Victorious golfer Rory McIlroy has playfully taunted US President Donald Trump after Europe defeated the US to win the Ryder Cup in front of a hostile New York crowd.

McIlroy led team Europe’s players in a chant posted to social media.

“Are you watching Donald Trump?” they called out and repeated.

Trump responded good-naturedly on social media: “Yes, I’m watching. Congratulations!”

Europe captain Luke Donald told the BBC that the team had been savouring the win when Trump got in touch.

“We were having a moment together with the team, and Rory got a text from the President,” he said.

“We read it out and thought [we’d have] a little bit banter [with him].

“He seemed to take it in good spirits.”

Trump, an avid golfer, flew in to watch Friday’s opening matches.

Europe’s celebrations have been raucous and ongoing.

However, the team‘s win was tainted by problems with the spectators.

McIlroy called out the hostile New York crowd for “unacceptable and abusive behaviour” during Europe’s successful defence of the cup.

Over his five matches at Bethpage Black, McIlroy endured a torrent of insults about everything from his personal life to past failures on the golf course.

People shouted out as he lined up to swing and putt. His wife Erica Stoll was hit by a cup of beer.

“What happened here this week is not acceptable,” McIlroy said.

His lone loss came in a Sunday singles match with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who had also played in all five rounds.

It was McIlroy’s most blunt assessment yet of a New York crowd that the Europeans had fully expected to be rowdy and passionate.

The 36-year-old Northern Irishman sometimes pushed back — whirling around and cursing at his hecklers or stepping away from a shot until the riled masses settled down.

On Saturday, he told boisterous fans to “shut the f— up” before knocking his an approach shot to a metre to set up a clinching put in the morning’s foursomes match.

When there was more golf to play, McIlroy stayed guarded in his post-match interviews. But with the crowds gone and the Ryder Cup in hand, the five-time major champion let loose.

“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy said.

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

“Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. 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 culprits, he noted, were the minority of a crowd full of “true golf fans” who were “respectful and let both teams have the same chance to hit the shots and play a fair contest”.

And in the end, it was McIlroy who had the final word. In April, he won the Masters after years of trying to complete the career grand slam. On Sunday he won his sixth Ryder Cup in eight tries.

-with AAP