It felt like a culmination of tension as the crowd at Beth Page Black shifted focus to Rory McIlroy on Saturday.
The Northern Irish golfer seemed to hit a breaking point on the sixth hole during the afternoon session.
He was seen on camera telling the official, “I’m not putting until there’s silence.”
As McIlroy prepared for his putts, boos rose from the fans, and his frustration grew. His partner, Shane Lowry, tried to diffuse the situation, but the noise was hard to ignore.
McIlroy held off until the crowd settled down, but the disruption was significant enough that American player Justin Thomas felt the need to step in, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
In another moment, McIlroy seemed visibly upset with security for failing to manage the crowd. According to Joel Beall from Golf Digest, he observed McIlroy’s irritation during the match’s start.
“I’ve been walking with the group for the past two hours and have never heard so many F-you comments directed at golfers,” Beall mentioned. He touched on the various insults thrown at McIlroy and even noted Shane’s quips.
Sky Sports indicated that some fans were removed from the Ryder Cup area. Additional security measures, including uniformed officers, were implemented for McIlroy’s match, as NBC reported.
In an earlier incident, one player was heckled and called “Teletubby” after his shot.
McIlroy had a bold encounter with the crowd earlier in the day, telling them to “shut the F up” as he got ready to take his shot.
“We know this isn’t our home turf,” he expressed, “but we deserve the same respect. Give us the opportunity to play without distraction, just like the Americans have.”
