A bristling Keegan Bradley refused to condemn the appalling abuse hurled at Europe’s stars during a fiery second day of the Ryder Cup.
The tournament took an ugly turn on Saturday when fans and players alike came close to blows on a tense day of hostile behavior and crass abuse.
As the infamous New Yorkers finally made their presence felt, for better or worse, Europe relentlessly dominated the Americans on their home ground, securing an unprecedented seven-point advantage leading into the final day at Bethpage Black.
However, the carnage from the infamously rabid New York sports fans that had long been prophesized, finally reared its ugly head at the Ryder Cup.
European stars faced direct insults, with Rory McIlroy becoming the main target, until the players struck back, almost leading to a repeat of the infamous caddie incident from Marco Simone during an intense and chaotic afternoon.
But Keegan refused to condemn the bedlam, as he characterized it as passion from the home supporters.
Keegan Bradley said it was an honor to play for the New York crowd despite shocking scenes
The Ryder Cup took a nasty turn on Saturday when Americans fans hurled abuse at their rivals
‘I thought the fans showed passion,’ he shared with the press. ‘Their home team is taking a heavy loss, which fuels their enthusiasm. Although I wasn’t there, I heard Rome had its share of intense moments as well.
‘Overall, the New York fans seemed pretty decent from what I’ve witnessed. Of course, there will always be a few who overstep, which is unfortunate. I was glad to see our players stepping in to calm those individuals down.’
Bradley then appeared to suggest that the blame lay in part on his team and their failure to rise to the occasion.
‘Part of it our fault,’ he added. ‘We are not playing up to the standards that they want to see, and they are angry, and they should be.’
However, he performed a hasty U-turn when pressed on the issue, insisting that he did not hold his players responsible.
‘I didn’t claim that. That’s a misrepresentation of what I said. I simply mentioned the fans might be unhappy because their team is trailing. I didn’t specify anything beyond that,’ he declared, countering the inquiry.
He further snapped at the reporter, who pointed to players such as Collin Morikawa, who had called for ‘chaos’ from the crowd earlier in the week.
‘I don’t appreciate the insinuations you’re making. I realize what you’re aiming at,’ he rebutted. ‘The Ryder Cup thrives on passionate fans and equally fervent players. Misrepresenting that wasn’t appropriate.’
Police presence increased as bad behavior threatened to overshadow the second day
Things got nasty at the Ryder Cup on Saturday with fans targeting Rory McIlroy
On Friday’s opening day, the New Yorkers’ reputation appeared to be all bark and no bite. On Saturday, they had sharpened their teeth.
The home supporters not only crossed the line, they barreled over it with their particularly vile insults at McIlroy and his wife Erica, which led to a series of ejections.
Sources told The Daily Mail that extra security had to be rushed to McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s match against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young, shortly after McIlroy refused to continue playing until ‘they shut up’.
Shane Lowry also snapped at a fan, with the unsavory incident caught on camera. It couldn’t be heard what was said to leave the Irishman so angry – or if the insult was aimed at him or McIlroy – but he appeared to be held back by his caddie before pointing the fan out to security to get them removed.
However, Europe’s Luke Donald insisted the highly-charged atmosphere only fueled his players’ drive.
‘Things got tougher out there, and it fired them up even more,’ the European captain said. ‘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.’
‘It was loud. It was raucous,’ he added. ‘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.’
Tommy Fleetwood and Bryson DeChambeau argued on the walk to the 16th hole at Bethpage
Tension between spectators and players were heating up as the tournament progressed
Around the 12th tee, cops told the Daily Mail that they were also instructed to stay with Bryson DeChambeau’s group due to fears of tension spilling over. Three holes later, tensions did indeed spill over.
The American and World No 1 Scottie Scheffler were trailing 3-down to Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose on the 15th when, for a second straight Ryder Cup, a player and caddie became embroiled in a fiery exchange.
In scenes reminiscent of McIlroy’s greenside row with Patrick Cantlay’s bagman, Joe LaCava from Rome, Rose appeared unhappy with DeChambeau’s caddie, Greg Bodine, walking onto the green as he lined up a putt.
Rose still holed it but on the walk to 16, Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott and European vice-captain Franco Molinari began arguing, with Fleetwood standing between them. Fleetwood also appeared to exchange words with DeChambeau on his way off the 15th green.
