The 2025 Ryder Cup in New York is set to be an incredible sporting spectacle, and a large part of that will be because of the American crowd.
The New York fans have been a source of debate throughout the build-up to the Ryder Cup. Some think it will play into the Americans’ hands, and others worry that Team USA’s fans could turn on them during the competition.
Luke Donald expects such severe heckling aimed at his players that he has prepared them for the first tee box using virtual reality. Meanwhile, Xander Schauffele admitted that he can’t prepare for the fan reaction in New York.
Whatever happens at Bethpage, home support has become an integral part of the Ryder Cup’s fabric in recent decades, and their passion occasionally spills out onto the golf course.
Rory McIlroy rages at Patrick Cantlay’s caddie during 2023 Ryder Cup
During Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup win in Rome, Rory McIlroy raged at Patrick Cantlay’s caddie on the 18th green of his Saturday round.
During the Saturday foursomes matches, Cantlay holed a long putt that ultimately won the match over McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick. McIlroy felt that Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, over-celebrated the putt, walking into McIlroy’s line and waving his hat, not allowing him and Fitzpatrick a fair opportunity to halve the match.
Europe’s captain, Donald, said that LaCava “overstepped the mark”. The incident spilled over into the car park when Justin Thomas’ caddie, Jim McKay, attempted to defuse the situation.
McIlroy said he felt “complete rage” and had to be pulled away by teammate Shane Lowry. He later apologised.
McIlroy called the Ryder Cup the best event in golf after Europe won the following day. He’s incredibly passionate about this event, and he used the incident to fuel a stunning Sunday performance.
That’s an example of the fan passion from the Ryder Cup spilling over to the course. 1997 Open Championship winner Justin Leonard said the incident “crossed the line”.
Justin Leonard says McIlroy’s Ryder Cup incident ‘crossed the line’
Leonard discussed with Brandel Chamblee on his podcast, The Favorite Chamblee, whether the fan passion and heckling have gone too far in recent years. They wondered whether it was within the spirit of the game.
Leonard argued that as long as it stays behind the ropes, he’s fine with it, but said the McIlroy incident was unnecessary.
When asked about the over-the-top heckling, he said, “I don’t think there’s a lot of that between players. Although I say that, and then immediately I’m thinking about the 18th green in Rome, and the whole Joe LaCava, Rory thing, I thought that was all unnecessary and crossed the line.
“But I think a lot of it, with the players, they feed off the fans. It’s not always in a good way, either. Both captains and both teams are going to have to be aware of that in Bethpage.”
Luke Donald has already warned Robert MacIntyre about his interactions with fans, after he shushed a crowd member who heckled him at the BMW Championship. The European captain is acutely aware of the impact fans will have on this event.
Keegan Bradley has also been warned about the fans and the importance of keeping them on their side. It seems a large part of the captain’s job at Bethpage will be crowd control, and keeping their players’ heads cool in the heat of the moment.