Captain Keegan Bradley says he has “total faith in the fans of New York” not to overstep the mark during the 2025 Ryder Cup, but warned that those who do get too rowdy will be thrown out of Bethpage Black.
Both Bradley and Luke Donald acknowledge that playing in front of the vociferous New York crowd will present unique challenges even in an event that’s become even more partisan in recent years.
The reputation of fans from the New York area has raised worries that Europe’s players will be subjected to more than just regular golf crowd banter and cross into abuse – but Bradley insists he is confident the home support won’t cross the line.
“I have total faith in the fans of New York to cheer on their team, proudly and loudly,” Bradley said. “I don’t want them to cross the line, to do anything that would affect the course of play. But it’s going to be a tough atmosphere. It’s going to be tough for both teams.”
A hugely passionate player himself, Bradley will be determined to win on home soil, but he’s also keen to win in the right way – without the crowd making it an unfair contest.
“It’s really important to us – the U.S. side – that it’s a fair place to play for both teams,” Bradley added at a ‘One Year To Go’ event in New York. “Nobody on either team wants this to get uncomfortable or weird out there.
“But listen, you come into Yankee Stadium, you come into Madison Square Garden, you come into these places, it’s a tough place to play, and Luke and the boys know that.
“The PGA of America is going to do a great job making sure everything’s right.”
And the 38-year-old told BBC Sport that part of the PGA of America’s plan would be to eject those fans who overstepped the boundaries.
“The PGA of America has things in place for each group to monitor the situation and if you act inappropriately you’re going to be asked to leave the tournament,” Bradley added.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Donald also backed the PGA of America to keep a lid on things, to ensure that the spirit of the Ryder Cup is not lost by any inappropriate behaviour.
“The Ryder Cup is special because it is spirited. Passions are high. Energy is high,” Donald said. “You want to see that amongst the players. You certainly don’t want to see the spirit of the Ryder Cup endangered in any way.
“But again, the PGA of America have things in place. If there’s outbursts or if there’s anything deemed inappropriate, they will deal with that.”
Winning away from home is proving the ultimate test in the Ryder Cup these days, with just one win by the visitors in the last eight meetings and the last five being pretty one-sided with margins of victory of 5, 10, 7, 6 and 5 points for the home side.
Given such a patriotic event is being held in front of the notorious New York crowd there are genuine fears of it getting out of hand – as sections of the home European crowd threatened to do last year especially in their treatment of Patrick Cantlay.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
But Bradley also raised a good point to warn his team that having such a lively crowd could easily backfire and work against them – if they let Europe get off to a good start.
As New York fans have proven down the years that it’s a tough place to play as a team if you’re not performing well.
“This is a tough place for us to play,” Bradley added to BBC Sport. “These New York fans are going to expect us to win and they will let their home team know if they are upset.
“It’s not a concern but something you’re definitely aware of. If you go watch the Knicks or Giants play, they’re not interested in not winning.
“This is going to be an atmosphere unlike anything you’ve ever seen and it’s going to be fun for both sides.
“The New York fans are going to be super-passionate and cheering us on extremely hard.”
