Professional Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy helped Europe win the Ryder Cup this past weekend, and then called out the hostile New York crowd for “unacceptable and abusive behaviour.”
Over his five matches at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., McIlroy endured a torrent of insults from spectators about everything from his personal life to past failures on the golf course. People shouted out as he lined up to swing and putt.
“What happened here this week is not acceptable,” McIlroy said on Sunday after going 3-1-1 to help Europe beat the United States 15-13.
On Saturday, McIlroy told fans to “shut the f— up” before taking a swing. When a fan yelled, “You’re not that good, Rory!” he responded: “I’m f—ing very good.”
“I am,” McIlroy said at the winners’ press conference. “Really good.”
When asked Saturday if he thought fans had crossed a line, he said: “People can be their own judge of whether they took it too far or not.”
After winning the Ryder Cup on Sunday, the five-time major champion told reporters he doesn’t think “we should ever accept that in golf.”
“I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week,” McIlroy said.
“Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people,” McIlroy said. “Sometimes this week we didn’t see that. So no, this should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup.”
McIlroy said that the culprits were the minority of a crowd full of “true golf fans,” who were “respectful and let both teams have the same chance to hit the shots and play a fair contest.”
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Throughout the weekend, people in the crowd mocked and taunted McIlroy, even going after his wife.
Video of McIlroy’s wife being hit in the head with a drink on Saturday began circulating on social media Sunday. It remains unclear if the drink was tossed on purpose or if it was purely accidental, as the man seems to have his arm around a friend as they jump up and down in excitement.
“I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing,” McIlroy’s friend and teammate Shane Lowry said. “The way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that.”
Comedian and actor Heather McMahan, who was working as master of ceremonies at the first tee, stepped down from her role over the weekend after being caught on video leading a chant directed at McIlroy.
McMahan encouraged the crowd to join in as they chanted, “F— you, Rory.”
The PGA of America released a statement to BBC Sport on Sunday morning, letting fans know that McMahan would not return to her role for the last day of the Ryder Cup.
“Heather McMahan has extended an apology to Rory McIlroy and Ryder Cup Europe and has stepped down from hosting the first tee of the Ryder Cup,” the statement said.
McMahan has not spoken publicly since she stepped down from her hosting duties following her comments on Saturday.
In the end, it was McIlroy who had the final word. In April, he won the Masters after years of trying to complete the career grand slam. Now, he’s won his sixth Ryder Cup in eight tries, improving his record in the event to 19-14-5. And the next one is a veritable home game, at Adare Manor in Ireland.
“We will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable,” he said. “And for me, it’s, you know, come and support your home team.
“I think if I was an American, I would be annoyed that people — I didn’t hear a lot of shouts for Scottie today, but I heard a lot of shouts against me. It’s like, support your players. That’s the thing.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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