"He's crying like Rory McIlroy" - Fans react to Luke Donald slamming PGA of America for a Ryder Cup-related issue

Earlier this year, Luke Donald and his Team Europe beat Team USA to win the Ryder Cup. This victory was heroic in nature because Europe did not only face a talented American side, but also a hostile crowd at New York's Bethpage Black, which seemed to have crossed the line with their abuses.

While the behavior of a certain section of fans at Bethpage drew widespread criticism, what drew a lot more criticism was the way Don Rea and the PGA of America downplayed the seriousness of the issue. This led to many in the golf world criticizing one of the world's largest sports organizations.

Recently, during an exclusive interview with The Times, Luke Donald slammed the PGA of America for the way it handled the fan abuse situation at Bethpage. Donald said the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome was more enjoyable than the one in Bethpage, adding that Don Rea and the PGA of America need to take responsibility.

While some fans agreed with Donald's sentiments, a few criticized the golfer. One fan went to the extent of calling Donald "a crybaby like Rory McIlroy." Here's a look at the tweet:

Let us take a look at some more reactions to Luke Donald's statements:

"Dude, you play golf for a living. Are you kidding me? What an absolute joke," wrote one user. "100% agree. What made this one worse is everyone knew what was going to happen before the week started!" another user wrote. "Luke's a crybaby like Rory," a user wrote. "That’s my captain 👊🏻," wrote a user.

While Luke Donald's comments are receiving mixed reactions from fans on social media, the veteran golfer achieved what he and Team Europe set out for. Not only did Europe win its second consecutive Ryder Cup, but it also won on US soil for the first time since 2012.

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Luke Donald had earlier defined the crowd at Bethpage Black as 'loud'

Those who did not follow the 2025 Ryder Cup must note that the fan abuse situation at Bethpage Black was one of the main talking points about the biennial tournament this year. If you thought the above-mentioned instance was the only time Luke Donald spoke about this issue, then you are wrong.

In September this year, Donald spoke about the fan abuse situation at Bethpage Black and called the crowd 'loud' and 'raucous.' Donald, in his statement, also mentioned what he believed meant crossing the line. The two-time Ryder Cup-winning captain said:

"It was loud, it was raucous. What I consider crossing the line is personal insults and making sounds when they are trying to hit on their backswings or very close to when they are trying to go into their routines. That did happen a little bit."

While Luke Donald was clear in expressing his stance against the fan abuse at Bethpage Black, Team USA captain Keegan Bradley at the time said that the fans at Bethpage were just 'passionate.' Furthermore, Bradley also mentioned that he had heard stories about the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome being violent.

Edited by Parag Jain