Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica Stroll were heckled throughout the three days at Bethpage Black by a raucous crowd
Benjamin Blosse and Press Association
06:31, 29 Sep 2025
Rory McIlroy of Europe walks off with his wife Erica(Image: Getty)
Rory McIlroy said ‘police dogs should have been let off’ as he slammed behaviour by some fans at the Ryder Cup after his wife was abused and hit by a beer can.
The Northern Irish golfer faced constant heckling over the three-day event at Bethpage Black from an unruly crowd, who subjected him to personal insults and repeatedly tried to distract him as he prepared to take his shots.
McIlroy, currently ranked second in the world, revealed that his wife Erica was also caught up in the chaos when a beer can thrown from the crowd struck her hat during Saturday’s particularly heated fourballs session.
Throughout the week, McIlroy lost his temper on several occasions, making an offensive gesture once and shouting back another time, while play was frequently interrupted as police attempted to restore order.
“I wish they had let the dogs off the leashes,” McIlroy stated in a press conference following Europe’s narrow 15-13 victory over the United States on Sunday.
(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
“The police out there and the amount of security presence was insane.
“Look, nothing was going to happen – there wasn’t going to be physical altercation or anything like that – but there was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive behaviour.”
He added: “It’s a minority of the crowd, it’s not the majority. The majority of people here are true golf fans and are respectful, but I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf.
Rory McIlroy checking on his wife during play(Image: Instagram/tjrowland3)
“I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week.
“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.
Erica Stoll, wife of Rory McIlroy, at the Ryder Cup(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
“Sometimes this week we didn’t see that. So no, this should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup.”
Video footage surfaced on social media on Sunday revealing the moment when McIlroy’s wife was struck by the beer can. Whilst she wasn’t injured, she appeared visibly startled.
Masters champion McIlroy said: “Erica is fine. She’s a very, very strong woman. You know, 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 tonight.”
Shane Lowry, McIlroy’s playing partner during the incident, said: “I was out there for two days with Erica and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing and the way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that.”
McIlroy managed to overcome the heckling to secure three-and-a-half points during the foursomes and fourballs rounds, though he couldn’t sustain his form as Scottie Scheffler defeated him on the 18th hole in the singles.
“I felt like I was running on empty,” he admitted.
In the end, it proved irrelevant as Europe thwarted the US team’s improbable comeback attempt.
McIlroy declared: “We did what we needed to do and we are going to celebrate like there is no tomorrow.”