Heather McMahan explains Ryder Cup controversy, apologizes to Rory McIlroy

Comedian Heather McMahan has spoken up about her controversial Ryder Cup moment that resulted in her resignation as the designated hype woman of the first tee after she participated in hostile chants about Rory McIlroy. 

McMahan stepped down from her duties on Saturday after a video of her participating in fan-led “F— you, Rory” chants circulated on social media. The PGA of America released a short statement Saturday night confirming that McMahan would not be back for the final day on Sunday. 

Heather McMahan at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif., March 2, 2025. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

“Heather McMahan 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 statement said. 

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McMahan addressed the situation during her podcast “Absolutely Not” Wednesday, saying she immediately apologized to McIlroy and Team Europe. But she dismissed initial reports that she led the chants and added context about the “toxic” crowds and what ultimately led to the incident. 

“I understand my responsibility in this. However, it is a little interesting because I do think there needs to be some context around what exactly happened.” 

McMahan said she was unclear about her role as the host of the first tee and that she eventually understood it as her job was to “hype” the crowd up. After Friday’s sessions, McMahan said Saturday took a different path. 

“We came out full throttle,” she recalled. “The word I had gotten from the team was we needed to get everybody hyped, hyped, hyped. Team America is coming out, we need to be so out of control, so full throttle and cheers and chants and getting everybody to truly pump up the team and get the energy going.”

Europe captain Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy celebrate after a putt on the 15th hole at Bethpage Black golf course during the Ryder Cup golf tournament Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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She claimed that as the rowdy crowd made its way in early Saturday morning, her job of entertaining quickly shifted. 

“I’m hired as a comedian, but, unfortunately, the gig kind of turned into a little bit more of, like, a court jester, pep rally, cheerleader, and we were trying to figure it out as we went.” 

McMahan said that despite trying to lead chants involving the names of American players, she was “getting booed.” 

“These guys don’t want anything to do with it. They’re like, ‘This is New York. We wanna get rowdy.’ And that’s the way it went. The crowd started to get really fratty, really intense, really quick.”

McMahan said the energy of the crowd was “not the vibe,” and while she did repeat the chant, she immediately recognized her fault in participating. 

Rory McIlroy of Europe celebrates after putting on the 17th green during the afternoon fourballs on day two of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course in Farmingdale, N.Y. (Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

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“I made the absolute horrible mistake of saying it back to them once. And if you watch the video, I’m kind of laughing to myself, also, like question mark, like, ‘F— you, Rory?’

“I will take full responsibility and sincerely apologize to Rory and Team Europe for saying that. It was so foolish of me. I did not start the chant. I was just like that narrative to get out there.” 

Fans at Bethpage Black came under scrutiny for their treatment of Team Europe players throughout the weekend. McIlroy condemned the fan behavior, adding, “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf.” 

“I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week,” he added. 

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