Ryder Cup fan behaviour unacceptable – McIlroy

After his wife Erica was hit by a drink thrown by an American fan in New York, Rory McIlroy has criticised the “unacceptable and abusive behavior” at the Ryder Cup.

McIlroy and his good friend Shane Lowry were playing on the 17th tee at Bethpage when the incident occurred.

After Europe defeated the United States 15-13 on Sunday, the Northern Irishman said, “It should be off-limits, but it wasn’t this week.”

Erica is fine, she said. She is a strong woman. She handled everything with the same class, poise, and dignity as she has always displayed. We’re going to enjoy [this win] because I love her.

After winning the Masters, McIlroy, the world number two, and the Irish Open, McIlroy claimed the Ryder Cup victory was the “best year of my career” and that it was the grand finale to his career Grand Slam.

Given that he plays on the PGA Tour, he is typically adored by American fans, but this week he endured the brunt of the insults.

After a reasonably quiet opening day on Friday, the abuse started to wane in New York as Europe jumped out to a seven-point lead.

McIlroy eventually swore at a spectator who called out while addressing the ball.

We tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I thought we did that, he said, but it got to me a few times.

McIlroy is adamant that the abuse he suffered will not become apparent when the event’s 100th anniversary is celebrated at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.

He argued that golf should be held to a higher standard than what was reported this week.

“Golf can bring people together. You are taught good lessons about life by golf. You are taught proper etiquette. You are taught to follow the rules. You are taught to respect other people.

“Sometimes, this week, we didn’t notice that.” No, this shouldn’t be acceptable in the Ryder Cup, then.

“We will make sure to let Irish fans know that what transpired this week is unacceptable,” we said in 2027.

McIlroy went on to say that he would be “annoyed” if the home team’s support was “geared toward the Americans.”

He claimed that he heard a lot of shouts against him but didn’t hear much for Scottie [Scheffler-McIlroy’s opponent on Sunday.”

“Help your players,” The security presence was insane. There was no going to be a physical altercation, and there was a lot of abusive language.

It belongs to the minority. The majority of them are genuine golfers who respect both teams and allow them to play fair golf.