Keegan Bradley defends US Ryder Cup fans as just ‘passionate’ amid chaos
Keegan Bradley refused to condemn American Ryder Cup fans after the grim scenes that formed a backdrop to day two at Bethpage Black. Bradley even suggested, curiously, that spectators had been violent during the Ryder Cup in Rome two years ago.
Bradley’s approach was in stark contrast to that of his European counterpart, Luke Donald, who believes some spectators engaged in unacceptable conduct. Europe lead their hosts 11½-4½ heading into the final day.
Just as striking on Saturday, though, was a series of unacceptable shouts directed towards European players. These were personal, especially aimed at Rory McIlroy, and were regularly delivered as golfers were preparing to play. Despite the tense atmosphere, McIlroy and Shane Lowry completed a fourball victory with state troopers lining the holes.
“I thought the fans were passionate,” said Bradley. “I mean, their home team is getting beat bad. They are passionate fans. I wasn’t at Rome but I heard a lot of stories that Rome was pretty violent as well. But the fans of New York, from what I have seen, have been pretty good. You’re always going to have a few people that cross the line, and that’s unfortunate. I was happy to see our players trying to quieten down some people that were like that.”
Bradley took umbrage with the suggestion that the US team had stoked those in the stands. Collin Morikawa had called for fans to “bring chaos” to the Ryder Cup, but Bradley responded firmly: “Ryder Cups are wild. I don’t appreciate those words that you just said. I know what you’re trying to do. The Ryder Cup is full of passionate fans, full of passionate players.”
In contrast, Luke Donald was asked to explain his team’s most difficult moments on day two. “It was loud, it was raucous,” said the Englishman. “What I consider crossing the line is personal insults and making sounds when they are trying to hit on their backswings or very close to when they are trying to go into their routines. That did happen a little bit. It’s happened at other Ryder Cups, too. It’s something we prepared for and I can see how well they have dealt with it. Things got tougher out there and it fired them up even more. They were able to get better through those difficult moments out there. That is what makes me most proud as a captain: just their ability to take the punches and come back even stronger.”
With Europe needing only two and a half points to retain the Cup, Bradley knows the US require a sporting miracle. “Wild stuff happens in sports all the time,” he added.
Donald also expanded on the neck injury to Viktor Hovland, which raises the possibility of Sunday’s singles being reduced to 11 matches. Hovland was due to feature in Saturday’s afternoon fourballs after a morning victory alongside Robert MacIntyre but was a late withdrawal.
“He was feeling quite uncomfortable in the middle of the round this morning,” Donald explained. “He got some physio. He was given a lot of anti-inflammatories during the round. He finished. He was feeling OK. He went in to rest and then he went back out to the range to try and hit some balls. When he got to the driver, he hit one and it was very painful. He hit another one and it got even more painful. He is on his way now to go get an MRI scan 20 or 30 minutes away and we’ll see in the morning what he is like. It’s definitely stiffened up a little bit. He would love to play and he’ll do everything he can to play.”
The highlight of the singles draw is Scottie Scheffler versus McIlroy in match four. Europe’s desire to wrap this up early is demonstrated by the placing of Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, McIlroy, and Jon Rahm in the top half dozen games.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/sep/28/keegan-bradley-us-ryder-cup-fans-passionate-chaos
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