Rory McIlroy has detailed how the European team was tasked with dealing with “horrific” abuse from US fans at last year’s Ryder Cup.
McIlroy helped Luke Donald’s side to victory at Bethpage Black, but the visitors faced severe insults from the crowd throughout three days of intense competition.
advertisement
The Masters winner reflected on his intensity in New York, after McIlroy, teammate Shane Lowry and others were named in personal abuse.
“I don’t care what people say to me. Even if the first-tee announcer was saying, ‘Fuck you, Rory,’ that’s nothing compared to what else we heard,” McIlroy told Stick to Football.
“My wife, Erica, told me she was a grown woman, that she was strong, that she would get through it, but when the problems started happening, I heard things about my daughter that I can’t even repeat here. It was terrifying.
“It’s also kind of like society right now. It’s a crowd mentality, they see other people doing something and think it’s okay. So far (the worst I’ve had) we played the Ryder Cup in Minnesota in 2016 and I thought that was bad. If you compare this year (2025) to 2016, 2016 was nothing compared to some of the things we heard.
advertisement
“There are 50,000 people there, and it’s enough for 500 of them to be bad eggs, and that distorts the atmosphere.”
Luke Donald faces calls to remain in his role as captain for the 2027 tournament at Adare Manor in Ireland, but has admitted he is “worried about what’s going to go right” as head of Team Europe as they look to win a third successive cup.
European team stalwart Justin Rose is considered another potential candidate, but the former U.S. Open champion emphasizes his desire to continue competing in tournaments as a player, saying, “The captaincy starts not in two years, but in two months.” “It hasn’t entered my mind yet,” he said.
Rory McIlroy helped Europe win the Ryder Cup in New York (PA Wire)
The 2027 Ryder Cup will be held at Adare Manor in Ireland from September 17th to 19th, but preparations for the captaincy began early this year, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks.
