Tom Watson is ashamed: US legend apologizes for fans at the Ryder Cup

The 2025 Ryder Cup in Bethpage Black ends not only with a victory for Team Europe, but also with a deep rift over the etiquette of American spectators. The reaction of a golf icon was not long in coming: Tom Watson publicly apologized to the victorious Europeans for the massive derailment of the fans and expressed his deep embarrassment.

Watson, an eight-time major winner and two-time US captain, took to social media to address what had happened. First, he congratulated Europe on their 15-13 victory and praised the "sensational" team play of the first few days. This was followed by a strong condemnation of the incidents on Long Island.

Tom Watson condemns behavior at the Ryder Cup

The 76-year-old made it clear that this type of behavior was not in keeping with the values of the sport and unequivocally distanced himself from the aggressive actions of the crowd: "More importantly: I want to apologize for the rude and mean behavior of our American spectators in Bethpage." He emphasized the seriousness of his statement with personal words: "As a former player, captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened."

McIlroy in the crosshairs: the Bethpage scandal

At the center of the hostile atmosphere was top European player Rory McIlroy. Although a charged atmosphere is expected at the continental comparison, a line was crossed several times in New York. McIlroy himself described the incidents as "unacceptable and offensive behavior".

The list of assaults was long and ranged from verbal attacks to physical disturbances:

• McIlroy was forced to repeatedly interrupt his tee shots as shouts from the crowd interfered with his swing.
• The insults were aimed specifically at McIlroy and his wife Erica, who was even hit by a drink thrown from the crowd on Saturday afternoon.
• The aggression was so contagious that the event's mistress of ceremonies joined in a vulgar chant against the star and had to resign as a result.
• As a result of the outbursts, the PGA of America significantly stepped up security measures to protect the European team players.
• A low point was reached when McIlroy himself had to reprimand a fan with the words "shut the f* up!"**.

Read more about the European team's reaction to the US fans' insults here.

Appeal for a higher standard in golf

After the Europeans' triumph, McIlroy expressed his deep disappointment at the lack of etiquette and called for a return to the basic principles of the sport: "I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was on show there this week. Golf has the ability to unite people. It teaches you respect for other people. Sometimes we didn't see that this week. So, no, that shouldn't be what's acceptable at the Ryder Cup."

The US view: frustration from the fans

The American players themselves were unhappy about the escalations. Justin Thomas, who tried to calm the overheated crowd during the matches, expressed his "sympathy" to McIlroy and his partner Shane Lowry. He tried to explain the fans' behavior with his own team's performance: "Cam [Young] and I just wish we had given them something to cheer instead of people to boo. I think that was kind of the consensus the last two days: we didn't give them enough to cheer about, and they were just trying to help us win. I guess that's just the way New York fans are."