by Chris Sama ’27 on October 9, 2025
Professional Sports
The 45th Ryder Cup matches, held from Sept. 26–28 in Farmingdale, New York were eventful; team Europe won the Ryder Cup on U.S. greens, and the crowd’s conduct was very controversial. The Ryder Cup is a highly prestigious golf tournament that takes place every two years, with the best players from America and Europe facing off on their respective continents. This year, the Ryder Cup was held on Long Island, giving Team U.S.A. the home advantage. The atmosphere is electric, drawing a wide crowd of golf fans from around the world. Players are chosen for each national team based on rankings and performances. Bethpage Black is regarded as an exceptional golf course and is especially known for its difficulty. The tournament had Team U.S.A., with captain Keegan Bradley, against Team Europe, led by captain Luke Donald. Team Europe had consistently won its matches, with the majority of the matches being close between the two teams, but ultimately won 15–13. Europe had taken the lead early on, with them just barely clinching the tournament after the Singles on Sunday. Players such as Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, and Rory McIlroy played exceptionally well to lead Team Europe to victory. This was the closest Ryder Cup victory since 2012, when Europe won by one point. Europe has proven itself in the 2000s, winning five of the last 10 Ryder Cups in America. Although the matches were well played, the crowd’s conduct at Bethpage Black in Long Island was unhinged. Rory McIlroy, a European player, particularly faced numerous accounts of verbal abuse, as well as his wife, regarding personal information and his golf career. The crowd started chants such as “F— you, Rory,” and poured beer on his wife. Even the MC was leading some of these chants, which subjected the PGA to a lot of criticism. The CEO of the PGA later apologized for the crowd’s conduct, since it was extremely impolite. Security had to be increased to the point where state troopers were involved in crowd control. The Ryder Cup is known to be very competitive and energetic. It’s a highly partisan event and a patriotic one for Americans, and it’s common for American fans to heckle the European players. There is always a competitive atmosphere, but this year, the line was drawn; it went past competitiveness and became personal and unprofessional. Fans were ejected from the tournament, and the MC, Heather McMahan, forcibly resigned after leading the aggressive chants. Although most of the spectators were well-behaved and were able to appreciate some of the highest levels of golf globally, the disrespectful behavior of the crowd overshadows the excellent performances of the players.