Rory McIlroy admitted that the day had been really challenging after confronting fans who were heckling him during the Ryder Cup.
The world number two shouted at one fan to “shut the f*** up” after a comment was aimed in his direction as he prepared to play a shot during his Saturday foursomes win at Bethpage Black. Throughout his afternoon fourballs outing, McIlroy was subjected to repeated attempts to distract him, with play paused on several occasions as police and his opponent, Justin Thomas, appealed for calm.
“It was a really challenging day. I’m going to sleep well tonight,” McIlroy said.
This incident followed a situation on Friday when the Northern Irishman appeared to make an offensive gesture in response to something said from the crowd. Despite the distractions, McIlroy rose above the noise to deliver two crucial points as Europe moved towards victory, opening up an 11.5-4.5 lead over the United States.
McIlroy commented further on the ordeal:
“It’s not for me to say; people can be their own judge of whether they took it too far or not. I’m just proud of us for being able to win today with what we had to go through.”
It was unclear if any particular comments angered McIlroy, who seemed more frustrated about the timing of the heckling rather than its content. He explained:
“I don’t mind them having a go at us, that’s to be expected. I mean, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is. When they’re still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing. In between shots, say whatever you want to me — that’s totally fine. But just give us the respect, let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have.”
Remarks such as “miss it” or “slice it” were not uncommon as the European players addressed the ball, but there were also plenty of more unsavoury comments.
Despite the morning incident, McIlroy was not flustered. He returned to the ball to produce a stunning pitch that allowed teammate Tommy Fleetwood to hole out for a 3&2 win. Later, he held his nerve as he and Shane Lowry beat Justin Thomas and Cameron Young by two holes.
Lowry reflected on the situation, feeling McIlroy was targeted because of his status as Europe’s talisman:
“We knew what we were going to get coming here, but being out with Rory doesn’t make it any easier. I think he’s getting the brunt of it. I think we dealt with it very well.”
https://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/rory-mcilroy-targeted-by-home-fans-on-really-challenging-day-1812089.html