On Monday, two-time Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson apologized to the winning European team for his behavior at Bethpage Black.
Watson posted to X: “I want to congratulate @rydercupeurope for winning. Your team made a sensation in the first few days. More importantly, I want to apologize for our rude and mean behavior in the American crowd at Bethpage.
“As a former player, captain and American, I’m ashamed of what happened.”
The 76-year-old Watson won five open titles in his eight major titles, playing for all four Ryder Cup teams. He was Captain America in England in 1993 and lost to the captain for the United States in the 2014 match held in Scotland.
The European team, especially Rory McIlroy, is a three-day event in Farmingdale, New York, a target for constant heck and insults (some targeting his wife and family). Usually, taunts happen during his batting, which causes delays and prompts the US PGA to add additional safety.
“I don’t think we should accept that in golf,” McIlroy said Sunday after a 15-13 victory over the United States in Europe. “…I think golf should be higher than the higher standards I’ve seen this week.”
McIlroy later added: “There are many languages that are unacceptable and abused.”
A video on social media showed Lowry had to be stopped by his caddies because fans said something before McIlroy drove on Saturday. Another video shows McIlroy walking with his wife Erica when the beer appears to be thrown in their direction and hit her.
“We feel it for them,” said American team member Justin Thomas after witnessing the verbal abuse of McIroy and Shane Lowry.
“It’s unfortunate,” Thomas said. “Cam [Young] I just hope we give them something to cheer them up, not cheer people up. I think this is the main consensus over the past two days, we are not cheering them up enough and they are just trying to help us win. I think that’s a fan of New York. ”
ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti contributed to the report.
