What the Hell Happened at the Ryder Cup?
This weekend, a horde of middle-age men showed up at Bethpage Black Golf Course on Long Island to watch the Ryder Cup, a three-day tournament that takes place every other year between the United States and Europe. Apparently, this tournament is known to encourage fans to be exceptionally rowdy — booing and jeering is welcome — but this year’s unruly conduct seemed to take an absurd, MAGA-tinted turn. For one thing, Donald Trump showed up with his granddaughter Kai on Friday. For another, the fans’ uniform, at least for the Americans, seemed to be garish flag polos, calf tattoos, and a blood-alcohol level far above the legal limit. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy was berated by the crowd throughout the weekend, and at one point, his wife, Erica Stoll, was hit in the head with a beer can. Classy!
????????????♂️???? #NEW ANGLE — A fan at Bethpage Black chucks a beer at Rory McIlroy’s wife Erica yesterday afternoon.
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) September 28, 2025
(Via @dylan_dethier) pic.twitter.com/pmsm4HDo6M
As much fun as this might have been for the ruddy Miller Lite set, pretty much everyone else had a terrible time. Shane Lowry, McIlroy’s teammate, called the abuse Stoll received throughout the weekend “astonishing.” It got so out of control that comedian Heather McMahan had to step down from her Ryder Cup MC-ing position after participating in an “F U Rory” chant at the first tee on Saturday morning, according to ESPN. At one point, McIlroy responded to the incessant heckling by shouting “Fuck you!” three times and pointing at the crowd. I think I see why:
Golf fans seem to be divided on just how acceptable all this was. Some hopped on TikTok to argue that the crowd’s behavior was disgusting and a direct reflection of Trump’s America, while others blamed a few bad apples for the rancid vibes.
Whoever’s fault this was, McIlroy was understandably pissed. “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” he said on Sunday after Europe beat the U.S. 15-13. (Karma!) “I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week. Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons.” I see what he was getting at here, but I’d like to add that we should not accept that behavior anywhere, not just on a golf course. As for that last part … I’ll plead the Fifth.
The next Ryder Cup will be held in Ireland in 2027, and for Stoll’s sake, I hope things are a bit more tame. Alternatively, she could throw some Guinness at a bunch of American fans, just for fun?
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