What do you call it when the official emcee of golf’s biggest team event drops F-bombs on the rival team’s biggest player? Team spirit or dirty tactics? Heather McMahan‘s antics on the second day of the Ryder Cup will go down in history as things that could have been avoided. What went on in her head, and what made her do it, are questions that need to be dealt with later. A bigger question remains: why did this happen? The conversation around these incidents continues, as Gary Player has now spoken out — without mincing any words.

The South African legend was not hesitant to rebuke the PGA of America, especially for its hostile behavior towards European players Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. “And to see a (PGA of America) hire a lady to stand on the tee — if you want to call her a lady — and saying ‘F you, Rory. F this European team.’ Are we crazy? And then the head of the (PGA of America) says, ‘What was so serious about it?'” he told The Palm Beach Post.

Player’s anger seems to emanate not just from McMahan’s desperate (if you call it that) attempt to energize the otherwise down crowd. But also at Don Rea’s — the PGA of America’s President – downplaying the entire questionable behavior of the brutal New York Crowd. According to him, this happens at almost all major sports events worldwide.

“Well, you’ve got 50,000 people here that are really excited and, heck, you could go to a youth soccer game and get some people who say the wrong things,” said Rea. Of course, his statements drew massive backlash online, forcing him to finally apologize.

Yet, Player is not having it. What happened on those four days in America made him question the morality on which this age-old sport now stands. “Golf has never been that,” he said firmly. “Golf has been a gentleman’s sport. And to see that, and to see the players using this ‘F’ word, I mean, the whole lot.”

F words were indeed very casually used during the three days of the biennial event. McIlroy himself was seen pointing at the New Yorkers, yelling “F-You” to them. Even Lowry almost lost his cool before launching at a fan on Saturday. But are they to be blamed for this?

The European players were not welcomed as warmly from the very get-go as they should have been. Sure, they were the rivals, but it is one thing to support your home team and another to throw a beer bottle at a player’s wife. McIlroy and Lowry’s anger was not just at the rowdiness of the Americans, but also at the casual passing of comments that are not deemed acceptable in a respected venue like that of the Ryder Cup.

Unacceptable, like bringing McIlroy’s alleged past with CBS reporter Amanda Balionis, or Lowry’s being bullied for his physique, with advice to try “Ozempic.” The tradition and value the Ryder Cup once held, with players like Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan, surely seemed to disappear. Gary Player highlighted the same.

“I was disgusted. So to me, the Ryder Cup is a shambles…the Ryder Cup to me is the worst event in the world,” he added.

But while Gary Player is “ashamed” that such incidents mar his favorite event, Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, wants people to look at the brighter side.

Rory McIlroy urges fans to shift their focus from Ryder Cup chaos

Rory McIlroy recently asked fans for a “shift in the narrative” surrounding the Ryder Cup controversies. McIlroy, as reported by the BBC, said the fallout over fan behavior overshadowed what could have been remembered as Europe’s landmark win on enemy turf.

“The unfortunate thing is people aren’t remembering that [performance] and they are remembering the week for the wrong reason,” he said, while at the same time deeming the crowd’s behavior as “unacceptable and abusive.”

He is right. Europe did have a dominating victory at Bethpage Black. Starting strong, Luke Donald‘s team maintained a steady lead the first two days (7 points). On Sunday, though, there seemed to be a revival from the US’s side as they inched in closing the gap. But with the help of Shane Lowry on the 18th hole, the Europeans streamrolled the Red, white, and blue and secured a 15-13 victory eventually. The win was especially significant as an away triumph on rival turf, coming 13 years after Europe’s last victory there —famously remembered as the Miracle of Medinah.

“I would like to shift the narrative and focus on how good the European team was and how proud I was to be part of that team to win an away Ryder Cup,” concluded Rory, who earned three-and-a-half points overall.