Tom Watson ‘ashamed’ of ‘rude’ American crowd at Ryder Cup

Eight-time major winner Tom Watson has congratulated Europe on their thrilling Ryder Cup win and said he is “ashamed” of the behaviour of the home fans at the Bethpage Black course in New York.

Europe’s 15-13 triumph was marred by incidents involving spectators throughout the three days of action, with Rory McIlroy in particular singled out for abuse.

McIlroy was frequently put off his tee shots and his wife Erica had beer thrown over her, while an announcer was also stood down for encouraging an abusive chant about McIlroy prior to Saturday’s foursomes.

Watson, who won three Ryder Cups as a player in his illustrious career, posted on social media: “I’d like to congratulate @RyderCupEurope on their victory. Your team play for the first few days was sensational.

“More importantly, I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Bethpage.

“As a former player, captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened.”

Meanwhile, winning captain Luke Donald has revealed how US president Donald Trump got involved in the post-match celebrations after McIlroy led his team in a rendition of “Are you watching, Donald Trump?”

“We were in our dressing room after our press conference, just having a moment together with the team,” Donald explained to the BBC.

“Rory was there and he got a text from the president, and he read it out, and we thought for a little bit of banter we’ll send a friendly video of the chant that was going around that Ryder Cup.”

Trump replied on Instagram: “Yes, I’m watching. Congratulations!”