Rory McIlroy has Ryder Cup plan of action after blow up and Shane Lowry wife incident

Rory McIlroy recently revealed a plan of action for himself, Shane Lowry and the rest of Team Europe to follow when it comes to handling the raucous US crowd at the Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy has looked back on a conversation with Novak Djokovic to shape his approach to this month’s Ryder Cup.

McIlroy, 35, will be competing for Team Europe alongside Olympics partner Shane Lowry, as well as Bob MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Hojgaard, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. Luke Donald’s side face an almighty challenge, as they will not only have to overcome the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau, but also contend with a boisterous US crowd waiting for them at Bethpage Black.

In the past, McIlroy has clashed with US golf fans, while the friends and families of Team Europe players have also been on the end of heckles and abuse across the pond. However, the Holywood native has said he will tap into some words of wisdom he received from Djokovic, who has won numerous Grand Slams despite being targeted by hostile crowds and abuse in the past.

McIlroy said to the Washington Times: “He’s been the best at handling that. He’s had to deal with it his whole life, whether it’s playing against an American in New York or playing against Roger [Federer] or Rafael [Nadal].

“He came and spoke to us a little bit about that stuff last time in Rome. So maybe taking a leaf out of his book and channelling that energy the right way. But again, all we can do is control our reaction and our emotions to it. I think the less we play into it, the better it is for us.”

Referring to the US fans, McIlroy added: “They’re going to have a pretty raucous crowd on their side and on a golf course that a lot of them know pretty well from previous tournaments there. So make no mistake, we know we’re up against it and we know we’ve got a tall task on our hands, but I love the team that Luke has assembled.”

The five-time major winner will never forget the 2016 tournament at Hazeltine International, Minnesota, when he tried to get one overly abusive spectator ejected. Without going into what was said, McIlroy explained the fan was yelling “derogatory things I thought were over the line.”

Lowry, as well as following McIlroy’s approach, may also need to share his good friend’s advice with wife Wendy. At the 2021 tournament, which saw Team USA destroy Europe 19-9, the Irishman admitted he was pleasantly surprised with the warm reception he was receiving from US fans at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately for his other half, she and many others associated with Team Europe were not treated with the same level of respect. After he secured a point alongside Tyrell Hatton, Lowry said: “I didn’t think it was that bad until I asked my wife what it was like for her.

“They got dog’s abuse going around as well. It’s not very nice for them to have to listen to it, but that’s a small percentage of the crowd. Some of the stuff is not very nice. But look, that’s just the way it is.

“Some people are idiots, especially when they drink. Nobody turns into a genius with drinking and that’s what they were doing last week, especially if you were out in the afternoon matches. It was loud.”

In September of last year, US captain Keegan Bradley made it clear that any spectators at Bethpage Black this year will be booted out if their behaviour crosses the line. Bradley, who opted not to become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963, said: “The PGA of America has things in place for each group to monitor the situation.

“If you act inappropriately you’re going to be asked to leave the tournament. I hope and expect the fans will respect what the guys are doing but also at the same time be lively and supporting our team.”