Organisers of the Ryder Cup have been forced into taking drastic action as Shane Lowry appeared to be restrained as he attempted to walk towards a heckler.
Throughout day two of the tournament, several members of the crowd have been involved in unsavoury incidents with players – namely Rory McIlroy, as well as Team Europe teammate Lowry.
Europe are currently leading the Americans by five points with the scores at 3½ - 8½.
Earlier on day two, McIlroy could be seen blowing kisses to the partisan US-favouring crowd at Bethpage Black as they heckled him.
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Later in the day, though, he lost his cool during his foursomes match alongside Tommy Fleetwood against Collin Morikawa and Harris English.
A crowd member appeared to shout “freedom” as the Northern Irishman was preparing to play his shot before the five-time major winner replied: “Guys, shut the f**k up,” to the dismay of the New York crowd, who then made their feelings clear.
Lowry also had his say on day two after landing a putt.
And instead of walking away with a smile on his face, he told one fan exactly what he thinks of them and screamed “come on” before adding “f**k you”.
But the drama continued, and a video also emerged of the 38-year-old having to be restrained by a teammate as he attempted to walk towards another heckler. He then called security and pointed out the culprit before the video ends.
Fans were quick to have their say on the incident on X.
One said: "Never ever hold another Ryder Cup in New York. Some of the fans have crossed over the line w/obnoxious behavior many times. In a regular pga event a few of those would have been kicked out already."
Another added: "Especially with the US team being so poor this was as certain as certain can be that the US fans would cross the line, they can’t banter, it’s either lame chants or foul abuse, they seem unable to do anything in between."
A third claimed: "Lowry and Rory talk smack to the crowds, beat their chests all day, flip off fans and then cry. Nothing like this happening to Rose and Fleetwood."
Meanwhile British journalist Piers Morgan took to X.
"Memo to all the moronic American fans at the Ryder Cup abusing our players as they address the ball: keep doing it, you’re inspiring us to one of the greatest beat-downs in golf history!" Morgan wrote.
This came after McIlroy was surrounded by several police officers after the Northern Irishman refused to take a shot until the crowd quietened down.
"I am not taking the shot," McIlroy could be heard saying as he waited.
What are the crowd rules at the Ryder Cup?
It appears that several members of the American crowd have not read up on course etiquette ahead of their trip to Bethpage Black.
According to the Ryder Cup official website, fans are expected to “respect each other” and “cheer with class”.
The site also says that although passionate cheering is allowed that “abusive, obscene, or discriminatory language or gestures” should be avoided at all times as well as "heckling, taunting, or intentional distraction of players".
Fans who consume alcohol in excess may also be ejected from the premises and could even face “further penalties, including bans from future events”.
Topics: Ryder Cup, Golf, Rory Mcilroy
Luke Davies