‘The stupidness comes out’: Ian Poulter takes a dig at the American Ryder Cup fans

Ian Poulter took a dig at American golf fans ahead of the Ryder Cup during a SPORTbible podcast with Tyrrell Hatton. He criticized the loud and chaotic behavior that often marks U.S. tournaments.

While Poulter acknowledged the energetic atmosphere at American events, he stressed that respect is still crucial.

“It's not heckling, it's just complete and utter embarrassing stupidity...Like, it's only in America the stupid... the stupidness comes out,” he said.

Poulter added that European fans are generally more respectful, saying:

“It's just so annoying. It's annoying...Our fans, when they come and watch golf, are very respectful.”

Team USA player Justin Thomas also admitted that the noise can be overwhelming, but warned that personal attacks, especially toward players’ families, are unacceptable.

"There's so much noise that it's kind of hard to - you can't hear all of it. You definitely hear some stuff. It's tough," Thomas said.

Meanwhile, Team Europe is preparing for the intensity, as Rory McIlroy stated earlier that the team will be using tools like virtual reality headsets to practice in simulated noisy environments. The anticipated event begins from September 26-28 at Bethpage Black.

US Ryder Cup players to donate earnings amid criticism

Several US Ryder Cup players, including world number one Scottie Scheffler, have confirmed they will donate the prize money they receive for playing at this week’s event after facing criticism over the payments.

All 12 American players, along with captain Keegan Bradley, are set to receive $500,000 (£370,000) each. Of this, $300,000 (£220,000) is automatically allocated for charity, while the rest is at the discretion of the players. If all players and Bradley donate the remaining amounts, charities could benefit by as much as $6.5 million (£4.8 million).

Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele have already committed to donating their earnings. This marks the first increase in the Ryder Cup charity allocation since it was set at $200,000 in 1999.

“The charity dollars hadn't changed since 1999 and they asked me to shepherd their way into making it into 2025. We wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into today's age and we felt like this was the best way to do it. The players are going to do a lot of good with this money,” US Team Captain Keegan Bradley said.

Bradley defended the extra payments, saying the move was meant to modernize the Ryder Cup’s charitable efforts and maximize the impact of the money for good causes. Meanwhile, European players do not receive any prize money for participating.

Edited by Tushar Bahl