Erica Stolls behavior stunned Rory McIlroys | Golf News

Bob MacIntyre has opened up about why he was “amazed” by Rory McIlroy’s spouse Erica Stoll in the face of stunning abuse at the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York.

The European Ryder Cup workforce defeated the United States at Bethpage Black, as Luke Donald’s squad secured the first away victory since 2012. However, the second day of the match was marred by fan behavior directed at European gamers, notably McIlroy, who confronted followers following a wave of deeply offensive personal assaults.

“On Saturday on the sixth hole, Rory and Shane’s group stopped and didn’t hit a shot for about 10 minutes,” Bob MacIntyre told GolfDigest.

“I was in the team room doing some physio and I said, ‘We need to go out there.’ I rounded up about 10 of us-players, caddies, staff, so that Rory and Shane weren’t just seeing hostile fans everywhere they looked.

“Honestly, it was Erica who amazed me most. She was sitting in the back of that buggy like an absolute trooper, not flinching. If she reacted, Rory would have reacted-and if the 2 of them reacted, the gang would have gained. She was unbelievable.”

McIlroy and his fellow teammates were subjected to unprintable abuse from spectators lining the course in New York, while MacIntyre partnered Viktor Hovland on Saturday as the European squad delivered impressive results on the scorecard, despite being subjected to relentless psychological pressure from the hostile Northeastern crowd.

“The golf the European workforce performed on Friday and Saturday and the putts we holed had been outrageous,” said MacIntyre.

“That Saturday afternoon strolling up 18, there was hardly an American fan in sight. We’d been told we could not win, and then it felt like a home event. The only factor I needed for-me and the entire team-was that somebody had come out at some level on Sunday and said, enough. Let’s respect the sport and respect the gamers.

“I’ve never seen so many players in the European team turn around and swear back at the crowd. Shane and Tyrrell [Hatton] and me are probably the kings of shouting and swearing on the golf course, but it’s at ourselves, not at anybody.

“I never realized there have been only 37 European golfers who had gained a Ryder Cup away from home before that. Now there are 47. I get goosebumps considering about what we managed to obtain over there.”