McIlroy Snaps at Hecklers

As he knew he would be, Rory McIlroy has been a leader at the Ryder Cup when it comes to taking abuse from fans. On Friday, he responded by extending a middle finger as he walked off the 11th green at Bethpage Black in New York, Golf.com reports. On Saturday, after being distracted during his pre-shot routine in a rough, McIlroy escalated—telling spectators to "Shut the f--- up!" He then resumed play, after standing over the ball for 11 seconds, and contributed to a victory sealed when partner Tommy Fleetwood sank a birdie putt for a 3-and-2 win for the European team, per ESPN.

NBC broadcasters addressed the issue, per Golf.com. "Oh my goodness, wow. The first sign of the crowd getting to Rory," said Notah Begay. Curt Byrum, who'd been walking with McIlroy's group, said: "They've been after him all day. I think he's kept his cool pretty well." The golfer later acknowledged that vocal crowds are a standard part of away Ryder Cup matches but expressing frustration with interruptions during play. "In between shots, say whatever you want to me," McIlroy said. "But just let us—you gave the us the respect to let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have, I guess."

On Friday, McIlroy faced repeated heckling, leading US player Sam Burns to quiet the crowd several times before McIlroy's shots. Both Friday and Saturday mornings included profane chants directed at McIlroy, to which he responded by blowing kisses to the booing fans. Before the tournament began, McIlroy discussed how to handle jeers. "I feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd," he said. "But then there's times where I haven't engaged enough. So it's really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance."