Danny Willett: My brother was proven right by American Ryder Cup fans

Danny Willett was a man aghast ahead of the Ryder Cup after his brother P.J. wrote an online column lambasting American fans, digging in on multiple stereotypes of patrons you’d see at week-to-week PGA Tour events. The Masters winner almost immediately apologized for what his brother wrote and sought out U.S. captain Davis Love III to smooth things over a little bit.

And then Danny Willett played in the Ryder Cup, and it didn’t go well, either in how he played or in how the fans treated him. They were ruthless, with new barbs by the dozens on every hole. Willett was squelched by Brooks Kopeka on Sunday by a 5-and-4 count, putting the finishing touches on a week where he went 0-3.

Certainly having what Willett described afterward as a “s***” week didn’t help his perception, but the Master champ seemed to come around to his brother’s point of view after it was all over.

It’s hard to disagree with the Willetts. The American fans shouted about hot dogs, filled the air with countless “Baba booeys!” and drank a lot of light beer. Then again, so what if P.J. was right? The Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup may be team events in an individual sport, but they’re team events nonetheless. While it’s easy to set the standard for fan decorum at what is done at a standard-issue PGA Tour event, or even a major, the more apt starting place is any NFL, MLB or NBA game. And at those events, some really nasty things are said, way meaner than what most of the fans – the vulgar phrase shouted at Rory McIlroy on Saturday notwithstanding – chirped at Hazeltine National.

And then there’s the matter of the verbal acid spewed from European fans at soccer matches across the continent. Racist and anti-Semitic cheers, while widely panned by broader fans, are somewhat commonplace. Death threats, taken credibly by authorities, have been yelled to players while on the pitch.

There’s a line, and it was crossed a few times during the weekend at Hazeltine. However, American and European fans shouldn’t abandon their intense pride. Rather, they should become more creative and less crude. The Ryder Cup is an atmosphere unique in golf, and each successive match has raised the stakes and importance for both sides – fans and players alike. It seems the golfers continue to elevate the level of play. The fans on both sides can stand to do the same.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on

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