Europe’s Lee Westwood has pointed the finger at United States captain Paul Azinger for the ‘shameful’ behaviour of some of the home fans during the 37th Ryder Cup. The Englishman was unhappy with fans cheering when European players missed putts and with the constant abuse he received throughout the three days of golf.

Lee Westwood believes that Paul Azinger’s comments about ‘cheering when they miss a putt’ before the tournament had started can be blamed for some of the negative behaviour. Lee Westwood went on to say that a number of fans don’t know the difference between cheering on their team and ‘abusing the opposition’ and that essentially it is ‘down to the captain’.

The first thing people will think about these comments is that is a case of sour grapes on Lee Westwood’s part. Well, I am extremely confident that this is not the case. The player admitted that Europe had been outplayed and that the United States produced some excellent golf. It was quite simply, the behaviour of a minority in the crowd that disappointed him. He did receive a ‘particularly nasty comment’ about his mother after all and that has no place in sport.

Having watched the Ryder Cup as a fan of Europe, the thing that incensed me the most was the players pumping up the crowd before the European players had taken their shot. Yes, it’s good to see so much passion in golf – but it should wait until both teams have played their shots. That’s my opinion anyway and I’m sure Lee Westwood would agree.

Overall, defeat is a bitter pill to swallow, but it just seemed destined to be an American victory from the start. The crowd obviously played their part and although there were obviously some isolated incidents, I think the atmosphere was phenomenal. Justin Rose – who was making his Ryder Cup debut – even said it was the closest he would come to being a Premiership footballer!

It is onto Wales in two years time and with the crowd behind Europe this time, I’m confident that the golf odds will favour a victory for the Europeans. I’m also convinced that a great deal more respect would be shown to the American players when they miss a putt.