Ryder Cup: Rory McIlroy praises ‘class and dignity’ of wife Erica after weekend of shame at Bethpage Black
Europe beat the US after three hostile days in New York
Rory McIlroy hailed the “class and dignity” of wife Erica after the pair were the targets of unpleasant taunts by American fans throughout the Ryder Cup.
Team Europe completed a 15-13 win on a nervy Sunday on which it looked like the commanding lead they had built up across the first two days could be wiped out as the Americans belatedly showed some fight in the singles.
But Shane Lowry secured the half Europe needed to retain the trophy before Tyrrell Hatton got a tie against Collin Morikawa to ensure Luke Donald’s side were crowned winners.
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Saturday shame in New York as Ryder Cup turns ugly
It was a memorable finish, just 24 hours after a black Saturday which saw McIlroy, his wife and the Irishman’s playing partner Lowry having to contend with incessant verbal abuse. One US fan also threw a drink at Erica by the 18th green as the atmosphere turned ugly at Bethpage Black in New York.
“It should be off-limits, but it wasn’t this week,” said McIlroy.
“Erica is fine. She’s a strong woman. She handled everything this week with class and poise and dignity like she always has. I love her and we’re going to have a good time celebrating [this win].”
Extra security drafted in to cope with hostile US crowds
The incidents led to an increase in security with additional police officers called in to ensure the hostility did not spill over.
“The amount of security presence was insane,” McIlroy added. “Nothing was going to happen, there wasn’t going to be a physical altercation but there was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive behaviour.
“It’s a minority. The majority are true golf fans and respectful and let both teams have the same chance to hit the shots and play a fair contest.
“But there was a small subset of people that behaved a little bit differently than that.”
It is not commonplace for such scenes to happen in golf, and McIlroy insists fans need to be better.
“Golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week,” he said.
“Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people.
“Sometimes this week we didn’t see that. So no, this should not be acceptable in the Ryder Cup.”
McIlroy, who plays week in, week out on the PGA Tour and is one of the most popular players with US fans snapped on several occasions, responding to the taunts with expletive-laden outbursts of his own.
He said: “I chirped back because it got to me a few times, but we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that.
“It was a rough week for all of us. But at the same time, we shut them up by our performance.”