Pro Golfer Rory McIlroy Sparks Ryder Cup Drama As He Loses His Cool At US Fans For Distracting His Play

Rory McIlroy isn't happy with the way fans have behaved during the Ryder Cup, and ultimately lost his cool during Day Two of the event.

Amid boos from the crowd while he was lining up to hit a shot, the player shouted expletives at the spectators.

Rory McIlroy later addressed his actions in a post-match interview, saying that while he doesn't mind being booed, fans should wait until after he and his teammates take their shots.

McIlroy's frustration with the Ryder Cup crowd boiled over on Saturday Morning when he snapped at a group of Long Island fans who kept booing him during his approach on the 16th fairway.

Throughout the match, McIlroy had endured repeated boos, and at that point, he finally snapped, telling the crowd to "shut the f-ck up."

Instead of easing up, the fans only grew louder with their boos, with some even cursing back at the golfer.

This ended up forcing McIlroy to pause and step away from his ball to regain his composure.

McIlroy later addressed his behavior during a press conference after the morning session, but stopped short of apologizing to fans.

"I don't mind them having a go at us," said McIlroy, who is representing Team Europe at the tournament, per the New York Post.

He added, "Look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That's totally fine. But just let us — you gave us the respect to let us hit shots and give us the same chance that the Americans have, I guess."

Even after the morning session, the heckling from fans continued, and at one point, a visibly frustrated McIlroy was caught on broadcast telling a referee that he is "not going to putt until they shut up."

Online, many netizens criticized McIlroy for using the f-word toward the fans, arguing that his reaction was unprofessional.

"McIlroy, you are a professional golfer. Your response only fuels the fire. Try ignoring the crowd," one user commented.

"Fans should be quiet, but Rory is also a dbag POS," a second individual reacted, while a third commented, "Golfers might be softer than soccer players."

Despite the backlash, McIlroy found support from some who believed the fans had gone too far and provoked his outburst.

"Been hearing f-ck Rory McIlroy all day. There were a lot of c-nts there today. Rory wasn't one of them," a supporter said.

McIlroy's behavior on Saturday was similar to that of Friday, when he won his first two matches. For much of the match, the golfer tried to ignore the abuse from the crowd despite how intense it was

However, while playing in the final match of the afternoon fourballs, he eventually felt the need to respond after being triggered by something.

At that point, he was seen making an improper gesture toward the crowd, an act his teammate Shane Lowry was also spotted doing at one stage.

After the match, McIlroy praised himself and his teammate for setting the tone of the tournament with their strong performance.

"We have come out of the gates really strong, like we wanted to. Yeah, we should be really proud of ourselves," he said per the Telegraph.

McIlroy added: "[It was] what we expected. It was rowdy and lively. They made it difficult for us. But I felt Shane and I handled that really well and dug in."

McIlroy shared earlier in the week that his goal was to strike a balance between feeding off the crowd's energy and blocking it out entirely.

He admitted he had experimented with both tactics in the past, but with varying degrees of success.

"I felt like at Hazeltine [in 2016, when the US won 17-11]," he revealed. "I probably engaged too much at times, and then at Whistling Straits [in 2021, when the US won 19-9], I didn't engage enough and felt pretty flat because of it. It's just trying to find that balance."

For now, it seems the golfer has yet to find the balance he was seeking, but as the tournament continues, he just might.