Collin Morikawa and his American Ryder Cup squad recently faced a defeat while competing against Luke Donald’s men. What made this year’s biennial golf contest worth remembering was how the US fans behaved at Bethpage.
Before the Ryder Cup started, Team Europe was already terrified to face the raucous crowd. During one of his media interactions, Morikawa labeled the US fans ‘tame’ and demanded more ‘chaos’ at Bethpage Black. From September 26 to 28, fans of Collin Morikawa’s squad became a nightmare for Europeans.
Today, the two-time major champ defended his statement regarding expecting more ‘chaos’. Before he steps up to Baycurrent Classic, Morikawa had an interaction with the press. In his statement, he clarified that he wanted ‘energy’ from the fans. Collin Morikawa said:
“I think we’ve taken what I said a little out of context… Ryder Cups are meant to have a lot of energy …me saying the word chaos, I didn’t mean for them to be rude, right? …that’s not on me, I believe, for me to take credit for people being rude… I wanted energy, right?”
Apart from that, Collin Morikawa admitted that the fans at Bethpage crossed a line. The golfer said:
“…I don’t think, you know, me saying one word, everyone listened… I don’t think I have the power to do that, you know, amongst people. I think fans can do and say what they want sometimes… it probably crossed a line out there…”
NUCLR GOLF shared a clip from Collin Morikawa’s press interaction from Yokohama Golf Club. Take a look at the X post (previously Twitter):
Morikawa’s comments today came after members of the European squad went through a tough atmosphere at Bethpage. European golfers like Robert MacIntyre and Shane Lowry were trolled and insulted with comments regarding their physical stature. During one of the matches at Bethpage, fans even ended up calling Lowry a “Teletubby”.
Collin Morikawa and his US squad’s fans turned pretty raucous especially with Rory McIlroy around. The five-time major champion was deliberately yelled at, and it caused him to stop playing his shot. During Saturday’s fourball matches, McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll, was hit with a beer can from the audience. The golfer’s wife reportedly left the course with tears rolling down her face.
Collin Morikawa’s Ryder Cup teammate Xander Schauffele shares his take on fan behavior
After Morikawa defended himself before the Baycurrent Classic, Xander Schauffele did not shy away from sharing his opinion. The nine-time PGA Tour winner admitted things were “unsavory” at Bethpage. In his statement, Collin Morikawa’s Ryder Cup teammate said (as quoted by Newsweek):
“..there were some unsavory things said at certain times. I really wish we could have played better to have them cheer for us a bit more. New York’s a tough place to play for anyone. I even got a few comments to play better…”
Apart from Morikawa and Schauffele, the behaviour of the American fans at the 2025 Ryder Cup venue was also called out by others. Golfing great Tom Watson admitted that he was “ashamed” of the whole situation Donald’s men had to endure. Following the insults McIlroy and his team had to face, the PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague claimed that he will ask for a formal apology.
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Edited by Pravashis Biswas
