Rory McIlroy might be one of the best golfers of the modern age, but he is not immune to fan scrutiny and criticism. A few months back, when Team Europe arrived at the Bethpage Black, they knew that they had a formidable opponent in Team USA. But little did they know that things were about to get more and more complicated, thanks to a volatile crowd. As the European golfers took center stage, the American crowd started to boo them frantically. Unfortunately, McIlroy was the one bearing the biggest brunt of them all.

He, along with his wife, was subjected to verbal abuse, and unthinkable adjectives were thrown at the the World No. 2 golfer. Immediately, loads of critics began to call out the fan behaviour, and the situation soon turned complicated. However, after all these months, looking back at the fiasco, US golfing icon John Daly shared quite an interesting take on the matter. He stated that the fans loved their team too much, and hence, got carried away. Daly also warned Scottie Scheffler and company about facing the wrath in Europe. 

Daly recently appeared in an exclusive interview with Hardrock.bet. Speaking on the matter, Daly extended his respect towards McIlroy for delivering one of the best performances despite facing such hostile conditions. The veteran US golfer termed McIlroy a ‘gentleman’ for the manner in which he kept his calm and dealt with the situation. “Well, New York fans are loyal, man. They love the USA. My hat’s off to Rory McIlroy because they absolutely destroyed him, and the thing is, what they have to understand is, it didn’t bother him.” However, he also pointed out that the US golfers now must better brace themselves up. Because according to Daly, the European fans will also be waiting for revenge. 

“He played great, and the whole European team played great, and I think what we must realize is the fans are so awesome-they’re going to get behind the U.S., like the Europeans get behind the European team. It’s probably going to get ugly when we go to Europe again, so our guys are just going to have to be able to put up with it,” Daly further continued. Of course, this was something that the likes of Scottie Scheffler and co. would be wary of. Having taken notes, European fans might be waiting in the wings to return the same favor.

At the Bethpage Black, it wasn’t just Rory who faced the derogatory comments from the fans. The wrath had an impact on his wife too. Matters went extremely out of hand when his wife, Erica McIlroy was attacked by fans with a tossed beer can. But recently, he received a word of apology from the head of the PGA of America.

Top Stories

Jon Rahm Receives Fresh Warning After Brooks Koepka Quit LIV Golf Abruptly: ‘In the Worst Spot’

Congratulations Pour In as Lydia Ko Celebrates Major Milestone With Billionaire Husband

Billy Horschel Demands Punishment Over Brooks Koepka’s Potential PGA Tour Return

After Bryson DeChambeau’s Ultimatum, LIV Golf Dealt Fresh World Rankings Blow

All Is Not Well With Keegan Bradley as 5x PGA Tour Winner Reveals His Cold Behavior

Rory McIlroy receives PGA apology after Bethpage Black fan incident

Just days after the Ryder Cup concluded in the Bethpage Black, Rory McIlroy received a letter from the CEO of the PGA of America, Derek Sprague. “I got a lovely email from Derek Sprague apologising”, said McIlroy.

“Erica worked with Derek at the PGA of America back in the day so we know Derek and his wife pretty well. He couldn’t have been more gracious or apologetic and he wrote us a lovely letter, which we really appreciated”, added the 36-year-old PGA Tour phenom.

While matters got really tough for both teams to handle on the green that weekend, Rory and team found a silver lining to the booing that Team Europe was subjected to. The Northern Irish star himself shared, “I take it as a compliment that they targeted me. But then at the same time, it was a tough week. That made us better as a team. It galvanized us and it really put our arms around each other.” 

Despite the immense scrutiny, Team Europe clinched a memorable win at the 2025 Ryder Cup. Now, as both teams have two more years to prepare for the next battle at Adare Manor in County Limerick, Ireland, golf fans will wait with bated breath to catch the icons in action yet again at the 2027 Ryder Cup.