It wasn’t the US Open Rory McIlroy was hoping for at Shinnecock Hills.
He was in contention going into the back nine on Saturday, but a string of bogeys on the back left him well off the pace, and a poor Sunday capped off a disappointing week.
One of the big storylines entering the week was how McIlroy would be received by the New York crowd. They hit him with a barrage of abuse at the Ryder Cup last year, so would that continue at Shinnecock?
In the week’s build-up to the US Open, McIlroy said the crowd had been welcoming to him. The Ryder Cup was a totally different event, and the Northern Irishman was back to being a fan favourite.
Unfortunately, the pleasantries didn’t last the entire tournament.
Rory McIlroy insults heckling fan at the US Open
During his final round at Shinnecock, one of the New York fans relentlessly heckled McIlroy during his tee shot.
After McIlroy hit his driver, they repeatedly shouted, “get in the bunker”, and followed with some indiscernible heckling as McIlroy headed back to his bag.
It looked as if McIlroy was going to completely ignore the fan, but as he walked off the tee box, he glared at his heckler before motioning his arms in front of his stomach to call the fan overweight.
The fans laughed, and the heckler sounded totally shocked by McIlroy’s response. It was an apt clapback, as the Masters champion didn’t even need a word to win the exchange.
What Rory McIlroy said about New York fans at the start of the US Open
For the most part, it was a pleasant reunion for McIlroy and the New York fans. Speaking in the week, he explained how much he loves playing in New York.
McIlroy said, “Look, I love playing around New York. I love playing in this area. It’s got some of the best golf in the world.
“This is a different — like the Ryder Cup is us versus them, very partisan, very — like it’s just a different beast. So, yeah, I have no — yeah, was it a rough week for me at times? Absolutely. But it is what it is. If that’s a price to pay to live the life that I’m living, then I’m okay with that.”
It’s a shame it didn’t last the entire tournament, but one bad fan doesn’t come close to resembling the abuse he received at the Ryder Cup.
