Rory McIlroy had just three words for his wife Erica Stoll as they basked in the glory of Team Europe’s Ryder Cup win.
After Shane Lowry sunk the decisive putt on Sunday, McIlroy turned to Stoll and the pair shared a passionate embrace.
The duo had endured much tumult at Bethpage Black, a barrage of abuse from the American fans which saw McIlroy ordered to ‘f*** off’ and Stoll getting beer lobbed at her.
Being defiant in the face of vitriol was the story for the Europeans this year. At one point McIlroy refused to play a shot. Stoll, meanwhile, was praised by Luke Donald’s stars for her dignity despite the abuse – even if she had reportedly been reduced to tears.
Europe clung on to secure a 15-13 win in New York, surviving an inspired onslaught from their hosts on the final day to clinch an 11th Ryder Cup out of the last 15.
And McIlroy was almost lost for words, simply told Stoll before their hug: ‘What a year.’
Rory McIlroy had three words for wife Erica Stoll after winning the Ryder Cup: ‘What a year’
The duo endured a slew of abuse and insults over the course of three days but stood strong
Stoll had beer thrown at her and weathered abuse – reportedly to the point of tears – without drawing attention to herself
What a year indeed. Besides being a lightning rod for American rage at the Ryder Cup, McIlroy has had a remarkable season.
In March he won his second Players Championship, beating J.j. Spaun in a tense three-hole aggregate play-off in Florida.
Then, in April, he finally won the Masters in Augusta to complete a long-awaited career Grand Slam.
Getting through the Ryder Cup was no doddle, particularly due to the hostility of the crowd. Team Europe had to be protected by state troopers and police dogs.
The first tee emcee, Heather McMahan, had kicked things off by leading chants of ‘f*** you Rory’ to get the crowd going.
The abuse directed at McIlroy included frequent shots at his relationship with Stoll, with one fan shouting ‘How’s your divorce going?’, according to Golfweek.
Another referred to Wozniacki when they reportedly shouted: ‘Your ex is looking for you.’
Stoll was also dragged into the verbal mudslings as the crowd branded her a ‘w****’.
European stars paid tribute to Stoll for not letting the abuse she received become a distraction
Team Europe staved off a dramatic comeback from the USA to lift yet another Ryder Cup
European captain Luke Donald is sprayed with champagne after leading his team to victory
Shane Lowry (left), seen celebrating with McIlroy, said Stoll had received ‘astonishing’ abuse
No wonder McIlroy condemned the abuse post-victory.
‘I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,’ he said.
‘I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week. Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people.
‘Sometimes this week we didn’t see that. So no, this should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup. We will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable.
‘Come and support your team. I think if I was an American, I would be annoyed … I didn’t hear a lot of shouts for Scottie [Scheffler] today, but I heard a lot of shouts against me. It’s like, support your players. That’s the thing.
‘It was a rough week for all of us. But at the same time, we shut them up by our performance and how we played. I chirped back a few times 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.’
Shane Lowry added: ‘I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing. The way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable.’
