Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood's response after wife age-gap trolling and Erica Stoll 'tears'

Team Europe's players were none too happy with sections of the American crowd at the Ryder Cup, and it wasn't just the players who found themselves on the receiving end. Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood both saw their respective wives targeted, and their responses were telling.

McIlroy's wife Erica appeared to be struck by a drink thrown from the crowd during Saturday's play and at one moment was said to be in tears, while Fleetwood's wife Clare - 23 years his senior - was taunted by some Team USA supporters over their age gap. Both Europeans let their golf do the talking, though, with the players and their partners rising above the abuse.

"Erica is fine. She's a very, very strong woman, you know," McIlroy said during the Sunday press conferences. "She handled everything this week with class and poise and dignity like she always has. I love her and we're going to have a good time celebrating tonight."

Fleetwood didn't show any signs of acknowledging the chants levelled at Clare. The 34-year-old went four for four on Friday and Sunday, including a pair of victories alongside McIlroy, though he lost to Justin Thomas in the singles on Sunday.

Clare initially turned down her husband, believing the age gap would be too much of an obstacle. The golfer said "perseverance" helped him win her over, though, and his other half has previously given her own take.

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"It kind of is and isn't [a strain]," she said on the Performance People podcast. "I mean it was way more at the beginning. It was kind of thinking what other people are thinking all the time.

"Within the industry, it was kind of big news in our circle. So I was a little bit paranoid about all that, really. But not for any reason of our relationship. I had full faith that once we fell in love, I knew that that's it. Baby and dog, yeah, we were in. Then it was just navigating through the gossip, basically."

Fleetwood and his wife have a son together, who was born in 2017, while McIlroy and wife Erica have a five-year-old daughter. McIlroy filed for divorce in 2024 but later reconciled with Erica, and was seen telling her "what a year" after the latest Ryder Cup success.

"It should be off-limits, but obviously it wasn't this week," he said when addressing the abuse levelled at families of players at Bethpage Black. And his team-mate Shane Lowry shed some more light on the behaviour of fans - and how Erica rose above it all.

"I was out there for two days with Erica McIlroy, and the amount of abuse that she received was astonishing and the way she was out there supporting her husband and supporting her team was unbelievable, and kudos to her for that," Lowry said.