The Europeans finally broke their Ryder Cup duck on American soil, but never could they have imagined shaking off the bizarre distraction of a squeaky duck toy or being forced to fight so desperately on the final day in New York. What had been shaping up to be a record-breaking win instead turned into a desperate scrap to avoid throwing it all away. And ultimately, everything the American crowd did to antagonise the visitors backfired.
A raucous crowd is part of the Ryder Cup’s appeal, a key reason why no away team had won the biennial contest since 2012—until now. But the bitterness and toxicity at Bethpage Black were off the scale. Europe overcame it all to win the 45th edition of golf’s most prestigious team prize, but the experience stands as a stark indictment of an America coarsened by the politics of Donald Trump.
Every single word this guy says is spot on….no lies detected….the world is noticing! #RyderCup #ETTD pic.twitter.com/L0MzEz9Dpg
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) September 28, 2025
The victory was tighter, tenser, and far more stressful than anyone imagined after Europe began Sunday’s singles session with a commanding 12-5 lead. Humiliation was only just avoided for the Americans after Donald Trump became their first sitting president to attend the Ryder Cup on Friday. POTUS saw Europe start to build a commanding lead, and perhaps that’s why the home crowd was so riled and rattled by Saturday. It wasn’t just rowdy; this became the most abusive Ryder Cup in almost a century of matches.
There is firing up the home crowd, and then there was what unfolded at the first tee—a course announcer hurling a vulgarity at Rory McIlroy, setting the tone for a weekend where spectators goaded the Northern Irishman with abuse about his private life. “Guys, shut the fuck up,” he eventually told hecklers, in a masterful understatement of the “really challenging” conditions.
So by the time Day 3 began, and the foul-mouthed announcer had apologised and stepped down, maybe it was no coincidence Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” was the morning soundtrack. But there was a new tactic to disturb and antagonise: the ducks given out with drinks, repeatedly squeaked as Europeans took their shots. The insults had crossed the line from boorish to bizarre.
An emotional Rory McIlroy later opened up on the abuse, confirming his wife, Erica, was hit by a thrown beer. “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy stated. “Golf should be held to a higher standard. It teaches you etiquette and how to respect people. Sometimes this week we didn’t see that. This should not be what is acceptable.”
His close friend, Shane Lowry, who sank the crucial putt that retained the cup, added, “I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing.” After the putt and a roar of relief, Lowry said, “That was the hardest couple of hours of my life.”
The sheer scale of the security presence itself told a story. When asked about playing with police officers and dogs lining the fairways, McIlroy replied with bitter humour, “I wish they had let the dogs off the leashes.” He added, “The amount of security was insane. Nothing was going to happen physically, but the language and abusive behaviour were unacceptable.”
In the end, as the hosts fought back, Europe scraped over the line with a salvage job. “It’s been one of the hardest days I’ve ever experienced on a golf course,” said Tyrrell Hatton. For Captain Luke Donald, it was “the most stressful 12 hours of my life.”
This Ryder Cup experience stands as a powerful condemnation. It revealed an America where a Trump-era ethos of confrontation and disrespect has seeped into the very fabric of its cherished institutions. As Europe prepares to host in 2027, McIlroy’s promise that “what happened here this week is not acceptable” serves as a poignant reminder of a standard that was tragically abandoned on American soil.
