'Some Of The Worst Behaviour I've Ever Seen' – Social Media Slams 'Completely Unacceptable' Fan Conduct At Ryder Cup

You only have to glance at the Ryder Cup leaderboard to see that things haven't exactly gone well for Keegan Bradley's men on the course - but some pretty ugly fan behaviour has also let Team USA and the PGA of America down in a big way.

The heat was certainly turned up a notch (or ten) at Bethpage Black on Saturday, with the Ryder Cup increasing security amid fan disorder.

In what was already predicted to be a hostile atmosphere, the situation was not helped by an MC encouraging a '**** you Rory' chant on the first tee, something which she later apologised for.

Thing also boiled over on the course, with heated moments involving players, caddies and even vice-captains throughout second day of play.

In a heated moment, Rory McIlroy told fans to 'shut the **** up' after continuous heckling while a fiery incident between Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, Ted Scott and Francesco Molinari also added fuel to an already tense environment.

Social media appears to have widely condemned the behaviour of certain groups of home fans at the Ryder Cup, which we will come to in a moment, but I want to hear what you think.

Is this the worst fan behaviour the sport has ever seen? Share your thoughts and opinions on the matter in the comments box at the bottom of this article...

Social Media Slams 'Unacceptable' Fan Behaviour At Ryder Cup

Let's get one thing straight - nobody wants a Ryder Cup with a placid crowd. However, one huge caveat to that is the etiquette of the game must be respected and the line between common decency and outright hooliganism should never be crossed.

My opinion on the matter couldn't be stronger, and while the home fans have one final day's play to redeem themselves after the embarrassment that was yesterday, I am not hopeful that much will change.

The script was written some time ago, that Bethpage Black would be hostile and intimidating for the visiting team - but it's possible to achieve that without making things personal.

It appears I am not the only one who found the behaviour of a select group of home fans throughout the course of the first two days completely unacceptable, as outlined by some of the social media posts below.

Joel Beall, a senior writer at Golf Digest, shared in a post on X, "What is being yelled at Rory and Shane right now is some of the worst behaviour I've ever seen".

He then added in another post, following time spent walking with the group, "I've never head so many F*** yous to anyone, let alone a golfer as they're about to pull the trigger.

"Things about wife/family, Pinehurst, general 'you suck' comments. Shane getting bombarded with weight jokes".

Jeff Eisenband, a sports broadcaster, shared a similar sentiment in his own X post, explaining "The things being yelled at Rory McIlroy simply aren't acceptable. It's not about Rory needing to have thick skin.

"It's about fans crossing the line from a human standpoint and hurling insults about his family".

In our own article on the behaviour of fans during Saturday's play, readers commented with equally strong opinions on the matter.

Sim201 stated, "The "fans" that choose to represent themselves in that vile and disrespectful manner yesterday do not understand or respect the game of golf.

"It was a dishonour to every great player that has represented this game and competition before them. Shame on the USA players for not being vocal about fan respect."

Archilogix01 added, in response to Golf Monthly editor Elliott Heath's analysis, "You are not wrong at all! This was the most disgusting exhibition of fan sportsmanship I have ever witnessed at a Ryder Cup.

"I don’t mind the chanting and the booing and the cheering the Euro’s missed hits or putts, but the personal attacks were well beyond any “line”.

Further comments on our social media posts followed a similar theme, but some do not share the same opinion.

Chance Murray commented on Facebook, "They heckled Cantlay and the rest of the team pretty hard in Rome if I remember correctly?

"Considering you are winning and by a huge margin you would think that stuff would just roll off their shoulders? Like hey look at the scoreboard and smile or laugh about it....I guess not".

Others felt that the European Team were not completely devoid of blame in this situation, with Adam Isaacson commenting on Facebook, "They likely did take it too far but let's not pretend Rory and Shane were not egging them on at times.

"No one seemed to be trying to de-escalate that really aside from the two American players. Though I understand for Rory and Shane as competitors it's hard not to get hyped up after you make a big putt in that environment."

If anything, the behaviour of the home fans appears to have only egged on the Europeans to what could be a historic win and extremely damaging scenario for Team USA.

In an X post on Saturday, Brian Kirschner added "This is a really sad state of affairs for a Ryder Cup at my home course 5 minutes from me. Terrible set up, terrible fans, terrible USA performance.

In trying to create an intense cauldron of heat for Team Europe to compete in, they may have inadvertently fuelled a fire that could burn for years (and many Ryder Cups) to come.

There is a long road ahead for Team USA to return to their typically high standards of performance on the golf course, but one thing is for sure... they can't afford to bring the infantile hecklers that crossed the line on that journey with them.

Have your say?

You've heard my thoughts, and a snapshot of the commentary on social media, but now it's your turn to have your say?

I'd love to hear what you think about the behaviour of fans at the Ryder Cup, the reactions of players on the course and whether anything should/needs to be done moving forwards to address this issue.

Drop me a comment in the box at the below and let's start the conversation...