McIlroy hits out at abusive fan after wife is hit

Rory McIlroy with his wife Erica

Rory McIlroy has hit out at the “unacceptable and abusive behaviour” at the Ryder Cup after his wife Erica was hit by a drink thrown by an American fan in New York.

The incident happened on the 17th tee at Bethpage during McIlroy’s Saturday afternoon match alongside his good friend Shane Lowry.

“It should be off-limits, but it wasn’t this week,” said the Northern Irishman after Europe’s 15-13 win over the United States on Sunday.

“Erica is fine. She’s a strong woman. She handled everything this week with class and poise and dignity like she always has. I love her and we’re going to have a good time celebrating [this win].”

Lowry added: “I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing.”

McIlroy, the world number two, said the Ryder Cup victory capped “the best year of my career” after also winning the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam of all four major titles, plus the Irish Open.

He is normally adored by American fans, given he plays on the PGA Tour, but this week he bore the brunt of the barbs.

A hostile crowd in New York had been anticipated and after a reasonably quiet opening day on Friday, the abuse began to fly on Saturday as Europe opened up a seven-point lead.

McIlroy eventually snapped and swore at a spectator who called out while he was addressing the ball.

“I chirped back because it got to me a few times, but we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that,” he said.

“It was a rough week for all of us. But at the same time, we shut them up by our performance.”