A day ago, Jane Park shared a rather emotional (for some) and funny (for others) picture of Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. The two could be seen standing together, foreheads touching, after winning their matches on Saturday. Park, in what was meant to be a joke, wrote, “Can they just kiss already? The girls, gays, and theys are ready for it. After watching today’s matches, my observation is that men need therapy. All men. Need therapy.” The latter part of the message was clearly directed at the ruckus that has been created on Bethpage Black for the last two days. But, unfortunately, to many, the joke did not sit right, as the next day, Park’s DMs were filled with hate.

Park, coming back on Instagram, wrote a message which said, “What’s funny is only men have been chirping in my DMs about my ‘men need therapy’ post yesterday. Everyone needs therapy. Including the sober/drunk a**holes in the crowds. What a hard watch that was. There are always people who take it too far and ruin the experience for everyone (this includes outside of golf in the real world). I would mandate therapy for everyone if I could rule the world. So I’m doubling down, saying ESPECIALLY men need therapy, @me or don’t @ me I don’t care.”

The photo in question was taken after Rose and Fleetwood proved to be Team Europe’s most reliable pairing. They dispatched Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau 3&2 to score a perfect two for two in the fourball sessions. They had previously already edged out Ben Griffin and DeChmbeau 1 up on Friday. Their combined efforts led Europe to a massive surge of 11.5 – 4.5. After Sunday singles, Team Europe emerged victorious with 15-13.

But Park’s remarks about men going for therapy stood out. In a vile environment like the Saturday’s Ryder Cup, a shared emotional moment might have led Park to make such a statement. Otherwise, the tournament was marred by disappointing instances.

Rory McIlroy was inarguably the most hated on the course, with the hostility even reaching his family and personal life. He was constantly provoked with questions about his divorce that buzzed the golf world last year. And in what might be considered crossing the line, multiple fans teased him with CBS reporter Amanda Balionis‘s name.

But what actually shook everyone was when Erica Stoll, McIlroy’s wife, was attacked by a beer bottle thrown at her. This could probably be the instance Park mentioned in her story.

Similar to Park, Justin Thomas and Cameron Young expressed their displeasure when McIlroy and Shane Lowry were outright heckled by New Yorkers. Even captain Luke Donald called the antics of the crowd “crossing a line.”

It is not new for Jane Park to post such stories, as she is often seen advocating for certain mental disabilities. Her daughter Grace suffered from life-altering brain injuries due to seizures when she was ten months old. Since then, Park left her LPGA career and became a full-time caregiver. She has talked several times about how her daughter’s health had affected her and her husband emotionally.

Now, this instance might come across as a sarcastic jab at the unruly crowd of Bethpage Black, but one can say that such criticism and advice are necessary to conduct a peaceful game that happens just once in two years.

And anyway, she was not the only one who took to social media to express her frustration.

Golf world extends support to Team Europe

Several other notable people expressed their anger at the Bethpage Black crowd. Dame Laura Davies called the behavior “absolutely ridiculous,” saying that the fans made themselves look foolish with their actions. She was the one who had earlier warned that the situation in New York would go bad, drawing comparison with Whistling Straits’ Ryder Cup.

“At Whistling Straits, it certainly went over the top. There was a lot of abuse to some of the friends and family of the players, which was not good, because they were their only support system.”

After Rory McIlroy gave back to the crowd with expletive language, Davies took his side and said that Rory “got his message across.”

At the same time, social media and golf influencer Paige Spiranac also sided with European players, saying it’s fun to watch when some of them give the “sass” back.

“I mean, go USA and all, but honestly, this European team has truly been special to watch. The level of play has been outstanding!” she wrote on X.