Two-time US Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson apologized to the European team for his actions of American fans at Beth Page Black.
“I want to congratulate @rydercupeurope on my victory,” Watson wrote to X.
“As a former player, captain and an American, I’m ashamed of what happened.”
Watson, 76, counted five Open Championship wins among his eight major titles and played for four Ryder Cup teams. He was the captain of the US team in the UK in 1993 and the US lost captain in the 2014 match in Scotland.
The European team, especially Rory McIlroy, was the target of constant heckling and insults throughout the three-day event in Farmingdale, New York. Often, the jeers were done while they were in the process of hitting shots, which caused delays and encouraged American PGAs to add security.
“I don’t think we should accept that in golf,” McIlroy said on Sunday after Europe finished a 15-13 victory over the US. “…I think golf should be kept at a higher standard than what we’ve seen this week.”
McIlroy later added: “There were many languages of unacceptable abusive behavior.”
A social media video showed Lowry that his caddy had to be restrained as fans said something before McIlroy hit the drive on Saturday. Another video showed McIlroy walking with his wife Erica when it appeared that be beer was thrown in the direction and hit her.
“We felt for them,” US team member Justin Thomas said after witnessing verbal abuse directed at Satudah’s Macroy and Shane Raleigh.
“It was a shame,” Thomas said. “Cam (young) And we wanted to give them something to cheer instead of cheering people on. I think that was the main consensus of the past two days.
ESPN’s Paloolo Uggitti contributed to this report.
