Despite the European team’s early dominance and the Americans’ mighty Sunday charge, the 2025 Ryder Cup will be remembered most for unruly fans at Bethpage Black.
The situation devolved so much on Saturday that many figures in the American game have been apologetic toward the European team.
Former U.S. captain Tom Watson is the latest to join the fray, declaring he is “ashamed” by the American fans’ behavior in a social media post on Tuesday.
Ryder Cup fans ‘cross the line’ on Saturday at Bethpage
Given the chaos that unfolded on Saturday at the Ryder Cup, it’s easy to forget that early in the week, players, media and observers found the Bethpage Black fans to be “tame.”
But it wouldn’t last. Some combination of the Americans’ struggles on the course over the first two days, plus perhaps a desire to live up to predictions about fan behavior this week, caused a minority of spectators to lose the plot over the weekend.
At Ryder Cup marred by ugliness, U.S. showed class in defeat
By:
Michael Bamberger
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were frequent targets, and the two European stars fed into the chaos by responding to the crowd with obscene gestures and expletives of their own.
U.S. players Justin Thomas, Cameron Young and Scottie Scheffler were among those trying to quiet the crowds on Saturday. They later apologized to their opponents for the fans’ bad behavior.
American captain Keegan Bradley admitted that some fans crossed the line of what is acceptable.
After the matches, Lowry revealed that McIlroy’s wife had experienced “astonishing” abuse during the event.
Which brings us to Watson.
Watson blasts U.S. Ryder Cup fans, apologizes to Europe
Watson is a two-time U.S. Ryder Cup captain. While his American team won the first time around in 1993, his 2014 Ryder Cup captaincy lives in infamy. The U.S. team got pummeled by the Europeans, losing a third-straight Ryder Cup by a score of 16.5-11.5
In the aftermath, some players criticized Watson, and the PGA of America overhauled the U.S. Ryder Cup system.
‘I don’t agree with it’: Tom Watson takes issue with 2 Ryder Cup rule changes
By:
Kevin Cunningham
On Tuesday, Watson took to X.com to first congratulate the victorious European team,” I’d like to congratulate @RyderCupEurope on their victory. Your team play the first few days was sensational.”
But he quickly moved on to criticizing the fan behavior.
“More importantly,” Watson wrote, “I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Bethpage.”
Then he went further, declaring that he was “ashamed” of what transpired over the weekend.
“As a former player, Captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened,” Watson wrote.
I’d like to congratulate @RyderCupEurope on their victory. Your team play the first few days was sensational.
More importantly, I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Bethpage.
As a former player, Captain and as an American, I…
— Tom Watson (@TomWatsonPGA) September 29, 2025
While some fans were certainly out of control at Bethpage Black, and indeed may have marred the event forever, it doesn’t offer a complete picture of the American side.
The U.S. players largely acted with class and respect all week long, both amid the chaos on the course and following their loss. European stars McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood admitted as much to GOLF’s Michael Bamberger during their celebration Sunday night, which you can read all about here.
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