Hostile Crowd Denies Europe Ryder Cup 4-0 Start

At the Ryder Cup opening session at Bethpage Black, Team Europe faced a hostile U.S. crowd, with Scottish golfer Robert MacIntyre receiving vulgar heckling while preparing to tee off on the 17th. MacIntyre, partnered with Viktor Hovland, and Hovland were defeated by Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, denying Europe a 4-0 morning whitewash. The partisan atmosphere included taunts such as “you b***** w*****” and jibes about MacIntyre’s fitness, and stars including Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm were also jeered across the course. MacIntyre downplayed the added attention of President Donald Trump, calling him “just another spectator.” Former players such as Dame Laura Davies warned crowds could be “horrible,” and captain Luke Donald prepared the team with headsets, paid actors and virtual-reality exercises to blunt the impact of hostile home support.