At the Ryder Cup, Erica Stoll, wife of golfer Rory McIlroy, found herself in the spotlight not for her own actions but as a target of unruly American fans. Teammates quickly came to her defense following an incident where a beer was thrown her way during the event.
Justin Rose, a fellow competitor, expressed surprise upon learning of the incident. “I actually had no idea Erica had a beer thrown at her yesterday,” he remarked on September 28th, shortly after Team Europe triumphed over Team USA. “Fair play to Erica; she didn’t bring that to the team room. We didn’t make that a big deal.”
Rose’s comments highlighted Stoll’s composure amidst chaos, a sentiment echoed by Shane Lowry, who noted the relentless heckling she endured. “I was out there for two days with Erica, and the amount of abuse she received was astonishing,” Lowry stated. “The way she was out there supporting her husband and her team was unbelievable. Kudos to her for that. Go on, Erica.”
Rory McIlroy also took a moment to commend his wife’s strength. “Erica’s fine; she’s a very strong woman,” he said. “She handled everything with class and dignity like she always has, and I love her. We’re going to have a good time celebrating tonight.”
However, McIlroy himself faced similar hostility from the crowd, which affected him throughout the competition. He was subjected to loud insults during his pre-shot routine, prompting him to respond sharply at one point by telling the crowd to “Shut the f*** up.”
Despite the challenges posed by the crowd, McIlroy felt that Europe’s performance ultimately silenced critics. “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” he asserted. “Golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week. Golf teaches you how to respect people. Sometimes this week, we didn’t see that.”
He continued, “What happened here this week is not acceptable. It was a rough week for all of us, but we shut them up by our performance and how we played.”
In the end, Europe secured a 15–13 victory over the United States, marking McIlroy’s seventh Ryder Cup win. Reflecting on the experience, he acknowledged that the abuse pushed him out of his comfort zone but praised both his and the team’s response. “It got to me a few times,” he admitted. “We tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that.”
