SLEAZY RYDER

Classless, arrogant and abusive, the sullying of this great golf event sums up Trump's America to a tee

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

WHETHER a fan of golf or not, the scene at the Ryder Cup transcended sport. It was a carnival of abuse, a mob masquerading as fans.

The tournament, in which Europe takes on America, is supposed to be a festival of rivalry and respect. Instead, it was a grotesque showcase for a nation disfigured by entitled arrogance.

From the moment US captain, Keegan Bradley, swaggered into the Presidents Cup last year, American football ball aloft, and promised to “kick their f****** a**”, the tone was set. This was no longer about golf. It was about American exceptionalism, frat-boy chest-beating, and the kind of cheap patriotism that confuses volume for victory.

So when Rory McIlroy stepped onto the tee at the Bethpage Black course in New York, it was to a chorus of obnoxious taunts.