PGA president Don Rea Jr. apologized on Thursday for the unruly behavior of many Ryder Cup fans who were present during last week’s Ryder Cup. Rory McClroy received a lot of verbal abuse during the tournament. It became a hot topic in recent weeks.
The apology was issued after Rea appeared to dismiss the treatment McIlroy received.
Europe won the latest Ryder Cup 15-13. It marked the sixth time in the last eight Ryder Cups that Europe emerged victorious.
“Let me begin with what we must own. The competition was fierce, especially the rally of the U.S. Team on Sunday afternoon. However, some fan behaviour clearly crossed the lines,” Rea wrote in an email obtained by the Associated Press. It was disrespectful, inappropriate and not representative of the PGA of America, or PGA of America Golf Professionals. We condemn that behavior unequivocally.
“What makes our sport great is that we own our bogeys. This one is ours. Derek Sprague, our CEO, has apologized in our name to Erica McIlroy, Rory McIlroy, and everyone at Ryder Cup Europe. “I apologize for my negative comments that were made in the media. I was not trying to do this, but I believe they reflect poorly not only on myself but on the PGA of America. Rea ended the email with “God bless and Go USA! There were several incidents of rowdy behaviour at Bethpage Black. A small group of golf fans chanted, “F— You, Rory”, while watching the Northern Irish golfer on a video screen.
Patrick McDonaldA fan threw a beer at McIlroy while they were walking around the course. A fan even threw a beer at the McIlroy while they were walking throughout the course.
McIlroy even snapped back at one fan by telling them to “shut the f— up” during Saturday’s action.
“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy told reporters on Sunday after Europe won. “Golf can unite people. You can learn a lot from golf. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches how to follow the rules. It teaches you how to respect people.
“Sometimes this week we didn’t see that,” McIlroy continued. This is not acceptable for the Ryder Cup. We will make sure that we tell our Irish fans in 2027 what happened this week was not acceptable. “
Initially, Rea took a different position as he said that the behavior of American golfers was just as distracting.
I haven’t even heard about some of this. Rea told the BBC earlier this week that he was sure it had happened. Rory knows that it happens when we are in Rome. It’s inevitable that things like this will happen. “
2025 Ryder Cup – Everything Rory McIlroy Said About Verbal Abuse From Fans At Bethpage After Europe’s Victory
Robby Kalland, McIlroy’s teammates Matt Fitzpatrick, and Shane Lowry were shocked by the fan behaviour that they saw. Fitzpatrick thought it was “pretty insulting to Europeans Fans” that Rea dismissed some of the behaviors, while Lowry found the verbal abuse directed at McIlroy’s wife Erica “astonishing.” In an interview with the Golf Channel on Tuesday, PGA of America’s CEO Derek Sprague stated that he believed fans had crossed the line. Sprague added that he planned to apologize personally to McIlroy as well as his wife. “I am sorry and plan to apologize to them. “