Erica Stoll had to be defended by Ryder Cup stars after ‘astonishing’ amount of abuse

Rory McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll had to be defended by Europe’s Ryder Cup stars after receiving ‘astonishing’ amounts of abuse and having a beer thrown at her

Rory McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll has been lauded by Europe’s Ryder Cup star after receiving incredible levels of abuse.

Stoll was supporting the Northern Irishman and Europe at Bethpage Black over the weekend as the away team retained the Ryder Cup with a historic performance in New York.

The players were subjected to embarrassing abuse from American supporters, but those strange fans also targeted the players’ entourage, with Stoll having beer thrown at her on Saturday.

The 38-year-old was a magnet for repeated abuse as she was reportedly reduced to tears at the end of the second day due to the torrent of abuse she and the team had been subjected to.

Chants throughout the weekend of “F*** you Rory,” saw the Masters champion snap at spectators, telling some in the crowd to “shut the f*** up” and even refused to play a shot.

Following their nerve-shredding 15-13 win, as Luke Donald’s side held off a fierce Team USA comeback, the winning stars praised Erica for her strength and not letting her personal struggles become a distraction.

Justin Rose said: “I actually had no idea that Erica had a beer thrown at her yesterday, so fair play to Erica, she didn’t bring that to the team room, we didn’t make that a big deal. It’s news to me, which says a lot about the strength of Erica and everybody in this team today.”

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 and kudos to her for that.” Lowry’s putt officially clinched the Ryder Cup for the Europeans, after which McIlroy turned to his wife and said: “What a year” before sharing a heartfelt embrace.

It’s been a challenging past 18 months for the couple, with McIlroy filing for divorce in May 2024, three days before the start of the PGA Championship, which he played without his wedding ring.

However, a month later, McIlroy decided to dismiss the divorce, saying: “Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”

McIlroy reassured fans that Erica was fine as he and the team celebrated their triumph. “Erica is fine,” he said.

“She is a very, very strong woman. She handled everything this week with poise and dignity like she always has and I love her and we’re going to have a good time celebrating tonight.”

He added: “I think if I was an American, I would be annoyed. I didn’t hear a lot of shouts for Scottie today, but I heard a lot of shouts against me. Support your players. That’s the thing.

“We shut them up by our performance and how we played… and we’re going to party like there’s no tomorrow.”