Finding appropriate context or comparison for the behaviour of spectators at a Ryder Cup is not particularly easy.
Golf has no team equivalent of similar profile. Chanting or cat-calling does not even approach the territory of football matches. If the sense of tribal atmosphere was removed from the galleries completely, the definition of the Ryder Cup would be damaged. What we have witnessed over two fiercely competitive days at Hazeltine has not reflected the routinely nasty scenario of Brookline in 1999.
Nonetheless, so much of what has occurred outside the ropes at this event and therefore been broadcast to a watching world has not proven particularly tasteful. Empty heads and full cans of lager are not a particularly useful combination. PJ Willett’s crazily over-the-top and vitriolic sentiments pre-tournament hardly helped the mood.
A minority of US golf fans may not be remotely offensive but they are permanently unfunny. Example A: “Hey Danny [Willett], I’ve got your brother in a headlock.” Rory McIlroy was subjected to a rendition of “Sweet Caroline” when addressing a putt on the 9th green on Friday afternoon. This was a reference to his former fiancee, rather than Northern Ireland’s march to Euro 2016.
Golf should not be ashamed of the standards it prides itself on, historical prejudice and common snootiness aside. Any discipline that teaches common decency, sportsmanship and manners has value beyond athleticism. So here lies the Hazeltine issue: the shouting for a ball to enter water hazard or the huge scale of cheering when it does. “Get in the woods” became a Saturday morning favourite.
Likewise, the moronic screams for a player to miss a putt before he has hit it should not be deemed acceptable even in a partisan sporting environment. At amateur level, spectators or team members behaving like that would run the risk of either causing players to walk off the course or resorting to physical violence involving a five-iron. Backing one team is fine, openly wishing ill on another not so.
This is not a scene reserved for the Ryder Cup. The treatment of Sergio García at the 2015 Players Championship made headlines when the reality is this player is commonly subjected to abuse that he chooses to keep quiet about.
Colin Montgomerie, who suffered more than most on this side of the pond, was critical of the Hazeltine atmosphere on Saturday. Players have had to spend far too much time telling spectators to be quiet. McIlroy, who had earlier pointed to a “hostile” environment, even had security remove one after unacceptable abuse on the approach to the 8th tee. One gets the impression Europe would cherish success even more than normal on account of that backdrop.