Rory McIlroy shared a special moment with wife Erica Stoll on Sunday after Europe retained the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black with a 15-13 win.
Moments after teammate Shane Lowry sank his putt on the 18th to seal a second consecutive victory for the Europeans, the Northern Irishman kissed Stoll on the green to conclude a wild weekend on Long Island.
Over the course of the tournament, the 36-year-old McIlory was mercilessly heckled by fans while Stoll, his wife of eight years, was struck by a beverage Saturday from the rowdy crowd.
“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy said Sunday night. “I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week.”
When Day 2 of the international clash got underway Saturday, McIlroy told spectators to “shut the f–k up” amid the chirps, and said to a referee on the course during the afternoon session he’s “not going to putt until they shut up.”
Matters only got worse when footage shared on social media depicted a beverage connecting with a shocked Stoll.
Golf Magazine’s Dyland Dethier posted a clip of the incident and said, “Looked like someone hit the drink out of another guy’s hand.”
McIlroy, who was also heckled with chants about CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis following last year’s marital woes with Stoll, expanded on the lack of etiquette displayed by the crowd.
“Golf has the ability to unite people. 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,” he said.
“Sometimes this week we didn’t see that.”
With the Ryder Cup returning to Europe for 2027, McIlroy said he hopes the fans on the other side of the pond take note that what transpired stateside shouldn’t happen again.
“This should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said. “But you know, we will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable.”
The Golf Course at Adare Manor in Ireland will play host to the Ryder Cup in two years.