Rory McIlroy calls out 'unacceptable and abusive behaviour' from American fans at Ryder Cup

Michael R. Sisak · The Associated Press

· Posted: Sep 29, 2025 8:59 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 29

Rory McIlroy helped Europe triumph the Ryder Cup and past called retired the hostile New York assemblage for "unacceptable and abusive behaviour."

Over his 5 matches astatine Bethpage Black, McIlroy endured a torrent of insults astir everything from his idiosyncratic beingness to past failures connected the play course. People shouted retired arsenic helium lined up to plaything and putt. His woman was deed by a cupful of beer.

"What happened present this week is not acceptable," McIlroy said connected Sunday aft going 3-1-1 to assistance Europe bushed the United States 15-13. His lone nonaccomplishment came successful a Sunday singles lucifer with satellite No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who had besides played successful each 5 sessions, that was much of a slog than a pristine, shot-for-shot conflict of the world's apical 2 players.

It was McIlroy's astir blunt appraisal yet of a New York assemblage that Europe afloat expected to beryllium rowdy and passionate — skipper Luke Donald adjacent gave players virtual-reality goggles to get utilized to the sound — but possibly not this crass oregon downright obnoxious.

The 36-year-old Northern Irishman, who came to Bethpage connected a ngo to triumph his 2nd Ryder Cup connected U.S. soil, sometimes pushed backmost — whirling astir and cursing astatine his hecklers oregon stepping distant from a changeable until the riled masses settled down.

On Saturday, helium told boisterous fans to "shut the [expletive] up" earlier knocking his attack to 3 feet to acceptable up a clinching putt successful a greeting foursomes match. When a instrumentality yelled, "You're not that good, Rory!" helium responded: "I'm [expletive] very good."

"I am," McIlroy added astatine the winners' property conference. "Really good."

While determination was much play to play, McIlroy stayed guarded successful his post-match interviews. Asked connected Saturday if helium thought fans had crossed a line, helium said: "People tin beryllium their ain justice of whether they took it excessively acold oregon not." After all, helium inactive had to woody with them connected Sunday.

With the crowds gone and the Ryder Cup successful hand, the five-time large champion fto loose.

"I don't deliberation we should ever judge that successful golf," McIlroy told reporters, his European teammates and skipper crowded astir connected the interrogation country dais. "I deliberation play should beryllium held to a higher modular than what was seen retired determination this week."

Justin Rose of Team Europe raises the Ryder Cup trophy aft a 15-13 triumph implicit Team United States astatine Bethpage State Park Golf Course successful Farmingdale, New York connected Sunday. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Turned philosophical

Then helium turned philosophical astir the athletics that has made him affluent and popular, that helium has worked astatine since helium was a boy, that helium has achieved truthful overmuch in, including the vocation Grand Slam.

"Golf has the quality to unite people. Golf teaches you precise bully beingness lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you however to play by the rules. It teaches you however to respect people," McIlroy said. "Sometimes this week we didn't spot that. So no, this should not beryllium what is acceptable successful the Ryder Cup."

The culprits, helium noted, were the number of a assemblage afloat of "true play fans" who were "respectful and fto some teams person the aforesaid accidental to deed the shots and play a just contest."

As Europe got retired to a blistery start, starring 5 1/2 to 2 1/2 aft the archetypal day, the world's second-ranked subordinate became European Enemy No. 1 among a tiny but vocal subset of the crowd. As European fans serenaded him with their go-to cheer, a mentation of a opus by the Cranberries that replaces "Zombie" with "Rory," American fans did everything they could to sound him disconnected his game.

They reminded him of his missed putt to suffer the U.S. Open astatine Pinehurst successful 2024. They made amusive of his height. They mocked his Irish heritage. They went aft his wife.

"I was retired determination for 2 days with Erica McIlroy, and the magnitude of maltreatment that she received was astonishing," McIlroy's person and teammate Shane Lowry said. "The mode she was retired determination supporting her hubby and supporting her squad was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that."

Lowry assumed the relation of bodyguard and bouncer arsenic tensions roseate during his and McIlroy's fourball lucifer connected Saturday. The Irishman told disconnected fans and jawed with hecklers, thumping his chest, marching crossed the greenish and cursing astatine the assemblage aft sinking a pivotal putt.

By Sunday, a European triumph was each but assured. The visitors were up 11 1/2 to 4 1/2 going into the last round. No broadside had ever travel backmost from specified a shortage — and inactive hasn't.

U.S. mounted charge

As the U.S. mounted a charge, aided by Scheffler's triumph implicit McIlroy, determination were chants of "USA!" and a fewer insults flung McIlroy's way, but fans behaved, for the astir part. More than a twelve authorities troopers flanked their radical and a marshal warned spectators to "keep it clean."

In the end, it was McIlroy who had the last word. In April, helium won the Masters aft years of trying to implicit the vocation expansive slam. Now, he's won his sixth Ryder Cup successful 8 tries, improving his grounds successful the lawsuit to 19-14-5. And the adjacent 1 is simply a veritable location game, astatine Adare Manor successful Ireland.

"We volition beryllium making definite to accidental to our fans successful Ireland successful 2027 that what happened present this week is not acceptable," helium said. "And for me, it's, you know, travel and enactment your location team.

"I deliberation if I was an American, I would beryllium annoyed that radical — I didn't perceive a batch of shouts for Scottie today, but I heard a batch of shouts against me. It's like, enactment your players. That's the thing."