Europe Retains Ryder Cup at Bethpage Amid Crowd Misconduct

EUROPE retained the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, on Sunday, outscoring the United States 15 to 13 after a turbulent three days that combined dominant golf from the visitors with repeated confrontations between players and a subsection of the crowd. Team Europe, captained by Luke Donald, built a commanding 11.5 to 4.5 lead through the opening four sessions and held off a late U.S. rally in the singles to secure the trophy.

Europe’s margin was forged on Saturday, when the visitors won all four team sessions for the first time as an away side under the modern 1979 format, sweeping both morning foursomes and afternoon fourballs to open an almost insurmountable lead. Key contributors included Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy, who played in all five sessions and finished with a 3-1-1 record. The visitors’ consistency and putting under pressure repeatedly flipped momentum in their favor.

The matches were overshadowed by repeated instances of abusive heckling directed at several European players, most notably McIlroy. Television footage and accounts from the course showed fans shouting during swings and putts; McIlroy twice stopped play to...