Rory McIlroy was targeted by fans at the 2025 Ryder Cup, and the Masters boss has now weighed in on the incident.
13:58 ET, 23 Oct 2025Updated 13:59 ET, 23 Oct 2025
Rory McIlroy gathered plenty of heat at the Ryder Cup(Image: Carl Recine, Getty Images)
Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National, along with R&A chief executive Mark Darbon, have expressed their displeasure regarding the treatment European players, particularly Rory McIlroy, endured at the Ryder Cup held at Bethpage Black in New York.
The biennial competition saw McIlroy subjected to relentless harassment, with the abuse extending to his wife, who had a beverage thrown in her direction. McIlroy responded to the hostility by engaging with hecklers directly from the course.
“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week,” McIlroy remarked.
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Notable figures, including Tom Watson, Gary Player, and the CEO of the PGA of America weighed in on the controversy, expressing their disapproval of the crowd’s conduct.
“If Arnold Palmer saw that today… I was disgusted… so to me the Ryder Cup is a shambles,” Player stated in the aftermath. “Are we crazy? And then the head of the PGA says, ‘What was so serious about it?'”
Additional voices have now joined the conversation, with both Ridley and Darbon speaking out.
During the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Ridley fielded questions about the organizers of the Masters, widely regarded as one of golf’s most elite competitions.
Fred Ridley makes comments regarding fan behavior at Ryder Cup(Image: Getty Images)
“The fact that you asked the question and that we are all talking about it is really important. The Ryder Cup has gained just public interest in the last few years,” Ridley said.
“It’s become incredibly competitive. I mean, 30 years ago, it wasn’t all that competitive. I think that certainly is good for the game and the interest that it’s created among fans around the world.
“I don’t think that anyone was particularly happy with what happened this year. I think it just reminds us, as custodians of the game, the responsibility that we have to perpetuate its underlying values,” Ridley added.
“And I think hopefully that this is something we’re going to focus on more, and because that’s part of what makes golf special is that it is a different sort of set of rules, if you will. It’s something I think we need to work on, and it’s something I think I hope everyone involved with the game will reflect on.”
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Darbon, who is part of the governing body for golf worldwide, also added, “I think first and foremost, you want and need passion. There are very few sports that succeed anywhere around the world without a strong following and passionate supporters.
“But one of the things that defines golf, and I’ve worked in a number of sports and I’m new to this industry, one of the things that struck me in my first 10 or 11 months, is there’s real strength in the values of the game. They are so critical.
“They are a highly differentiating factor for us versus other sports, and they provide us with something many other sports would crave. Without them, it will become much harder to grow this game. Collaborations between organizations like Augusta National Golf Club and the R&A and brilliant federations all around the world are so critical to underpin and elevate those values.”
