This Ryder Cup will be remembered for two things. When the away team brutally crushed the home team on their turf. And the types of hostilities that were to be seen on the majestic Bethpage Black. It is given that the Ryder Cup will be brutal towards its rival, but the likes of what went down over the last two days raise multiple questions. It is one thing to question and jeer a player’s game play, and completely another to bring someone’s personal life on the course. The tense situation has led to several people talking, including this PGA pro’s wife.

Jessica Hadwin, wife of Canadian pro Adam Hadwin, fired off a blunt response on X, calling out the hypocrisy of the spectators, “Imagine being legit furious and yelling insane shit to players who didn’t even know you existed in life and getting kicked out of a golf tournament. Same guys who DM players telling the to KYS over golf scores. Ultimate loser behavior.”

As fiery as her tweet is, the crowd behaviour on Saturday was indeed boisterous. Since Friday, Rory McIlroy was welcomed with the jeerings of “F*** you, Rory.”The highlight of the event was when a mic announcer rode on the bandwagon, urging New Yorkers to curse McIlroy. By the end of the day, she stepped down from her position, but by then the damage was done.

Most of the crowd’s rage was directed at McIlroy, the talisman for the European team. Fans dipped completely into personal jibes with remarks like, “How’s your divorce going?” one shouted. “Your ex is looking for you,” another added. This in the context of McIlroy and Erica’s divorce last year, which was called of a few months after and the couple reconciled.

So, these comments certainly hit a nerve as McIlory was later seen flipping the bird towards the crowd. In one instance, he was seen pointing at people, mouthing the word “F*** you!”

But, “I don’t mind them having a go at us, that’s to be expected,” McIlroy said afterwards. “That’s what an away Ryder Cup is…In between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine. But just give us the respect to let us hit shots and give us the same chance that the Americans have.”

The bile was not only reserved for McIlroy, however. Every European player who performed exceptionally faced the brunt of it. At the 13th green, Shane Lowry was being mocked with chants of “Ozempic” aimed at his physique. These were similar to what Robert MacIntyre heard the previous day, as well as Jon Rahm, who had to listen to these even before the event started.

But unlike MacIntyre, who faltered, or Rahm, who laughed it off, Lowry responded to the bullies by draining a putt and screaming with his own four-letter word back at them. When he had had enough of them, he flagged the security and waved sarcastically when the man was ejected. This rage seemed to fuel the duo as Lowry poured in an eagle at the third, a birdie at the fourth, and he and McIlroy reached a 1-up victory.

The situation tensed so much at times that from the American side, Justin Thomas and Cameron Young had to step in, shushing the crowd. Referees and officials were seen rushing, and police troops kept patrolling around. It was at the height of the tension that bottles were reportedly thrown at McIlory and his wife from the crowd’s stand.

Despite the rascality, McIlroy’s dad, Gerry, affirmed his belief in his son, saying, “It’s OK, Rory can handle it.”But European captain Luke Donald was much sharper in his assessment, saying how the US fans had “crossed the line” with their behaviour.

Anyway, the jeerings did not seem to get into the head of the Europeans as the team rolled the USA with an 11.5 – 4.5 score. But it surely has affected Keegan Bradley out of all people.

Keegan Bradley defends hostile fan behaviour

US Captain Keegan Bradley is being called out in what is considered a failure of his strategies after Team USA fell to Team Europe in the Friday and Saturday sessions. But what is now making its roll in the media is his attempts to justify the jeerings and abuse hurled at Rory McIlroy and co.

He leaned on the idea of  “passionate fans,” insisting the crowd was simply frustrated by Team USA’s poor play. “Part of it is our fault. We are not playing up to the standards that they want to see, and they are angry, and they should be.” He even further went on to minimize the situation by saying that, as per him, the fans of New York have been “pretty good.”

Bradley also deflected the questions raised at him by drawing comparisons to Rome two years ago. He suggested that “violent” behaviour had occurred there as well. Eventually, he denied taking any responsibility for the crowd’s behaviour, calling out the media for presenting a negative rhetoric. “I don’t appreciate those words that you just said.”

Several users on the internet questioned the spirit of Keegan’s captaincy, and while that is up for debate, a certain sense of empathy should arise from a man whose team is hosting the opponents this time. While he is on good terms with fellow captain Luke Donald, he did go back and forth with McIlroy during his playing captaincy speculations a month ago.