Sports

Rory McIlroy Couldn’t Leave New York Fast Enough After Being Heckled At US Open

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iStockphoto / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Rory McIlroy was heckled at the US Open in New York.


Rory McIlroy finished well off the lead at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club this weekend. The Northern Irishman shot +6 over his last two days. He couldn’t wait to leave New York.

McIlroy admitted as much after wrapping up his final round. The course beat him down. The crowd added to his pain.

McIlroy has a history with fans in the area. He got into it with patrons last year at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage on Long Island.

At one point, he told fans to “shut the f— up,” after being brutally heckled. That instance was a bit different, though.

It was Europe vs. the US. The crowd was always going to be against him with it being on American soil. While attendees may have overstepped the line, the reaction was somewhat expected.

That wasn’t necessarily the case for the US Open. McIlroy didn’t foresee that type of raucous atmosphere, and for the most part, he was right.

US Open crowds were small until the final round.

Nobody showed for the first three days of play. Travel costs and logistics played a large role. Empty seats littered the venue as each round came to a close.

Things changed on Sunday, though. The crowd was lively for the final round. Most in attendance exhausted their energy booing eventual champion Wyndham Clark as he battled in a pairing with fan favorite Scottie Scheffler.

Rory McIlroy caught some negative attention, too.

McIlroy was heckled on at least one tee box. He responded playfully with the fan.

With that said, he couldn’t get done with his Sunday round fast enough. That had less to do with the fans and more to do with his play on a difficult course.

Rory McIlroy finished poorly.

He actually sat at -2 through his front nine on Saturday. From there, he tumbled down the leaderboard and well out of contention for a major win.

McIlroy bogeyed five times on the back nine in Round 3. He added four more on the front nine Sunday.

While he was able to finish -1 on his final nine holes, the deficit proved too deep to dig out of. Here’s what he had to say after the tournament.

“(The course) won the battle over me at this point,” he said. “I sort of shot myself out of the tournament (on Saturday)… Then a couple of bogeys on the front nine, and I was trying to race my way to the 18th green.”

The finish was disappointing for McIlroy after a hot start. Hecklers added insult to injury, though he appeared to take it in stride.

With the third major now wrapped up, attention will turn to the British Open in July. He’s probably not eager to return to New York anytime soon.