The boss of the American PGA is set to offer his heartfelt apologies to Rory McIlroy and Europe's Ryder Cup team after they faced shocking abuse at Bethpage Black.
Derek Sprague, who became CEO of the golfing association in January, says he's planning to contact McIlroy and his wife Erica directly after fans crossed the line during the tournament.
"There's no place for that at the Ryder Cup, no place for it in the game of golf, and we are not happy with what happened last week," he said.
"I haven't spoken to Rory or Erica [Stoll] but I do plan on sending them an email with my heartfelt apologies because of what occurred."
Derek Sprague, CEO of PGA of America, has offered heartfelt apologies to Rory McIlroy and Europe's Ryder Cup team for the shocking abuse they faced at Bethpage Black.
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It's a stark contrast to PGA president Don Rea, who told the BBC that "things like that are going to happen" and compared the abuse to what you might hear at a youth football match.
Rea even suggested similar behaviour happened when the Americans played in Rome, which didn't go down well with the Europeans.
The abuse got particularly nasty on Saturday when Europe built up a commanding seven-point lead.
Rory McIlroy suffered abuse throughout the tournament including personal insults and homophobic slurs
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McIlroy faced vile homophobic slurs and personal insults about his private life, often shouted while he was trying to hit shots.
His wife Erica had a drink thrown at her on the 17th tee, leaving Shane Lowry stunned by the "astonishing" treatment she endured.
The Northern Irishman eventually snapped back at one spectator who called out during his backswing, admitting later that the constant heckling had got to him.
Sprague took immediate action when things spiralled out of control on Saturday morning.
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Rory McIlroy;s wife, Erica Stoll, was said to have been left in tears following a tumultuous day two of the Ryder Cup
| GETTYWhen the event's emcee, Heather McMahan, encouraged fans to chant "F*** you, Rory" through a megaphone, he and other PGA officials instantly agreed she had to leave her role.
By that evening, the comedian had apologised to McIlroy and stepped down as first tee emcee.
Security teams removed several fans from the venue throughout the weekend, while others were moved away from players they were targeting.
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"I'm disappointed in fan behaviour, disappointed in the first tee and the emcee - that's not who we are," Sprague admitted, calling it a week that became about everything except golf.
McIlroy described the treatment as "unacceptable" and insisted such behaviour should be "off-limits" in golf.
Despite the abuse, he felt his team handled things with class and poise, though he admitted it was a rough week for everyone.
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Rory McIlroy condemned the abuse that he and his team-mates suffered
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"We shut them up by our performance," the four-time major winner said after Europe held off a late American comeback to win 15-13.
Matt Fitzpatrick was particularly unimpressed with Rea's comments comparing Bethpage Black to Rome, calling them "pretty offensive to European fans".
Matt Fitzpatrick said the PGA president Don Rea's comments were 'pretty offensive to European fans'
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The PGA of America and DP World Tour will hold a debrief in the coming weeks to discuss how to prevent similar incidents when the Ryder Cup heads to Ireland's Adare Manor in 2027.
Sprague wants future events to focus on golf's core values of decorum, sportsmanship and integrity.
"Golf has the ability to unite people," McIlroy said on Sunday, emphasising how the sport teaches etiquette, respect and playing by the rules.
He's already planning to tell European fans that what happened at Bethpage wasn't acceptable and shouldn't be repeated in Ireland.
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