Has The Heckling At Bethpage Crossed The Line? Things Are Getting Quite Ugly On Day Two Of The Ryder Cup

"It's all getting a little spicy here at the Ryder Cup," said Nick Dougherty. If you've just tuned into the live coverage, we've reached that moment when things are starting to get a little out of hand at Bethpage Black.

The heckling had been expected, but as we head towards the back nine of day two's fourballs - the Americans having fallen further behind after the morning's foursomes - there have been one or two unsavoury moments involving the players and fans.

"The officials have got to step in," said Sir Nick Faldo. "It's getting a little bit silly now," added Wayne Riley."

Those on the Sky Sports team share the same opinion - that the line has been crossed - and more and more fans seem to be overstepping the mark.

Dame Laura Davies didn't hold back. "Making themselves look foolish. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” she said

Andrew Coltart has also been unimpressed with some of what he's heard: "From a player’s perspective you can deal with these things, but it’s much tougher for family, friends and relatives who aren’t used to hearing things like that said about their loved ones."

Matt Fitzpatrick revealed earlier this week that his parents hadn't travelled to New York, choosing to stay at home and watch rather than risk hearing offensive remarks.

"There is, obviously, a little bit of [the previous abuse]; they didn't have a great experience in Whistling Straits," the Englishman said on Thursday.

"There is no denying they had a bad experience in the past, but there's no reason why it has to be like that this time."

Reports of abuse from the fans were few and far between over the course of the first day, but things have become rowdy on Saturday afternoon.

McIlroy, preparing to hit an approach in the morning's foursomes, stepped away and was heard saying, "Shut the f*** up," as he turned on the crowd

Oliver Holt, chief sports writer for the Daily Mail, on the ground at Bethpage, said on X the abuse of the Northern Irishman has been "vicious" and "thuggish".

McIlroy, who followed up that exchange with the crowd with a sublime approach to close out the match, said it isn't so much the abuse that bothers him as the noise when players are over the ball.

"I don’t mind them having a go at us. Like that’s to be expected. I mean, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is," he said.

"Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing.

"Look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine. But just let us, you gave us the respect to let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have, I guess."

Joel Beall, senior writer for Golf Digest, describes the heckling as "some of the worst behavior I have ever seen."

He also adds that McIlroy is getting "hot at security for failing to monitor the crowd."

And he shared a few of the more unsavoury comments that he has heard so far.

Despite being on the receiving end of some rather foul abuse, McIlroy has yet to be beaten; in fact, it only seems to be firing him up.

There is a code of conduct in place at Bethpage. This is a paragraph taken from the Ryder Cup website, specifically the section 'Admissions, Conduct, and Health & Wellness Policies'.

"As spectators, we are integral to the Ryder Cup’s legacy. Our behavior shapes the experience for players, their families, and spectators worldwide. Let’s work together to ensure the Ryder Cup remains a true celebration of golf, unity, and international respect."

It's all well and good having a code of conduct policy, but right now it doesn't appear to be worth the paper it's written on.

It also says: "Avoid disruptive behavior, including heckling, taunting, or intentional distraction of players. Celebrate great play from both teams. Sportsmanship is not partisan; it’s universal."

In one act of sportsmanship, we have just seen Justin Thomas attempting to calm the home fans down, but it doesn't appear to be making a lot of difference.

Has the heckling at Bethpage crossed the line? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment in the box below.