Rory McIlroy says US captain Keegan Bradley could have done more to control abusive fans at last year’s Ryder Cup, but didn’t use his platform.
McIlroy and his family faced relentless heckling in New York, including his wife Erica being hit by a thrown drink and abusive comments aimed at their young daughter. While McIlroy could brush off personal abuse, he called the attacks on his family “horrific.”
He said Bradley, as captain, had the biggest platform to ask fans to behave during Friday and Saturday, but failed to do so. McIlroy described the crowd atmosphere as the worst he has experienced in Ryder Cup history, worse even than 2016 at Hazeltine.
McIlroy added that part of the problem was mob mentality, where a small number of disruptive fans can skew the atmosphere in tightly packed areas of the course. Despite this, he acknowledged the Ryder Cup is a unique, passionate event and the partisan crowd is part of its appeal.
