Rory McIlroy lost his patience with the Ryder Cup crowd Saturday, telling a group of Long Island fans to “shut the f*ck up” as chants and jeers disrupted his shot on the 16th fairway.
The Northern Irishman stepped away from his ball after the outburst, drawing boos from the Bethpage Black faithful before regrouping. Later, he defended his reaction.
“I don’t mind them having a go at us – that’s to be expected. That’s what an away Ryder Cup is,” McIlroy explained. “But whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s a tough thing. In between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine. But just let us hit our shots the same way the Americans get to.”
The fans haven’t left McIlroy alone
McIlroy, who halved his Saturday morning match with Shane Lowry against Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns, has been a lightning rod all week. On Friday, he was serenaded with chants of “F*ck you, Rory,” but responded with a cheeky kiss blown toward the main grandstand after winning both of his matches.
Despite the hostile atmosphere, Europe is having the last laugh. The visitors cruised through the first day and a half of competition and are closing in on their first away Ryder Cup win since their famous 2012 comeback at Medinah.
Ryder Cup fans are a spectacle in itself
As tensions boiled on the course, the crowd turned the Ryder Cup into a spectacle of its own. U.S. supporters flooded the stands in bald eagle costumes, red, white, and blue onesies, and even full Mount Rushmore getups, beers in hand by 10 a.m. European fans countered with blue-and-yellow suits, flag-waving, and nonstop chanting.
Carnival or chaos, one thing’s clear: at Bethpage Black, the fans are just as much a storyline as the golf.
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