Ryder Cup 2008 Controversy Flares as Lee Westwood maintains he was insulted by some in the crowd during the match.

http://golfww.blogspot.com
European Tour Chief Executive George O'Grady takes a measured tone in the face of charges that some in the crowd may have acted improperly. Overall the Match and behaviour of the fans was first rate.

Quoted from:
Tom English's blog:
Ryder Cup closes in controversy
Published Date: 21 September 2008

Controversy in the wake of the great American dream at Valhalla. Lee Westwood has savaged sections of the home crowd for chanting abuse in his direction during the singles on Sunday, has ripped them for shouting out obscenities, one in particular, about his mother.
"All of the abuse that I got was fairly nasty and that was pretty shameful," he said. "It was only a minority and the crowds were great. I expected them to get behind the American team, which they did, but some people don't know the difference between supporting their team and abusing the opposition team. And that's unfortunate. I'm not prepared to repeat what they were saying. One was a nasty reference to my mother on the 12th tee."

Westwood also spoke about receiving phone calls during the night, made, he said, with the express purpose of upsetting him ahead of the conclusion to the Ryder Cup. There was something else, too. Something quite bizarre. During his match a man dressed as a ghost jumped out at him. Westwood had the guy removed from the golf course.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Ryder
• Cup
• 2008
• Golf
• Lee
• Westwood
• Crowd
• insults

[HabloIrlandes]

@SanDiegoGamers Listen man, I was at the 06 Ryder Cup at the K Club and the US fans were brilliant. They cheered on their team and were excellent supporters. There's a small minority that will insist on insulting players, it only seems to happen when its played in the US, there's no need for that. Support your team yeah big time, but no need to insult players as they go around the course. You guys did a great job in 08, we got ya back in 10, we'll have a beer and go toe to toe in 2012.

[fluffynoses]

@6Ott7 what was wrong with Boo's behavior? Sure he acted like a hooligan at times, but I don't recall him ever gloating or being a bad sport. He just acted like Happy Gilmore.

just out of curiosity, since you seem so offended by Boo's wild behavior at the Ryder Cup, what do you think of Ballesteros and Sergio Garcia when they start dancing obnoxiously when other golfers miss putts? Yeah that's what I thought.

[usadcunts]

@SanDiegoGamers

That's rich coming from the country which has made a fine art of bitching !

[PatTheAnchor]

@Mirren81 1935-1983

[foxysham]

@SanDiegoGamers 2002, 2004, 2006 let's all bitch about that.

[SanDiegoGamers]

Europeans love to bitch. 

[Mirren81]

well it was about time team U.S of A won a ryder cup again after Europe bitch slapped then year after year from the mid 1990's

[batface76]

Watching on TV, I thought the crowd was fantastic. They're Nascar fans in Kentucky so they were bound to be raucous. The home crowd was the only thing Azinger had going for him, so he did the right thing with all that "13th Man" pep rally and "wear red" stuff.

Still, it always seems like there are some US fans who can't support their own team without abusing the oppostion. Without that minority it would have been a perfect Ryder Cup.

[6Ott7]

Westwood is pure class. Something you Americans don't have. I think Boo displayed what kind of behavior you Americans fancy at major golf events. Last I checked, Lee was 11th on the world rankings. Pretty faby if you ask me don't you think chap?

[jnkojnko]

Westwood should be more concerned about being a terrible golfer than anything else.