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During the 2025 Ryder Cup, Bethpage Black felt less like a golf course and more like Madison Square Garden. The chants, the noise, the tension, electric and a little unsettling. Golf is usually calm and respectful, yet the Ryder Cup always brings raw emotion from both players and fans. This time, though, it might have crossed the line. Many European stars had to put up with personal heckling. Several European players, including Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, and Shane Lowry, faced personal heckling from the crowd. While many called it one of golf’s most disgraceful moments, Austin Eckroat viewed the chaos a little differently, even finding parts of it “kind of fun.” The 2x PGA Tour winner has a different opinion about the 2025 Ryder Cup chaos. Golfers sometimes have to shut out the noise and even internal voices to focus on their shot. But at events like the Ryder Cup, the voices can become too loud to shut or ignore. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad In an exclusive chat with EssentiallySports, Austin Eckroat spoke about the voices and chaos at the 2025 Ryder Cup. “I mean, everybody kind of knew it was going to happen. You know, it’s kind of fun, I think,” Eckroat said. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Eckroat isn’t wrong to say that chaos was expected. Even the American team member, Xander Schauffele, admitted the same. When asked about the event, Xander Schauffele said, “Bethpage is going to be insane. We’re going to have what, 30, 40, 50,000 people in the first hole yelling at you? That doesn’t happen at a major. You make a birdie at a major, people yell for you. Like no one yells at you just unsolicited.” Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports However, Eckroat acknowledged that things went too far, especially because it was in New York. “You’re in New York, people love sports up there, and obviously, there’s probably some things said that were too far,” he said. “But, you know, you go to a basketball game or you go to a football game, there’s some crazy stuff being said, and it just makes it kind of fun.” ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad The immense concentration of sports teams in New York across multiple professional leagues creates a highly competitive and intense fan environment. This leads to passionate, sometimes chaotic fan behavior. It’s not just golf; every sport played in New York has rivalries among fans. They don’t just heckle opponents; New York fans criticize their own teams, too. But regardless of all of that, Eckroat thinks that the Ryder Cup week is still fun with all the chaos involved. He likes the idea of having one absolutely chaotic week. “You are absolutely hated by a side. And I think it’s kind of fun,” Eckroat said in the EssentiallySports Exclusive interview. Outside of what Austin Eckroat thinks, many say the fans’ behavior was obscene. The events that occurred and all the heckles, especially the personal ones, were far too much. In fact, things were so insane that there were rumors about Team Europe stopping play because of fan behavior. Heckles faced by Team Europe at the Ryder Cup The atmosphere was described as loud, rowdy, occasionally rude, and sometimes vulgar. It was more reminiscent of a college football or NBA game than traditional golf. It all started even before the game, as the Ryder Cup announcer started chants of “F— you Rory.” Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were the primary targets of heckling. McIlroy responded to hecklers by telling one to “shut the f*** up” during his match. Fans repeatedly disrupted his putting and pre-shot routines, forcing him to back off his ball multiple times. It was not just McIlroy, his wife also faced these issues. Some fans threw drinks at Erica Stoll. Robert MacIntyre also faced slander from fans. American fans at Bethpage Black targeted MacIntyre’s physique. They used taunts like “Eat another burger Bobby?” “Milk bottle,” “Bobby Mac & Cheese,” and “When you starting Ozempic?” European captain Luke Donald said the crowd crossed the line when noise occurred during players’ swings or routines. Former Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson publicly apologized for the rude behavior of some American fans. He said that their behavior was shameful.
