Northern Irish professional golfer Rory McIlroy has spoken out after the disgusting abuse that was directed not just at him, but also at his wife Erica McIlroy during the Ryder Cup in Long Island earlier in September.
McIlroy competed in the event representing the European team. And while the entire team experienced heckling and harassment, the brunt of it seemed directed at McIlroy with homophobic slurs and jeers about his personal life and marriage.
At one point, he was seen in a viral video telling American fans to “shut the f*** up” before attempting to take a swing, and two people were ejected from the tournament due to rowdy behavior.
Comedian Heather McMahan, who was serving as master of ceremonies, was likewise forced to apologize and step down from her role after leading the crowd into a vulgar chant against the 36-year-old golfer.
However, what really crossed the line was the vitriol directed at McIlroy’s wife Erica. After McIlroy and his teammate Shane Lowry had clinched a victory on the 18th hole and were making their way back to the 17th hole to cheer on the groups behind them, a fan threw a beer at Erica’s head, which grazed her wide-brimmed hat.
In another viral video making its way around X, formerly Twitter, a user said it appeared as though it looked like someone had knocked the beer out of a fan’s hand, which is of little consolation.
During a 13-man press conference for Team Europe on Sunday, McIlroy was asked about the unfortunate incident.
“Erica’s fine, she is a very, very strong woman, she handled everything this week with class and poise and dignity like she always has, and I love her,” he said, adding, “and we’re gonna have a good time celebrating tonight.”
His teammate, English pro golfer Justin Rose, then interjected, as this was news to him. “I actually had no idea that Erica had a beer thrown at her yesterday,” he said. “So, fair play to Erica, she didn’t bring that to the team room, we didn’t make that a big discount, that’s news to me, which is—that says a lot about the strength of Erica and everybody with this team today.”
Lowry, who was playing alongside McIlroy just before the alleged attack, also weighed in. “I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing,” he added. “And the way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that.”
The identity of the fan who allegedly threw the beer has not been publicly identified, nor do we know whether appropriate action was taken against them.
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