Fan Behavior

Golf is Supposed to be Different

I thought last week would be my only commentary on the Ryder Cup, but I feel a necessity to address the issue of fans and their behavior.

In stadiums throughout the world, fans cheer their teams and mock the opposing teams. It’s the nature of being a fan. At times, fans boo their own teams due to poor performance. Sometimes, opposing fans get into fights with each other in the stands.

It can get nasty at times.

Fans also attack players verbally. Players sometimes respond. Fans pay a lot of money for tickets and jerseys while star players get paid life changing money. Fans, understandably, demand excellence as a result.

For years in other sports, the verbal abuse from fans at players has increased and very often crosses the line. While still a minority of fans, it has intensified.

Then, there is golf.

Golf is a game of decorum and sportsmanship. Golfers call penalties on themselves. Fans politely clap. Thousands of people go suddenly quiet as a player hits a shot. It is different.

One event, the Phoenix Open, has embraced a raucous, party atmosphere on one hole. The crowd cheers and boos and sings. Beer has rained down from the stands. Players have even removed their shirts in celebration like happens in soccer.

Then there is the Ryder Cup.

In 1991, the Ryder Cup arrived at Kiawah. The previous three Ryder Cups involved two European wins and a tie. The US desperately needed a victory. The matches were dubbed, “The War by the Shore.”

This was also the first Ryder Cup on US soil broadcast live on TV creating an even more electric atmosphere.

The intensity of this Ryder Cup exceeded any Ryder Cup previously contested. Fans crossed lines. The European team accused the US of gamesmanship when Steve Pate withdrew from the singles matches due to an injury resulting in a halved match.

Controversy occurred over a critical Hale Irwin shot on the 18th hole due to a camera angle. The camera angle suggested Irwin’s tee shot headed for the dunes up the left side of the fairway. Somehow, the ball ended up in the fairway. Mark Rolfing, who was walking along with the match announced live on TV the ball was way left off the tee. Rolfing was shocked to find the ball in the fairway. To this day, he says he doesn’t know how it got in the fairway.

Irwin halved the match when Bernard Langer missed a short putt, and the US won the Ryder Cup.

Subsequent Ryder Cups have carried intensity with fans dressing up in various costumes and matching outfits cheering for their respective sides. There has been mostly good-natured heckling from the galleries. There have been dustups between players and caddies.

And everyone braced themselves for Bethpage. Media coverage leading right up to the event proclaimed the New York fans would be unrelenting towards the Europeans. Everyone agreed.

I am a New York sports fan. I have been to games of every major sport in New York. New York fans are passionate and unapologetic. They can be brutal towards opposing teams and their own teams. They have a deserved reputation. Sadly, I was not surprised at the behavior.

The behavior of the fans at the Ryder Cup this year quite honestly was unacceptable. I understand much of the abuse hurled at the Europeans came from a minority, but it should have been dealt with immediately. Instead, it kept increasing.

Perhaps the worst moment came when a first tee announcer, an actress and comedian whose job was to fire up the crowd, started, a “DeChambeau!” chant. The crowd responded with a “F%&* you, Rory!” chant. Rather than try and shut down the crowd chant, the MC joined in over the mic.

She later apologized after rightly being fired.

Because of the raucous nature of the crowd, Rory and many golf fans became enraged as a beer was thrown from the crowd and struck his wife, Erika.

Except it didn’t happen that way.

Video showed the beer wasn’t thrown by a spectator. It was knocked out of his hand by another spectator. It is impossible to know the intent of the person who sent the beer flying. Only he knows if he intended it to fly towards Erika or if he was simply annoyed with guy holding the beer.

It also appears Erika McIlroy endured a lot of verbal abuse from the fans.

There is a level of taunting which is expected. There was a great moment where a fan taunted Rory, and Shane Lowry and Rory both laughed. Lowry even complimented the guy with, “That’s a good one.”

In another instance, Rory fired back at the crowd with multiple, “F%$* You’s!”

I can’t blame him, but I also wonder if this escalated the verbal abuse directed at him.

Regardless, too much went beyond the acceptable.

Both the US and European sides need to figure out how to shut down as much of this as possible. The Ryder Cup intensity exists because it means something important to both sides. But that intensity cannot continue to grow and fester into the nastiness flowing from a small but vocal group of fans. Golf is different.

As for training this week, I took it easy getting back at it after my health issues last week. Despite that, I hit personal bests in speed with several of my training protocols. This week I will be back at it full bore. I expect some breakthroughs in the next few weeks. More updates next week.

As always, be grateful when you play. Be thankful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!