Families abused, players 'spat at' as crowd warned

Irish veteran Padraig Harrington has implored fans to avoid abusive behaviour during the Ryder Cup in Rome this week.

The 52-year-old, in an interview with UK's The Telegraph, shed light on what players and their families have been subjected to at the unique golf tournament in past years.

The Ryder Cup is vastly different to regular tournaments, given it is a two-team event rather than individual athletes competing alone.

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Players represent either Team Europe or Team USA, and the hosting rights alternate between the two continents.

It gives the tournament more of a football-style atmosphere, with fans generally cheering for one side or the other, often leading to conflict and, sometimes, unsavoury behaviour.

"I've heard of people even being spat at and some of the taunting is unrepeatable," Harrington said.

"It's reached the stage now that relatives must even wonder if they should go out on to the course.

"It should be a nice, proud experience for them, but that's proving not the case."

At most professional golf tournaments the players are followed around the course by fans who are generally respectful and adhere to the sport's etiquette.

The unique crowd experience in golf has led to scenes like the 2019 Masters, where hundreds of fans followed sporting icon Tiger Woods down the fairway en route to his epic comeback victory.

There's not many sports where fans are permitted to get as close to the athletes as they do in golf.

But in other competitions, such as at some football venues in Europe, spectators are kept away from one another for fear of ugly incidents.

Harrington has experienced trouble with Ryder Cup crowds in America before, but admits the European fans are also to blame.

"I wish I could say it is one-way traffic, but it isn't and we should realise that and look at our own backyard as well," Harrington said.

"Some of the US team have said to me that they've got some inappropriate stick in Ryder Cups over here and we should bear that in mind at Rome.

"It's not just the players either… The same as in America, the wives and families are being singled out by the hecklers as well, with some pretty awful stuff going on."

The Ryder Cup begins Friday at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club outside Rome.