A cheering lesson. That is how Ryder Cup organizers are starting the Saturday rounds. The US is trailing behind Europe on its home turf, but the one thing that they least  expected would be the crowd weaponizing them. Rick Golfs on X called the antics “Embarrassing.” But what is more embarrassing is when you try to amp up your crowd by bringing another player (Of course, Rory McIlory, who else?) down.

Brendon Porath shared a video on his X account, taken moments before the beginning of a round. The mic announcer is heard trying to bring any sort of leftover energy to the otherwise raunchy New Yorkers. Team USA surely needs that. He started with constant repetition of “De-Cham-beau“, but the crowd didn’t look much interested. That’s when, in a desperate measure to amp the 50,000 or so people, the announcer is heard saying, “F*** you, Rory!”

“They have someone MCing the first tee trying to lead chants and it is not working /resulting in boos. A ‘De-Cham-beau’ led chant lasted couple beats before turning into a ‘F U Rory’ which also came over the mic,” wrote Porath, who is the co-host of the Shotgun Start podcast by Fried Egg Golf. The video quickly made its way across social media in minutes, garnering 100k+ views.

Of course, netizens disapproved of it instantly. What made the people upset was that the insults and jeerings did not come from the crowd, but from an announcer, who is supposedly assigned to keep things well under control by being respectful and friendly. Especially, when just the previous day, the New Yorkers were very able to show their infamous nature on Bethpage’s course.

The “F*** you, Rory!” chants had already made their way on the first day of the event. The moment McIlroy entered to tee up, the New Yorkers welcomed him with boos and calls. He was able to shut them off by winning one of his rounds. But at the end of the day, when he walked off the course, the camera captured him flipping the bird to the crowd.

When asked later, McIlroy said, “[It was] what we expected. It was rowdy and lively. They made it difficult for us. But I felt Shane and I handled that really well and dug in.” His and Shane Lowry‘s duo were able to tie their round against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.

The same thing happened today, but this time, he was well composed, smiling, and sarcastically giving fly kisses to the hecklers.

The point is that these banters were anyway expected from the New York crowd. That is why the European team was practicing with VR headsets, which had the noise of a raucous crowd added to them. Moreover, it was also reported that Luke Donald had assigned actors in the crowd to test European players’ attention.

But when event officials themselves start engaging in such desperate measures, that’s when the spirit of the game actually gets tainted. The Ryder Cup website itself has multiple points on proper crowd behavior, with fines and punishments explicitly mentioned. But are there any measures to be taken when your own officials stoop down to such a level? From what we know, no actions have been taken yet.

But, it is understood that the New Yorkers were shedding their skin of hostility on Day 2. The energy was low. Maybe because they woke up at 3 am to travel all the way to Bethpage Black, camping hours before the match to claim first-tee seats. And after a disappointing performance by their Team, the exhaustion might have taken over them. But in no way should such antics be adopted by any Tour official to make the event…well, eventful.

Anyway, social media users did not spare a hair after watching the video.

Fans disapprove of the behavior: ‘Disgrace’

At the moment, the video is going viral at a fast rate. With several hundred likes and comments, fans did not hesitate to call out the mic announcer. Here are some of the comments.

“Oh my, the fact the person in the microphone said it .. too far, just too far,” one user said. Since Friday morning’s sessions, the crowd had been showing their rude side, the brunt of which players like Robert MacIntyre and others had to face. With calls of “w*nkers” and a jibe at his physique, fans were able to ruin his game by getting into his head.

“It took my whole mind away from the shot, it was that loud,” he later said.

Even after this, not much attention was paid. But an official member of the Ryder Cup does it, it definitely goes too far. Echoing the sentiment, another user typed, “Fans can chant what they want, but the announcer chanting F U Rory over the mic is a disgrace.”

“Embarrassing as always,” was another comment. Previously, Jon Rahm faced several comments regarding his weight, with one of them asking if he had been taking Ozempic. But, Rahm was able to keep the spirits humorous, not giving in to frustrations. “So far, the humor that’s been there…it’s really funny.” Even Rory McIlroy was able to laugh off at one such comment. But after this incident, the nature of such vibes will change.

What did not sit right with many was McIlroy’s disrespect at the hands of the announcer. Despite representing Europe or Britain, McIlroy has spent a lot of his formative PGA Tour years in America. In fact, just a few days before, he shared how much he loves the country, calling it “the land of opportunity.” For a player who loves the country so much, such antics surely break hearts. On this line, someone commented, “Fans can chant what they want, but the announcer chanting F U Rory over the mic is a disgrace.”

With the Ryder Cup halfway done and no notable action taken against either the crowd or the announcer, serious disciplinary questions are starting to surface. Does the desperation of watching your team trail justify stooping so low that even the world’s second-best player can’t be shown basic respect? Questions need to be asked.