Rory McIlroy expressed his appreciation for his wife, Erica Stoll, especially regarding her experience during the 2025 Ryder Cup. This included a moment when a drink thrown from the crowd struck her at Bethpage Black on Saturday.
The Northern Irish golfer, instrumental in Team Europe’s 15-13 win over Team USA, shared his feelings about Stoll on Sunday, highlighting the tension that unfolded during the event. “Family should be off-limits, but it clearly wasn’t this week,” he noted when asked about the involvement of his family on the course. “Erica is fine. She’s strong and handled everythingwith grace and dignity, as she always does. I love her, and I look forward to celebrating tonight.”
On Saturday afternoon, during a four-ball session, Stoll was caught on video turning around after apparently being hit by a drink thrown from the crowd. McIlroy’s teammate, Justin Rose, commented positively on how Stoll managed the situation during a Team Europe press conference.
“I really didn’t think Erica was being targeted with a beer,” Rose said. “She didn’t make it a big deal to the team. For me, that shows strength and speaks volumes about our squad.”
Shane Lowry, a close friend of McIlroy’s, also mentioned that Stoll faced an unexpected amount of verbal abuse as Europe aimed for their next Ryder Cup win. “I was there for a couple of days, and honestly, the level of abuse she took was surprising. But the support she showed for her husband and the team was remarkable,” Lowry remarked.
As of now, Stoll has not publicly commented on the incident.
McIlroy, 36, faced additional distractions from the crowd, including chants referencing CBS sports reporter Amanda Balionis, following his divorce filing from Stoll last year. However, they have since reconciled, and the divorce petition was voluntarily withdrawn.
During the event, McIlroy reacted to taunts from opposing fans and admitted to responding to them on occasion. He was seen yelling at the crowd to “shut up” while competing with Tommy Fleetwood as they secured a 3&2 win on the 16th green.
