being led away.
The players showed why they’re elite as they repeatedly put distractions and disturbances aside, this time trading birdies to take it down the 18th. As Lowry’s putt dropped, McIlroy allowed himself a moment to give some back to those abusing him, pointing at several sections of the huge crowd and mouthing “f*ck you” to each before he and Lowry put an arm around each other’s shoulder and walked to the final tee.
I made that walk behind European vice-captain Thomas Bjorn, the huge grin on his face quickly turned to reddening rage as he clocked another disgusting comment and demanded the culprit’s afternoon be ended early.
It’s a situation that’s becoming more common in the modern day. So many people throw abuse at strangers online without any true consequences and that is spilling over into the real world. It’s not OK in either. What’s worse is that the people who were shouting the most vitriolic abuse weren’t kids who don’t know better. They were grown men. Perhaps now is the time for the Ryder Cup to look at removing alcohol. Presumably, if there’s no beer, we’d be left with the true fans who want to spend their day watching golf rather than building up the bravery to shout ridiculous and offensive comments.
Or perhaps it should follow the Masters route and ban phones. With everyone seemingly desperate to go viral, it feels as if some comments are shouted purely for a reaction from a famous face that can be caught on camera and shared far and wide.
There were more boos, jeers and comments as McIlroy and Lowry made their way down 18 with a one-hole lead, but, after almost five hours of unrelenting abuse and stress, the American fans fell silent as the European pair secured a 2-up win. “He’s in your head, Rory, Rory, Rory,” rang out from the European fans in the stands.
They smiled and celebrated, but the impact of the anger and adrenaline-filled afternoon on each of them was clear. McIlroy looked like he could sleep in an instant; his playing partner looked like he might not sleep for days.
Both men greeted their families with hugs like they’d been to war, McIlroy keeping his arm around Erica, who’d returned to greet her husband, as if to protect her from what had gone before. They took some brutal wounds along the way, but ultimately, this was a battle they’d won.
About the author
Digital Editor. Tour golf nerd. World No.1 at three-putting.
He specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, and has traveled the world watching the biggest tournaments and interviewing the game’s biggest stars.
Rob is also passionate about equipment and is a font of knowledge when it comes to golf balls, golf trolleys, and golf shoes, having tested thousands over the years.
Despite being father to three daughters, he still manages to find time to maintain a 10-handicap, playing regularly at Greetham Valley GC, Spalding GC, and Thorpe Wood, all in the east of England.
The best piece of golf equipment he’s ever owned is the TaylorMade SLDR driver, his favourite player is Tommy Fleetwood, and the best course he’s played is Turnberry’s Ailsa.
You can get in touch with Rob by emailing rob.jerram@bauermedia.co.uk
