In recent years, my brothers and I have been fortunate enough to attend the Walker Cup at St. Andrews, the Olympic Games Golf event in Paris, and, more recently, the Walker Cup at Cypress Point this year. At the Walker Cups, there were no ropes, and spectators were trusted to keep their distance, remain silent during shots, and applaud their teams enthusiastically.
The Olympic event in particular blew us away. There were 40,000 international fans, all draped in their country’s flags, cheering enthusiastically for the players representing their countries.
I remember the deep and sincere emotion of Scottie Scheffler crying at the medal ceremony, demonstrating how much it meant to him to win, not for the money, of which there was none, but for his country and flag.
It reminded me of being a young boy following my father down the fairways at the West and East of Ireland championships with my mother, brothers, and sister in tow. We were among the thousands of spectators who all behaved impeccably, watching him win more than twenty of these championships. These experiences were used to teach us the discipline of remaining quiet and still when required and always being good-mannered and polite.
These events epitomised ‘sport as it is meant to be’ – reflecting the foundations of the different sports and especially golf: respect, integrity, good manners, and honesty.
What happened at the Ryder Cup in New York was completely unacceptable. The hype before the event about the ‘expected’ bad behavior probably didn’t help. But why was no serious action taken by the PGA of America to curtail or control the disgraceful fiasco of boorish and ignorant behavior that has no place in the game of golf and the values the game stands for?
Rather than dwell on what everybody deems to be the greatest embarrassment to the game of golf and recognition that ‘the line was crossed’, the question now is: what are we going to do about it for 2027 at Adare Manor in our Country?
One only has to look and experience the Masters at Augusta to understand what upholding the integrity and values of its founder, Bobby Jones, and our game means. There is zero tolerance at Augusta for any bad behavior by patrons. Offenders are simply escorted off the property, never to return.
The Open at Portrush was full of hospitality, but the crowd was orderly and respectful. Both events served alcohol at reasonable prices, so that is not the only issue to be dealt with.
One of the greatest moments of sportsmanship in the Ryder Cup was the famous ‘concession’ as it has become known, where Jack Nicklaus conceded a two-and-a-half-foot putt to Tony Jacklin to allow Europe to tie the match. A memorable moment in golf by its greatest ever player that set the tone for the Ryder Cup 50 years ago.
It is incumbent on the PGA of UK and the European Tour, the hosts of the event at Adare Manor, to restore the integrity of the event. There are many great Irish players from past Ryder Cups, like Padraig Harrington, Des Smyth, Paul McGinley, and Eamonn Darcy, all of whom I am sure would support a campaign to restore the integrity of the event in 2027.
Having staged a Ryder Cup in Spain with the European Tour and managed Seve through his Captaincy there, this is absolutely achievable and must be the top priority not only for the Ryder Cup but also for the game of golf and for the host country, Ireland.