“Ryder Cup Attendee Code of Conduct: 1) Honor the traditions and customs of golf, including silence during shots, respectful applause, and fair play. 2) Avoid disruptive behavior, including heckling, taunting, or intentional distraction of players.”

However, the look at Bethpage Black was quite different.

Team Europe largely cruised to a commanding victory on the opening day, except for one instance. During match 4 of Friday Foursomes, as Team Europe’s Robert MacIntyre prepared to strike on the 17th hole, someone from the crowd yelled out, “b****y w****r.” MacIntyre, who was at the top of his backswing, stopped and backed off his tee shot. After a moment, when he finally took a shot, it landed in a bunker. The whole incident cost MacIntyre and his partner, Viktor Hovland, losing the round, 2 up, to Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

Interestingly, the officials did not bat an eye at the whole incident. Under the ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’, it is clearly stated that any obscene comment will lead to the removal of the offender from the premises, with penalties and bans from future events. But from the looks of it, none of this happened. And that caught everyone’s attention as a former golf correspondent for PA media, Phil Casey, tweeted, “Wonder if the so-called “zero tolerance” approach to crowd misbehaviour will be seen on 17 there. Couldn’t tell on TV but clearly MacIntyre had to back off tee shot.”

On Friday, MacIntyre-Hovland became the only European pair to drop, except for Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard’s loss to the USA’s Cameron Young and Justin Thomas during the Friday Four-ball. After the round, MacIntyre dissected his performance but accepted Ryder Cup’s reality. He said, “I mean, you’ve got to expect it out here. It’s what happens when the bar opens at 9.30am and we get round to there. Disappointing, but I should have done better and handled it better. At the end of the day, hit a better shot.

“It was literally in my golf swing, so I stopped because it was loud enough. I’d been speaking to Si [coach Simon Shanks] all week about prepare, commit, accept. I’d prepared well, I was fully committed, but, at the minute, there was a bit of doubt, I mean, it took my whole mind away from the shot, it was that loud. Then when I went back in, the wind had picked up, I should have switched club.

“It was one of those ones, you switch club, you get even more abuse. But, look, it’s part of the game, it’s part of this year’s Ryder Cup, I suppose… I felt like I cost us a match on the 17th. Just hit a poor iron shot that, at this level, you get absolutely crucified for.”

Moreover, this was not an isolated incident involving MacIntyre. Earlier in the session, as the Scot teed off at the first hole, another spectator heckled him and yelled, “Get some cardio.” This came shortly after loud jeers and boos were thrown his way when he stepped onto the greens. And such chantings and taunts continued sporadically throughout the round.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t the only European to face the hostility of the New Yorkers. Throughout the day, Team Europe became the target of local spectators. However, it crossed the line in MacIntyre’s round, possibly with the hosts not getting any break until then. Otherwise loved, Rory McIlroy was also targeted as soon as he arrived on his first tee. Chants of “F*** you, Rory” spread through the grounds when his name appeared on the giant screen.

The Ryder Cup is definitely no stranger to hostile crowds, as in previous editions, too, crowds have aggressively heckled players, especially from the away team. The HatGate incident in Rome is an example. That time, Patrick Cantlay had to suffer the raunchiness of the fans, which ultimately led to a serious fight between his caddie Joe LaCava and McIlroy.

Before that, in 2016, McIlory was again on the receiving end of hatred, when several people passed offensive remarks relating to his breakup with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. The most infamous of those scenarios is definitely the 1999 Battle of Brookline, when US crowds heckled the golfers to the point of invading the greens before European players could even make their putts.

All such incidents raise several questions about crowd conduct in an event as significant as the Ryder Cup. It’s inarguably the most popular tournament in golf, and it is understood that fans bring a level of passion and energy to the course, especially when it is in New York. But at times, the lines between support and bullying often get blurred.

And that is probably why Team Europe was practicing with VR headsets in an attempt to mimic the environment of Bethpage so that they could settle in well during the main event. This has certainly helped the players to some extent, as was visible during the practice rounds, when both McIlroy and Rahm laughed off certain comments passed at them.

But it didn’t take a lot of time for the New York crowd to leap from roasts to being just mean. While MacIntyre’s first Ryder Cup outing might’ve shaken him up then, the Scot definitely has had his fair share of heckling experiences.

Robert MacIntyre and the raunchy American crowd

At this year’s BMW Championship, Robert MacIntyre had faced similar jeers. On Saturday’s 14th hole at Caves Valley, when he was leading Scottie Scheffler by four shots, a patron tried to distract him. But right after, he made an 8-foot putt and turned around at the heckler, giving him a fist pump. Later, he held up his finger to his lips, signaling him to shush. Silence is the best response to bullies, they say.

“He was just jeering. He was just shouting, ‘I missed it, he’s pushed it,'” MacIntyre later said. Although at that time, the security did reach the spot. “I don’t know if anyone was thrown out, but there were plenty of people to talk to.” Scheffler, who was playing alongside MacIntyre, didn’t realize what was being said to the fellow player, but he did offer his advice later on. “I think it’s part of it. People have a tendency to say things that are dumb…If you’re a fan, it’s only going to fire the guy up more, and I think just do your best to behave out there. It can be a little bit silly sometimes.”

Even though the New Yorkers can be big sports fans, and watching their home team would hurt him, how you conduct yourself is also a reflection of your team. Although golfers are no strangers to such incidents, it remains to be seen if the officials will do something about it in later rounds.