LIV Golf star Sergio Garcia has shared his thoughts on the shocking treatment Rory McIlroy and his family endured during the 2025 Ryder Cup. Team Europe triumphed to retain the Ryder Cup, but the former world number one faced relentless abuse from home supporters throughout the competition.
The 36-year-old was repeatedly targeted by hostile sections of the crowd and was captured on camera swearing back at fans on multiple occasions at Bethpage. Spectators were left appalled when McIlroy’s wife, Erica, had beer hurled at her from the stands during the second day of the tournament. Six-time Ryder Cup champion Garcia missed out on a place in Team Europe after captain Luke Donald opted for other players. Yet the Spanish golfer revealed he closely followed the drama despite the disappointment of being excluded from the squad.
“I was in Austin and watched a lot. I can’t say 100%, but probably 80%,” he told Marca. “Obviously, the Ryder Cup is my favourite event, and I love it. Even though I wasn’t on the team, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to watch it. The truth is I love it, and I’m still a huge fan of the European team. I also wanted to see it because I have many friends who were playing there.”
Among those close friends was McIlroy, who bore the worst of the fans’ hostility. Garcia urged the perpetrators to concentrate on backing their own players instead, though he admitted the scenes didn’t entirely shock him.
“It is what it is. I’ve been saying that for several months now, because I think we know what New Yorkers are like and what the fans are like there,” he added. “It’s a tough crowd that, obviously, if you play well, they’ll support you, but when you play against them, it’s very tough. It’s a shame because in the end, that’s what you’re left with.
“The best is to support your players or your team more than to be concerned about trying to sting your opponent. I think it’s something we’ve always had in golf. In other sports, it’s a little different, but the important thing is that the guys held on well and achieved an important victory.”
McIlroy and Garcia had a falling out after the Spaniard confirmed his switch to PGA Tour rival LIV in 2022. Nevertheless, the duo are believed to have patched things up since then.
Garcia, 45, revealed he had sent ‘several’ WhatsApp messages to members of Team Europe to send his congratulations. The outcome represented Europe’s first triumph on American turf since 2012 and meant they have now claimed victory in six of the previous eight Ryder Cups.
Those rowdy American spectators at Bethpage were widely condemned by the broader golfing world for their behaviour in trying to unsettle the away side. Following the victory, McIlroy declared the conduct of those individuals was “not acceptable,” while Team USA representative Collin Morikawa admitted certain home fans “crossed a line.”
American golf icon Tom Watson expressed solidarity with Morikawa by issuing an apology to Team Europe. The former captain said he was “ashamed of what happened” and condemned it as “rude and mean-spirited behavior.”
Garcia withdrew from the Irish Open at the start of September following his failure to secure one of Donald’s captain picks. He confessed to GolfMagic that “mentally it was kind of tough” to come to terms with being left out, leading to his decision to pull out of the Irish tournament.
It’s more challenging for LIV golfers to secure a Ryder Cup berth given LIV competitions aren’t eligible for OWGR ranking points. LIV participant Jon Rahm received a selection from Donald despite falling short of the points needed to qualify automatically, while Tyrrell Hatton was the only LIV golfer to earn his place for Europe through ranking points alone.