Butch Harmon has seen plenty at golf’s biggest events, but what American fans brought to the Ryder Cup was enough to make him walk away from a broadcasting gig before it even started.

The veteran golf coach had signed on with Sky Sports for the event at the 2025 Ryder Cup in Bethpage Black Course. He pulled out before a single shot was hit, convinced the crowd’s behavior would drown out the golf itself.

“I thought the Ryder Cup was disgusting,” Harmon said, via Telegraph Sport. “It was embarrassing being an American.”

Scenes such as those at the 2016 Ryder Cup, where crowds at Hazeltine National Golf Club were widely criticized for hostile and partisan behavior, provide a clear reference for the kind of atmosphere Harmon was pushing back against.

The 82-year-old grew up in New York City. For him, bluntness has always come naturally, but criticizing American fans at a home Ryder Cup is the kind of thing that stops people mid-scroll.

“I hated the way things were going at the Ryder Cup,” he said. "I thought it was a terrible embarrassment for the United States, and let's hope it never happens again."

NUCLR Golf posted the comments on X on April 6, as anticipation built for The Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Harmon didn’t stop at criticizing the Ryder Cup. He held Augusta National up as everything American golf crowds should be.

“This is the beauty of Augusta,” he said. “These are the best-behaved patrons in all of golf.”

His reasoning was simple. Augusta tickets are nearly impossible to get. The people who have them return year after year. They know the place and respect it.

What Made It So Different From Augusta, and Why It Matters

Augusta patrons earn their spot in a way few sporting venues can match. The waiting list is long, the rules are strict, and the culture reinforces itself.

Bethpage Black Course was the opposite end of that spectrum. Loud, partisan, and at times hostile, it created an atmosphere where broadcast teams spent more time on crowd incidents than on the golf itself.

Harmon extended that standard beyond fans. A prominent American public figure and avid golfer, someone he has known for years, would not be getting an Augusta membership either. “I don’t think his personality fits the membership at Augusta,” Harmon said plainly.

He also praised The Open Championship galleries, pointing to their instinctive understanding of the game. Augusta and The Open, in his view, attract crowds that elevate the event. Bethpage did not.

His critique was bound to make waves.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham