While the Ryder Cup is usually a source of excitement and a cheerful mood for Golf fans, this year’s event was marred by unsavory behaviour from certain sections of American fans. The fans primarily targeted Rory McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll, as Team Europe emerged victorious at the Bethpage Black. Commenting on the fan behaviour at the Ryder Cup, the ex-president of the PGA of America brought forward the behind-the-scenes of the event, from venue selection to potential future measures.

Ex-PGA chief Ted Bishop joined the 19th Hole podcast on Monday, 6th October, to discuss the early stages of the Ryder Cup’s venue selection. While Bishop stepped down from his roles in 2014, he was one of the key voices in the Bethpage Ryder Cup conversation, alongside Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler. The New York metropolitan area golf course stood out for its incredible home-field advantage for America, while being one of the most financially successful Ryder Cups from the PGA of America’s standpoint. However, things didn’t turn out as expected, as Bishop commented on the US crowds’ atrocious behaviour.

“For fans to throw you know a beer can, whatever it was at Rory and Erica, his wife, I knew when she was on the PGA Tournament committee, her tournament center crew. I mean, that’s just, that’s a horrible behavior,” Bishop said on the podcast.

The European stars, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, faced rude, often expletive comments and slurs. The crowds attacked McIlroy on his personal life while body-shaming Lowry. Moreover, the 1st-tee MC of the event, Heather McMahan, led expletive chantings against McIlroy, raising direct questions on the PGA of America. She was later forced to step down.

In hindsight, Bishop noted that the board didn’t expect this reception of the European golfers from the crowds. As a matter of fact, they didn’t have any conversations about the need to regulate the crowds. Rather, the narratives revolved around the excitement and energy of the fans and the supporting home crowds for the US Ryder Cup stars. “I would say that I fully expected the fans at Bethpage to be absolutely revved up,” shared the ex-PGA chief. When the host asked what the discussions looked like on fan control, Bishop revealed the lack of planning.

“I don’t think that we ever had any questions about fan control. You know, the discussion was how loud the crowd would be, how enthusiastic the crowd would be.” However, Bishop noted that this conversation was back in the 2014 Wales Ryder Cup, during Bishop’s tenure. Therefore, a different set of people in power made the actual decision. Although a subtle remark, this hints at Bishop’s criticisms of the PGA’s administration.

Moreover, Don Rea, the present PGA Chief, did nothing to improve the situation. Rather, he made remarks on how such behaviour was natural at major stages like the Ryder. His exact words: The abuse was no worse than at “a youth soccer game.” However, what took fans by surprise was his karaoke performance in the hotel as a measure of recuperation just hours after the abuse. The president of the board chose to sing Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ as a better response than issuing a public apology.

While the CEO of the PGA of America later issued an apology to the European team on behalf of the board, Rea’s actions highlight his lack of accountability and unwillingness to share an explanation for the misconduct. However, stepping up in place of Rea, Bishop suggested the potential reason behind the fans’ behaviours.

Ted Bishop Points to Alcohol and Fan Accountability as Key Lessons

While it’s impossible to extrapolate the reason behind the abuse storm to a singular villain, it’s possible to take a look at the stats for the answer. And Ted Bishop, gathering from his personal experiences and reporting standards articles, has come to a conclusion that not many can deny. As the ex-chief cited his encounters at the football matches, he shared the major problems in big sporting events.

“I have been a season ticket holder with the Indianapolis Colts, and what I have seen attending major sporting events is I’ve seen an increasing problem with overconsumption of alcohol at these sporting events,” shared Ted Bishop.

Moreover, referring to another article he read on similar misconduct, Bishop concluded, “The issues that college football campuses were having with night games, particularly if they were still here at the football games, because obviously a lot of people were vibing from early afternoon hours all the way up to the kickoff. And so I do think you can’t deny the fact that probably overconsumption of alcohol played a part in what was going on.”

Lack of regulation of the crowds becomes the key factor behind these incidents. Sharing these thoughts with American golfer Justin Thomas’ father, Mike Thomas, Bishop commended the initiative. Thomas shared his perspective on possible future measures against such atrocity, suggesting a fan conduct contract. This held the fans responsible for some behavioural standards, breaching which could lead to ejection.

Although it does not guarantee a complete refrain from similar actions, it can minimise the abuse by a significant degree. However, the power and the responsibility lie with Don Rea to enact such policies. Would the PGA of America issue corrective measures for the damage?