Rory McIlroy, pictured here in 2022.Getty Images
Rory McIlroy, the professional golfer from Co Down, has opened up about the apology he received from PGA CEO Derek Sprague after he, his teammates, and even his wife Erica were subject to abuse at the Ryder Cup in September.
During the tournament staged at Bethpage Black on Long Island in New York, McIlroy, his wife, and his European teammates fielded explicit insults and taunts from spectators.
At one point, McIlroy's Irish teammate and close pal Shane Lowry had to be held back as the jeers intensified.
Footage on social media also appears to show a drink being thrown at Rory's wife, Erica.
Sprague told The Athletic last month that he apologized to Rory and Erica in an email, which Rory has now opened up about.
"I got a lovely email from Derek Sprague apologising," McIlroy told BBC Sport on Wednesday before competing at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
"Erica worked with Derek at the PGA of America back in the day, so we know Derek and his wife pretty well.
"He couldn't have been more gracious or apologetic, and he wrote us a lovely letter, which we really appreciated."
McIlroy added: "I take it as a compliment that they targeted me.
"But then at the same time, it was a tough week. That made us better as a team.
"It galvanised us and it really put our arms around each other."
Last month, Sprague told The Athletic he had "sent a long email" to Rory and Erica following the Ryder Cup drama.
“I sent a long email to share with Rory and Erica and just told him that we will do better in the future,” Sprague said.
“I’m the CEO now. I don’t condone this type of behavior. This is not good for the game of golf. It’s not good for the Ryder Cup. It’s not good for any of the professional athletes, and we will do better.”
Sprague, who took over as CEO of PGA America in January, told The Athletic that he had a lengthy phone call with McIlroy’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty, in which he apologized and asked O’Flaherty to share a letter with the McIlroys.
Sprague mentioned he has known Rory's wife Erica since her time working with the PGA of America last decade.
Sprague went on to tell The Athletic: “I’m disappointed in fan behavior, disappointed in the first tee and the emcee that it’s just that’s not who we are.
“And I was just really, really, really disappointed.”
He went on to admit: “It’s hard to define what crosses the line, right?”
“You almost have to be there, and when we were getting reports of those incidents, the security — state police or private or whoever — we were dealing with those as they came up.
"We threw out a number of people, or we moved people to other places away from the matches if they were heckling certain players of that match.”
Despite the abuse, McIlroy's Team Europe narrowly edged Team USA to win the Ryder Cup 15-13.
Speaking to reporters after the big win, McIlroy condemned the abuse: "I don't think we should ever accept that [behavior] in golf.
"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.
"But you know, we will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable.
"For me, it's - you know, come and support your home team. Come and support your team. I think if I was an American, I would be annoyed that people - I didn't hear a lot of shouts for Scottie 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 feel we did that."