I love golf. Since I was eight years old when my father cut down a 5 iron to my size, I have loved the game of golf.
I love golf for many reasons. I love being outdoors on beautifully manicured golf courses. I love the variety of golf challenges that different courses present. I love the beauty of spectacular golf settings like Pebble Beach, Augusta National, and Royal County Down, Ireland.
I love a game where performance is up to you, not a team, and there’s no one else to blame or depend upon. I love a game where every player is expected to call rules infractions on themselves, even when no one else noticed. That’s a game of integrity. Golf is a gentlemen’s game that teaches you integrity and sportsmanship.
I love a game where the players shake hands before and after the match, and take off their caps, regardless of who wins; where you congratulate your opponent when their play is better than yours. I love a game where the spectators are deathly silent when the players play their shot; regardless of which team they are rooting for. I love a game where sportsmanship is revered and practiced by all.
Unfortunately, Ryder Cup is none of the above. The recently completed Ryder Cup played at Bethpage Black in New York was more like a European football (soccer) game, a sport known for occasional crowd violence, than a game of golf. The intensity of the competition brings out the worst behavior in the fans and sometimes the players alike. This is not golf at its finest.
Saturday was golf at its worst. The New York fans were awful in their treatment of the European players. The European players responded with some of their worst behavior, as you might expect. Had the competition ended Saturday, the future of Ryder Cup golf might have been in doubt.
Fortunately, the Americans rallied on Sunday and the atmosphere improved as well. To their credit, the Europeans were gracious in victory. Rory McIlroy said, “The American players conducted themselves with class today, absolutely. All week, really. Very classy. We put them in a hole early and they handled it well. With some of the stuff I had to deal with this week on the course, I really appreciated how Justin Thomas and Cameron Young tried to calm the crowd down.”
In this world of increasing violence, I am afraid we will soon witness violence on the golf course, of all places. Golf is supposed to be about “a walk in the park,” not a fight in the streets. It’s supposed to bring out the best behavior in fans and players, not the worst.
In 1969, the Ryder Cup ended in a tie, 16-16, only because Jack Nicklaus conceded a final tying putt to English star Tony Jacklin. It was an act of extreme sporting grace that is now referred to as The Concession. It is hard to imagine such sportsmanship in the current Ryder Cup environment. I dare say a fight would likely break out in the crowd if the conceding team were the home team today.
This is not the atmosphere that English businessman Samuel Ryder envisioned when he donated the money to purchase the cup in 1927. I believe changes are needed in the future to ensure the competition lives up to the highest standards of sportsmanship and the game of golf. Golf is a gentleman’s game and no team competition should change that.
