Rory McIlroy warns against crowd behaviour at 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, reports BritPanorama.
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.”
As he prepares to defend his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am title, his first PGA Tour event of the year, McIlroy 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 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 remarked: “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.”
As the spotlight turns once again towards McIlroy, the conversation around crowd conduct will likely intensify alongside the anticipation for the next Ryder Cup. The prospect of turning a new leaf in Ireland could provide a unique chapter for the sport, a reminder of the fine line between passion and respect.
