Rory McIlroy justifies "shut the f up" gesture to US crowd at Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup 2025 - Saturday Morning Foursomes - Source: Getty
Rory McIlroy during Ryder Cup 2025 - Saturday Morning Foursomes - Source: Getty

Rory McIlroy has often made it to the headlines following some of his explosive interactions with the audience. The golfer has recently made waves following an incident with the audience on the second day of the 2025 Ryder Cup.

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With the US crowd around, the Europeans are facing a challenging atmosphere at Bethpage Black. Even before they arrived at the venue, Andrew Coltart, a former Ryder Cup hero, warned the Europeans' partners of potential abuse from the audience. On Saturday, September 27, Rory McIlroy was being yelled at by the fans in attendance.

As the Northern Irishman was in the middle of his pre-shot session during the morning foursomes, he did not mind hitting back at them. McIlroy was about to hit a shot, but backed off and told the crowd:

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"Shut the f**k up"

However, later on, Rory McIlroy ended up justifying his actions at Bethpage Black. The 2025 Masters Champ claimed that he had no problem in receiving some words in between the shots. However, the yelling got to him because he was in the process of making his shot. McIlroy said:

"You know, look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That's totally fine…. Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that's the tough thing."
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Take a look at the post by NUCLR GOLF on X (previously Twitter):

Screenshot from NUCLR Golf's X post / X: @NUCLRGOLF
Screenshot from NUCLR Golf's X post / X: @NUCLRGOLF

Although he faced a disruptive situation from the US fans on Saturday, Rory McIlroy did not back away from giving his best for the European squad. The pair of McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood faced Collin Morikawa and Harris English on Day 2. In the end, the European squadmates secured a 3&2 victory over Morikawa and English.

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When Rory McIlroy laughed after he was being taunted by the audience during the 2025 Ryder Cup

Before the opening day of the 2025 Ryder Cup, McIlroy and his European squad were at Bethpage Black. However, the pre-tournament scouting was soon interrupted by an unexpectedly hilarious situation. McIlroy was buttoning up his shirt while he and some of his teammates were waiting to tee off at the third hole at Bethpage.

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At this exact same moment, Rory McIlroy faced a heckle that left the crowd and his European squad in splits. A fan shouted at McIlroy:

"You don’t need a button to choke, Rory"

This was greeted with great spirits from McIlroy as the golfer ended up pointing at the fan. In the clip shared by Gary Williams from Golf Channel showed the golfer said something appreciative to the heckler as well. Check out the video on X (previously Twitter):

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Although this was a funny taunt, McIlroy kind of predicted the situation even before Ryder Cup week arrived. The golfer has stated his views regarding the raucous and 'partisan' crowd at Bethpage Black. In one of his interviews, he also made a bold claim about the home audience being a big factor behind the home team winning the Ryder Cups.

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Edited by Pravashis Biswas
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