Team Europe took down Team U.S.A. at the 2025 Ryder Cup to claim back-to-back victories in the tournament despite an onslaught of trash talk from fans visiting Bethpage Black.
Although Europe retained the Ryder Cup with a narrow 15-13 victory, Team Europe held a substantial lead over the Americans for the majority of the weekend, having started strongly to open the tournament.
Many Team U.S.A. fans took it upon themselves to fire up the Americans by taunting the European players; however, multiple members of Team Europe have spoken out against the disrespectful comments made by the crowd.
Notably, one fan could be heard yelling “F–k you, Rory” while Rory McIlroy prepared to putt during one of the holes, prompting McIlroy to step away for some time before finishing the hole.
Similarly, Shane Lowry could be seen responding to American fans after sinking a long putt to win a hole, with the trash-talking by the home fans seemingly prompting the outcry by the Team Europe golfer.
Shortly after winning the tournament, McIlroy said the actions by the fans were “not acceptable” and should not be tolerated during the biggest golf tournament of the year.
“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. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people. Sometimes this week, we didn’t see that. So, no, this should not be what is acceptable at the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said.
“It was a rough week for all of us. But at the same time, we shut them up by our performance and how we played. I chirped back a few times because it got to me a few times, but we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that.”
Team Europe Captain Luke Donald echoed these statements, saying that multiple fans crossed the line, citing the various insults yelled by fans during the event.
“What I consider crossing the line is personal insults and making sounds when they are trying to hit on their backswings or very close to when they are trying to go into their routines. That did happen a little bit,” he explained, per ESPN.
These comments were supported by multiple members of Team U.S.A., with Team U.S.A. golfer Justin Thomas attempting to quiet down the crowd to allow a European player to swing during one portion of the event.
Thomas later said after the tournament that he believed none of the players were “necessarily in danger” from the crowd, but added that “words hurt, too,” and likely affected members of Team Europe, per NBC News.