A tournament MC at the 2025 Ryder Cup has stepped down after leading vulgar chants against Rory McIlroy during Saturday's play at Bethpage Black. The PGA of America confirmed that Heather McMahan will no longer perform her role as first tee host.
McMahan, an actress and comedian known for roles in Love Hard and If Loving You Is Wrong, led a "F*** you Rory!" chant through a megaphone before Saturday morning's foursomes, according to multiple reports. The incident represents an unprecedented breach of professional standards by tournament staff at a major golf event.
The PGA of America issued a swift response to the controversy. "Heather has extended an apology to Rory McIlroy and Ryder Cup Europe and has stepped down from hosting the first tee of the Ryder Cup," the organisation said in a statement.
McIlroy faces relentless crowd abuse
McIlroy endured sustained hostility from the home crowd throughout Saturday's matches. The Northern Irishman was forced to step away from shots multiple times, including a four-minute wait at the sixth hole for the crowd to calm down, reports suggest.
The abuse escalated when a drink was allegedly thrown at McIlroy but struck his wife Erica Stoll instead, according to viral video footage. Despite the challenging conditions, McIlroy maintained his composure and delivered a diplomatic response when asked about the crowd's behaviour.
"When you play in an away Ryder Cup, it's really, really challenging," McIlroy said afterwards. "It's not for me to say. People can be their own judge of whether they took it too far or not. I'm just proud of us for being able to win today with what we had to go through."
Europe dominates despite adversity
Team Europe silenced the hostile crowd in emphatic fashion, with McIlroy and Shane Lowry securing a crucial four-ball victory over Cam Young and Justin Thomas. The win helped Europe establish a commanding 11.5-4.5 lead heading into Sunday's singles matches.
Lowry described the atmosphere as "something I've never experienced" but embraced the challenge. "This is what I live for. This is it, this is the reason I get up in the morning, for stuff like this," the Offaly native said.
Europe needs just 2.5 points from the 12 singles matches to retain the Ryder Cup trophy. The team's dominance comes despite facing what many observers consider the most hostile crowd conditions in recent Ryder Cup history.
Sunday singles showdown
The singles matches begin at 5.02pm with Justin Rose leading out Team Europe against New York native Cameron Young. McIlroy faces a marquee clash with world number one Scottie Scheffler in the fourth match at 5.35pm.
Lowry takes on Russell Henley in the eighth match at 6.19pm, while other key pairings include Jon Rahm versus Xander Schauffele and Tommy Fleetwood against Justin Thomas. The matches will determine whether Europe can complete their retention of the trophy on American soil.
The complete Sunday singles lineup features 12 matches spanning from 5.02pm to 7.03pm, with Harris English facing Viktor Hovland in the final pairing of the day.
Sources used: "Belfastlive", "Daily Record", "dailymail", "dailystar.co.uk", "mirror" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
