Why Bethpage was always going to be defined by boorish behavior

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The seven days of vitriol and boorish behavior the European Ryder Cup team endured at Bethpage is unacceptable. Full stop.

This isnâ€t the handwringing of a golf purist clinging to the notion of antiquated decorum, the full-throated antics of some of New Yorkâ€s worst is unacceptable in any corner of society, not just a sporting event. No one should have to suffer the limitless slings and arrows of the drunken masses, and no one suffered more than Rory McIlroy.

“I donâ€t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week,†said McIlroy, who embraced his role as Europeâ€s chief antagonist at Bethpage. “Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people. This should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup.â€

More than two dozen New York State Police officers were dispatched to McIlroyâ€s fourball match Saturday to quell what was characterized by one security official as “abusive†behavior, including an incident that involved a fan throwing a beer at McIlroyâ€s wife.

The indignation is understood following three wildly contentious days, but it is also a little misplaced.

The captains, players, media and fans knew what this Ryder Cup was going to be when the PGA of America announced in 2013 it was bringing the matches to the “Peopleâ€s Country Club.â€

“Things got out of hand, that was disappointing. We knew the crowds would be like that,†said Ted Bishop, who was president of the PGA in â€13 and one of the architects that brought the Ryder Cup to New York. “If youâ€ve attended any New York sporting event, Yankees, Mets, thatâ€s what youâ€re going to get in New York.â€

Bishop had no interest in apologizing or justifying anyoneâ€s behavior at Bethpage, and as a PGA professional he was as disheartened as anyone that things unraveled, but as the pearl clutching escalates in the wake of arguably the most antagonistic Ryder Cup, itâ€s important to understand that the crowd, for better or worse, was one of the primary factors in bringing the event to the Black Course.

“I donâ€t think thereâ€s any question it took the home crowd and venue to an entirely different level. It was a dynamic atmosphere,†Bishop said.

On Sept. 26, 2021, the Ryder Cupâ€s balance of power had supposedly shifted. It took more than one man to create the current 180, but no better man epitomizes the heart, passion and resiliency of Europe than Rory McIlroy.

The plan to bring the Ryder Cup — and the 2019 PGA Championship — to Bethpage started to take shape in 2010 after a Monday finish at the 2009 U.S. Open, which was played on the Black Course, seemed to muddy the relationship between the state and the USGA.

“[Phil] Mickelson and [Rickie] Fowler were playing a practice round in 2010 in Wales. They were talking about potential Ryder Cup sites, they had no idea we were in talks to have Bethpage host, and they said what a great home-course advantage to have a Ryder Cup [at Bethpage],†Bishop recalled.

It took another three years to close the deal, but Bishop said when they were finally able to announce that the gameâ€s preeminent team event was headed to Long Island it was an immediate boon for the association — both financially and in terms of reach — and elevated the matches to something much more in line with other “mainstream sports.â€

Some would like to see this Ryder Cup as a seminal moment, a valley in the history of the matches that forces officials from both sides of the transatlantic divide to turn down the temperature in the room, both outside and inside the ropes.

“This should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup,†McIlroy said. “We will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable, you know, come and support your home team. Come and support your team.â€

Itâ€s a fair reaction to an incredibly unfair week for the world No. 2 but also a tad misguided given that the crowd, with all its warts, was the primary selling point to bring the matches to Bethpage.

“I figured from the beginning the crowd would be tremendous. Maybe the greatest advantage a home team can have,†Bishop said.

Whether it turned out to be an advantage for the U.S. team, which lost 15-13 despite a spirited Sunday rally, or the Europeans, who seemed strangely emboldened by the raucous and unruly behavior, is a matter of perspective. But there is no denying that bringing the Ryder Cup to Bethpage elevated the event like no other venue could. Unfortunately, in sports to reach those heights sometimes you must wade through the mud.

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