GOLF is viewed as being among the most gentlemanly and respectful of modern sports – a beacon for the spirit of clean competition.
But combine that competitive edge with the rivalry of Europe and their opponents across the pond, and you produce a recipe for some of the most explosive moments the game has ever seen.
It is not all love and respect at the pinnacle of the game of golf[/caption]
The Ryder Cup has played host to explosive moments of scandal in the past[/caption]
From teammate squabbles to cheeky hijinks and even fully-fledged scandals, the Ryder Cup has seen its share of controversy over the years.
As we near the newest edition of the tournament, set to be held at New York‘s Bethpage Black Course, we look back on some of the most shocking and unsportsmanlike moments in the event’s history.
Brookline Stampede – 1999
Ecstatic celebrations were warranted at the scene of America’s stunning comeback at the ‘Battle of Brookline’ in 1999, but the conduct of the Americans at the event still left a sour taste in the mouth of Team Europe.
Having turned a 10-6 deficit going into the final round into a one-point lead, the US contingent’s hopes rested on Justin Leonard, and his match with Jose Maria Olazabal.
Leonard broke the deadlock when he sank a 45-foot putt to take the lead on the 17th hole, sparking jubilant celebrations from him and his teammates.
But in the elation of the moment, the players and their partners rushed over the green, trampling the surface for their opponent, who then missed his 22-foot effort on his way to eventually halving the match.
Such were the hostilities at the event that Team Europe captain Mark James’ wife claimed she had been spat at by a spectator, telling ESPN: “It was just awful. A kid spat at me and there were lots of incidents of people telling us to go home.”
American players and their partners stormed the green after Justin Leonard’s putt[/caption]
The stampede made things much harder for his European opponent Jose Maria Olazabal[/caption]
Mystery phone calls – 1991
The first appearance of the controversial 1991 edition of the Ryder Cup, the action at Kiawah Island in South Carolina had not even started when the visitors first felt the hostile atmosphere on the East coast.
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Players on the European team found their preparations interrupted by multiple late-night calls as they slept in their hotel rooms.
It was later revealed that a local radio station was behind the disruptive pranks, having obtained the players’ phone numbers at the team hotel.
Team Europe captain Bernard Gallacher later labelled such antics as ‘dirty tricks’ played against his teammates on their way to a narrow loss at the event.
Captains Dave Stockton and Bernard Gallacher oversaw a tense start to proceedings in the US[/caption]
Shoulder barge – 2008
Team USA‘s thumping 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 victory over Europe in Kentucky was not without its controversies.
Chief among them was an incendiary accusation from English star Ian Poulter, who claimed that he had been deliberately shoulder-barged by an opponent during fourballs.
Poulter told press at the time: “As opposed to walking around me as I was walking off the tee, he decided to drop his right shoulder into me. You don’t need that when you’re playing. It’s not what you’d expect from a fellow professional.”
Though he and his European teammates refused to name the player, fans and pundits noted a collision between Poulter and American Anthony Kim next to the tee box that seemed to line up with Poulter’s account.
Ian Poulter put on a dominant display at the tournament where he claims he was shoulder-barged[/caption]
Colin Montgomerie taunts – 1999
Scottish live-wire Colin Montgomerie bore the brunt of a lively crowd at Brookline in the event’s second entry into the dark arts history books.
The weapon of choice for the American mob? Chants of his unwanted nickname, Mrs Doubtfire, given to him by Irish commentator David Feherty.
His 70-year-old father was also caught in the crossfire, marching back to the clubhouse after a fan shouted “you c***” at his son during his back-swing, before being ejected.
The Ryder Cup legend made his feelings clear to the gallery, and used the ejection as a warning to any would-be hecklers, saying : “First to go. If anyone else says that, they’ll go as well.”
Colin Montgomerie, dubbed Mrs Doubtfire, suffered severe heckling at the 1999 event[/caption]
Birkdale – 1969
The lasting legacy of the 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale might be one of sportsmanship, following Jack Nicklaus’ gracious concession to Tony Jacklin on the 18th green to retain the cup.
But beneath the nostalgic shimmer of that respectful showing bubbled a sea of tensions, with even that generous act of sportsmanship riling up US captain Sam Snead, who said: “We went over there to win, not to be good ol’ boys.”
Great Britain captain Eric Brown had previously set an edgy tone when he told his teammates not to aid the visiting Americans in searching for their balls in the rough.
And in a stunning show of immaturity, a four-ball of Americans Ken Still and Dave Hill against Brian Huggett and Bernard Gallacher bickered so much they were on the edge of a fist-fight on the 8th green.
Relations between the teams at Birkdale deteriorated as the tournament wore on[/caption]
Seve vs Americans – 1991
Seve Ballesteros was a thorn in the side of his American opponents in the 1991 tournament, continuing a rivalry with the US’s Paul Azinger that he had started the edition prior.
Their foursomes clash, alongside teammates Olazabal and Chip Beck respectively, turned up quite the drama as the American duo were found to have played each other’s balls on the seventh hole.
Ballesteros was accused of his own cheeky antics by Beck, who claimed he was deliberately putting on a persistent cough to distract the home players.
The controversial twists put the Europeans in position to make a comeback on the back nine and win their opening match 2&1, though it was just a taste of the tensions brewing at the tournament.
Seve Ballesteros enjoyed a taught contest against Paul Azinger and Chip Beck[/caption]
‘War on the shore’ – 1991
Summing up the chaos of the 1991 tournament was its unofficial title of the ‘war on the shore,’ and what a war it would prove to be.
The US team’s patriotic, almost militaristic atmosphere ahead of the event was not the calm and sportsmanlike welcome that the visitors were expecting when they arrived at Kiawah Island, with Corey Pavin and Steve Pate going so far as to don camouflage Desert Storm caps.
US captain Dave Stockton said: “It was the Gulf War year and there was a lot of American pride, and I wanted to feed on the American pride and I wanted people to be proud of America and what we stand for.”
But his efforts were perhaps too effective, turning what is normally viewed as a shining example of respectful competition into an antagonistic battle.
Even the climactic final hole decider between Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin was steeped in confrontation and paranoia, following claims that mishit balls from team USA had been appearing back on the fairway.
In that game, Irwin hooked a shot hopelessly wide, but when fans and officials caught up, it was found to be sitting neatly in the fairway, sparking some to believe it had been moved by a fan to help the hosts to a victory.
Fred Couples’ wife Deborah summed up the stars-and-stripes-studded tone at Kiawah Island[/caption]
A sea of fans watched the crunch final hole as the US clinched the cup[/caption]
