Rory McIlroy helped Europe win the Ryder Cup and then called out the hostile New York crowd for "unacceptable and abusive behaviour."
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 was hit by a cup of beer.
"What happened here this week is not acceptable," McIlroy said on Sunday after going 3-1-1 to help Europe beat the United States 15-13. His lone loss came in a Sunday singles match with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who had also played in all five sessions, that was more of a slog than a pristine, shot-for-shot battle of the world's top two players.
It was McIlroy's most blunt assessment yet of a New York crowd that Europe fully expected to be rowdy and passionate — captain Luke Donald even gave players virtual-reality goggles to get used to the noise — but maybe not this crass or downright obnoxious.
The 36-year-old Northern Irishman, who came to Bethpage on a mission to win his second Ryder Cup on U.S. soil, 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 [expletive] up" before knocking his approach to 3 feet to set up a clinching putt in a morning foursomes match. When a fan yelled, "You're not that good, Rory!" he responded: "I'm [expletive] very good."
"I am," McIlroy added at the winners' press conference. "Really good."
While there was more golf to play, McIlroy stayed guarded in his post-match interviews. Asked on Saturday if he thought fans had crossed a line, he said: "People can be their own judge of
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