A brief history of bad behaviour
From press conference takedowns to Desert Storm caps, convenient coughs to superstar strops, the Cup has a habit of stoking controversy
‘Desert Storm’, 1991
High on their nation’s involvement in the Gulf War, American behaviour in 1991 led to that year’s tournament at Kiawah Island being dubbed ‘The War on the Shore’. Corey Pavin and partner Steve Pate wore camouflage Desert Storm caps while Pavin was even seen wearing a flak jacket. A collective loss of proportion.
The Brat Pack, 1979
Mark James and Ken Brown (above, left and right) are now sensible and sardonic television commentators, but in West Virginia they stood accused of treating the Ryder Cup like a Club 18-30 trip. Their unsociable, truculent behaviour saw Brown fined £1,000 and James £1,500 when they returned home. Captain John Jacobs said: “From the word go when they appeared at the airport dressed as though they were going on a camping holiday, they set out to be as disruptive as possible. They didn’t stand to attention for the national anthems, they covered their faces at the dinner and wouldn’t have their pictures taken with the team.”
Gatecrashing the green, 1999
Until Medinah 2012, America’s Sunday blitz at Brookline was the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history. Roared on by a boisterous Massachusetts crowd, America stretched golfing etiquette to its limits.
The boundaries of taste were crossed, however, when a dozen or more US players and wives ran over the 17th green to celebrate a canned 40-foot Justin Leonard putt – with Olazabal still to putt on a green duly marked with footprints.
Tom Lehman was a vociferous cheerleader, fist-pumping throughout the day and leading choruses of ‘God Bless America’.
“Lehman calls himself a man of God. His behaviour today has been disgusting,” said Sam Torrance.
Target Watson, 2014
Phil Mickelson was not in the mood for solidarity in the losers’ press conference at Gleneagles. Sat a few feet from his defeated captain Tom Watson, Mickelson questioned why he had abandoned the “pod system” used by the US in 2008: “I don’t know why we strayed. I don’t know why we don’t go back. What ‘Zinger’ [Paul Azinger] did was great.” Watson deserved better.
Seve storm, 1989-91
Behind the navy cashmere and dashing visage, Seve Ballesteros was a ruthless competitor and nobody provoked a more visceral response from the Spaniard than Paul Azinger. The pair first butted horns in the singles at The Belfry in 1989 but things escalated two
Birkdale bad blood, 1969
A match remembered for Jack Nicklaus’s concession to Tony Jacklin on the 18th, but fair play was otherwise scarce. Great Britain captain Eric Brown told his players not to help the Americans look for balls in the rough. US player Dave Hill allegedly told Bernard Gallacher: “If you say one more word, I’m going to wrap this one-iron around your head.” years later at Kiawah Island. Ballesteros suspected, rightly, that Azinger and partner Chip Beck had switched balls on the seventh tee which infringes the rules of foursomes. The ensuing row was caught on camera. Beck also complained of Ballesteros putting on a convenient, distracting cough.
‘Mrs Doubtfire’, 1999
American fans delighted in taunting Colin Montgomerie but at Brookline things got personal. Montgomerie’s father, James, left after hearing a fan shout ‘you c---’ at the top of his son’s back-swing. The fan was ejected, with Montgomerie pointing his club towards the gallery and saying: “First to go – if anyone else says that, they’ll go as well.”