Rory McIlroy received a text from Donald Trump after Team Europe trolled the US President by chanting his name in the dressing room following their Ryder Cup victory
Donald Trump sent a text message to Rory McIlroy after Europe celebrated their Ryder Cup triumph by mocking the US President. McIlroy recorded footage of his squad chanting ‘Are you watching Donald Trump?’ after Team USA fell short of completing a remarkable fightback on the final day.
Despite the ridicule, Trump appeared to take the barb in good spirits. He replied to McIlroy’s clip by sending the Northern Irishman a text message directly, praising Team Europe’s performance across the three day event.
“We were just in our dressing room at the end, after our press conference, just having a moment together with the team, and Rory was there,” Europe captain Luke Donald told BBC Sport. “He got a text from the president while we were in there.
“So, he read it out and we thought, just for a little bit of banter, we will send a friendly video of the chant that was going around that Ryder Cup. I’m glad he liked it, and I’m glad he enjoyed it.”
Europe regained the Ryder Cup following their previous victory in Rome, but not without a nerve-shredding finish. What looked like a procession turned into a near-collapse, salvaged only by Shane Lowry, who held his nerve to sink one of the most important putts of his career on the 18th green.
READ MORE: Team Europe’s huge bar bill as cost of boozy Ryder Cup celebrations revealedREAD MORE: Inside wild Ryder Cup celebrations from Rory McIlroy chant to perfect Tommy Fleetwood timing
Europe had stormed into the final day with a commanding 12-5 lead, yet the Sunday singles swung heavily in America’s favour, finishing 8.5–3.5 to the home side.
For much of the afternoon, Donald’s team were teetering on the brink. But Lowry’s clutch putt nudged Europe to the crucial 14-point threshold (that ensured they’d successfully defended the cup), before Tyrrell Hatton quickly followed with a half-point that officially sealed victory and spared the visitors a historic embarrassment.
Trump was present for the Ryder Cup’s opening day, turning up for the afternoon session after Team Europe had seized an early 3-1 advantage. His appearance failed to trigger an immediate revival, and the Republican leader was absent for the rest of the tournament.
Despite the United States regaining some dignity on the final day, Team Europe ultimately reclaimed the Ryder Cup trophy. On his Truth Social platform, Trump responded to a clip of Team Europe’s chant, writing: “Yes, I’m watching. Congratulations.”
Team Europe were thrilled to hang on following a turbulent week that saw US supporters slammed for their hostile conduct, particularly towards McIlroy, who endured heckles, jeers and even projectiles – one of which, a cup of beer, reportedly hit his wife, Erica Stoll.
“I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week,” McIlroy said following Sunday’s triumph. “Golf has the ability to unite people. It teaches you how to respect people. Sometimes this week, we didn’t see that. So, no, this should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup.
“The police out there and the amount of security presence was insane,” McIlroy continued. “Look, nothing was going to happen. There wasn’t going to be a physical altercation or anything like that… There was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive behaviour.”
McIlroy and Lowry were partnered on Saturday and dealt with the hostility together, but believed justice prevailed. “I chirped back a few times because it got to me a few times,” McIlroy admitted.
“But we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that. It was a rough week for all of us, but at the same time, we shut them up by our performance.”