Europe’s victory came amid torrents of verbal abuse from a New York crowd which was heavily criticised for its behaviour.

American great Tom Watson, the eight-time major champion who twice led the US team in 1993 and 2014, said he was “ashamed” of the unruly scenes.

“I’d like to apologise for the rude and mean-spirited behaviour from our American crowd at Bethpage,” said 76-year-old Watson.

European talisman Rory McIlroy was the prime target from the American galleries, while his wife Erica was hit by a drinks cup flung from one of the stands.

After sealing victory on Sunday, McIlroy said the level of the personal insults was unacceptable.

BBC Sport has contacted New York State Police for figures of any arrest and ejections over the weekend.

“[The behaviour] needs to be talked about and needs to be addressed,” said Donald, who praised police officers for their handling of a febrile situation.

“I don’t know how you rein it in, the odd people who shout. It is a tricky one.

“We would love to just play and the US players were great on trying to quieten crowd.

“Many Americans were coming up to say they how embarrassed they were for some of their fans. It was a small subset and don’t know how you control it.”

While Watson was gracious on social media, there has not been an official apology from the US team.

However, Donald thanked US counterpart Keegan Bradley and his players for attempting to ask the crowd to show respect.

“I think the Americans were acting in the right way,” said Donald.

“They understand they want the crowd to support them but not to be vitriolic against us.”

BBC Sport has contacted the PGA of America – which organised the tournament – for a response to Donald and McIlroy’s comments.