FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — From the moment Bethpage Black was announced in 2013 as this year’s Ryder Cup host, there was an expectation the competition could be one of the loudest — and potentially rowdiest — in recent memory.
But what transpired Saturday in the afternoon four-ball match that featured Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry turned into something beyond the expected.
Over 18 holes, the European stars were heckled and yelled at repeatedly, in particular during their pre-shot routines or before they hit a putt. As the match against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young progressed — and Europe’s lead on the United States grew — the intensity from the crowd escalated, leading to increased security and multiple fan ejections.
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On the fourth green, McIlroy had to back off his ball multiple times as fans yelled at him.
“We knew what we were going to get coming here. It was a very tough day,” Lowry said. “Being out with Rory doesn’t make it any easier. I think he’s getting the brunt of it.”
Earlier Saturday in foursomes, McIlroy was yelled at as he lined up to hit a shot and responded, “Shut the f— up!” which was caught on the TV broadcast.
“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,” McIlroy said after his morning match. “Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing.”
Tensions continued to rise as fans zeroed in on McIlroy. Those ranged from “F— you, Rory,” to specific comments about McIlroy’s previous major losses at Pinehurst, to how his Masters win this year was “a fluke”, to his personal life and even his marriage. Lowry received his share of insults, too, with some about his weight, his lack of contributions to McIlroy in their partnership and how much they both “couldn’t handle the fans.”
“Look, when you play an away Ryder Cup, it’s really, really challenging,” McIlroy said. “It’s not for me to say. People can be their own judge on if they [took] it too far or not.”
By the ninth hole Saturday afternoon, nearly 20 New York State Police troopers lined the ropes as the players teed off. Some Bethpage State Park Police officers on bikes monitored the galleries.
On the 10th hole, after Lowry and McIlroy had hit their tee shots, Lowry called over a state trooper and had him throw out a fan who had directed a comment at McIlroy before he hit his drive.
In a statement, the PGA of America said it added security and state police to McIlroy’s match as well as the other afternoon sessions. It also increased the number of messages on videoboards regarding fan behavior.
“We will continue to closely monitor fan behavior and take appropriate action,” the PGA said.
New York State Police spokesman Beau Duffy said two fans were ejected.
But despite the added security, the noise and heckling continued. When McIlroy lined up to hit a putt on the 11th green, multiple marshals, rules officials, and both Thomas and Young had their arms raised trying to get the fans in the nearby grandstand to stand down and let McIlroy go through his routine.
While standing behind that green, European player Robert MacIntyre, who sat out the afternoon session, pointed to a member of the European staff that Thomas, who had been feeding off the crowd’s energy, was playing both sides.
“He’s f—ing gearing them up and now he’s trying to calm them down,” MacIntyre said.
McIlroy appeared to bottle up any emotions in the midst of the frenzy until he could fire back. On the 14th hole, with the match all square, he sank a birdie putt, picked up his ball from the hole and erupted. He fist-pumped and gestured toward the crowd in the grandstands, letting out several yells of “Come on! Come the f— on!” before staring at the fans for an extended period. When Thomas missed his birdie putt to give the Europeans a lead in the match for the first time since the ninth hole, McIlroy stared at the crowd again and pointed to the scoreboard.
“It was a really difficult day,” McIlroy said. “I’m drained … I’m going to sleep well tonight.”
On the 18th green, after their 2-up victory over Thomas and Young, McIlroy and Lowry both embraced their wives and teammates before celebrating with the crowd in the grandstand, which had become filled with several groups of loud European supporters.
“I thought the fans were passionate. I mean, their home team is getting beat bad,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said about the American crowd’s behavior. “I wasn’t at Rome, but I heard a lot of stories that Rome was pretty violent as well. You’re always going to have a few people that cross the line, and that’s unfortunate … part of it our fault. We are not playing up to the standards that they want to see, and they are angry, and they should be.”
Lowry, however, described the experience Saturday as unique.
“It was intense. It was like something I’ve never experienced,” Lowry said. “But this is what I live for. This is it. This is, like, honestly, the reason I get up in the morning, for stuff like this. This is what I love doing. I love being a part of this team. I really want us to win this tournament.”
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