Rory McIlroy has confirmed he has received a “lovely” apology from PGA of America chief executive Derek Sprague apologizing for the abuse he and his wife Erica received during September’s Ryder Cup in New York.
The contest saw Team Europe repel a late American fightback to retain the Ryder Cup with a 15-13 victory at Bethpage Black.
The Northern Irishman alongside the rest of his teammates were on the end of loud abuse from certain sections of the rowdy U.S. spectators throughout the three days of the event. On the second day, Erica was struck by a beer tossed in her direction on the 17th hole in the midst of McIlroy and Shane Lowry’s fourballs match.
Following the contest, Sprague revealed that he would reach out and send a “heartfelt” apology to McIlroy and his wife. The grand slam winner has now since revealed that he has received the “lovely letter”.
“I got a lovely email from Derek Sprague apologising,” McIlroy told BBC Sport ahead of 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 that he took the reception he received from the American crowd as a “compliment” and stated that it “galvanized” his side during the contest.
“I take it as a compliment that they targeted me,” he said. “But then at the same time, it was a tough week. That made us better as a team. It galvanized us and it really put our arms around each other.”
McIlroy is now turning his attention to the DP World Tour as he looks to end a successful year in style by capturing the Race to Dubai title for the seventh time. He currently leads the way on the Race to Dubai rankings ahead of English pair Marco Penge and Tyrrell Hatton in second and third respectively.