But many American experts have agreed that abuses this weekend were at another level – and crossed a line.
Joel Beall, writing in Golf Digest, deplored “toxic alchemy at work here: alcohol mixed with administration, rudeness merged with xenophobia”.
Some Americans have been audible for the conduct of their compatriots. Justin Thomas, in the American team, called on his supporters in a failed attempt to calm their worst excesses.
“I do not think that the security of anyone was necessarily in danger” but “the words hurt so much,” he said later. American captain Keegan Bradley defended the “passionate” crowd from New York. “You will always have a few people who cross the line, and it’s unfortunate,” he added.
Inevitably perhaps, politics was not far away.
“Grotesque Bethpage Circus has a mirror to Trump America,” read a title on Monday in the Daily Telegraph Britain newspaper. The left goalkeeper said: “The ugliness of American fans at the Ryder Cup was simply a reflection of Trump’s America from Trump.”
In case of defeat, Trump was graceful.
He had appeared on Friday, causing songs of his name and omnipresence “USA!” USA!” The European team responded with playfulness late Sunday, publishing an online video in which they sang: “Do you watch, Donald Trump?”
And, it turns out that he replied with a comfortably generous message to end a toxic weekend.
“Yes, I look,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Congratulations!”
