Rory McIlroy takes swipe at US golf fans as he issues warning on crowd abuse ahead of 2027 Ryder Cup
Rory McIlroy has expressed his desire to prevent a recurrence of the hostile crowd behaviour that marred last year’s Ryder Cup when the competition returns to Irish soil in 2027.
The Northern Irish golfer, now 36, and his wife Erica Stoll faced persistent verbal abuse from American spectators during the September contest at Bethpage Black in New York.
Despite the difficult atmosphere, Europe emerged victorious with a 15-13 triumph over their US rivals at the Long Island venue.
The teams are set to meet again next September at Adare Manor in County Limerick, where McIlroy believes the onus will fall on him and his European colleagues to tackle any inappropriate conduct from the galleries.
The four-time major champion is adamant that players must take ownership of maintaining proper standards of behaviour at the Irish venue.
McIlroy said: “I think that’s up to the home team to set the tone early on in the week. If you see something or you hear something, you point it out straight away.
“It’s not the way the Ryder Cup should be played. It’s not in the spirit of why the Ryder Cup was created in the first place.
“We’ll obviously do everything we can to make sure that the game and the matches are played in the right spirit.”
Rory McIlroy has expressed his desire to prevent a recurrence of the hostile crowd behaviour that marred last year’s Ryder Cup
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McIlroy is preparing to defend his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am title, his first PGA Tour event of the year, and is confident he will not face a similar reception this time around.
He said: “I would think that the Ryder Cup was a one-off and it was because I was on the opposing team. I would hope not. That remains to be seen.
“I think the reception that I get most places that I go to play is usually amazing and I’m deeply grateful for that.
“I think the Ryder Cup was just a one-off.”
McIlroy believes the onus will fall on him and his European colleagues to tackle any inappropriate conduct from the galleries
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McIlroy trails only Scottie Scheffler in the world rankings heading into the tournament, but knows only consistency will help him bridge the gap to the world number one.
He said: “I’ll never stop singing Scottie’s praises because he’s incredible at what he’s doing and the way he does it. I’ve had nice runs like that, but I’ve always been a little more up and down.
“I think anyone that wants to catch Scottie or get anywhere close is going to have to consistently bring that sort of game week in and week out like he does.
“He’s really the first one since Tiger [Woods] that’s doing this.”
Rory McIlroy had a great 2025 | Reuters McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose also heads into Pebble Beach in fine form, having won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in a record 23 under par, and the 45-year-old is confident there is more to come.
Asked about his game, Rose said: “I don’t want to over-analyse it, to be honest with you. I just want to keep pushing. I think that’s the most important thing, I’m keeping pushing.
“I think I can still be better.
“I’m not really looking at what’s going well, I still look at what could be better, so I’m not very good at celebrating the good stuff, I’m more into, ‘Why is that not as good as it should be?’”
