Rory McIlroy was targeted with abuse from unruly fans throughout his fourballs match alongside Shane Lowry at the Ryder Cup on Saturday, and McIlroy showed his true colors in his post-round interview
Rory McIlroy declined to criticize the crowd at the Ryder Cup after he and Shane Lowry withstood a torrent of heckling and abuse from the crowd at Bethpage Black.
The Irish duo made a formal complaint to referee Mike Raby in the early stages of their match with Justin Thomas and Cameron Young on Saturday, with McIlroy in particular being targeted by spectators. He was forced to step off shots numerous times due to noises being made as he addressed the ball.
McIlroy and Lowry’s complaint led to the police presence for the match being increased. Event organizers also warned spectators that they would be turfed out if their behavior crossed the line. Earlier in the day, McIlroy told fans to “Shut the f— up,” after a flashpoint on the 16th hole.
Ryder Cup captains explain pairings for the opening session…
McIlroy and Lowry showed commendable poise in a match that went down to the wire, winning two of the final five holes to snatch a two-up victory, taking Luke Donald’s team a big step closer to a first away Ryder Cup win since 2012.
Speaking on the 18th green, McIlroy chose not criticize the crowd. He said: “Look, you know, when you play an away Ryder Cup, it’s really, really challenging.
“It’s not for me to say [if the crowds went too far]. People can be their own judge of whether they took it too far or not. I’m just proud of us for being able to win today with what we had to go through.”
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Hear from McIlroy & Lowry after their first Ryder Cup point together.
The five-time major champion said the win alongside his close friend Lowry was “hugely satisfying,” and he added: “It’s Shane and I’s first full point as a partnership. We got a half yesterday.
“Another blue point on the board. That’s what we wanted to do. I’m so proud of this guy. He was with me, he was there for me all day. I’m drained, to say the least, and he dug in big time when he had to. I chipped in when I could here and there, but the credit goes to this man today.”
“But that’s only a point towards victory. I think we still have a job to do. Obviously, we have quite a big lead, but we need to keep the foot in the gas now and get over that line as quick as we can.
“Obviously, I’m very happy and I’m enjoying this, but I’m going to go and cheer the boys in now and hopefully we can get a few more blue points on the board.”
