Say it however you want, but Rory McIlroy was made a target of incoming abuse the moment “F-ck you, Rory” rang across Bethpage. It started with a group of people, then spread across the entire course. Then, that single phrase morphed into personal insults, mockery of his nationality, or his poor performance over the years. It affected him. But he bounced back with a fiery reaction – and a moment to savor. Again.

Zephyr Melton of Golf.com recently shared a video clip of another heckling moment McIlroy faced. The Irishman is seen walking between the crowds of people when a man behind the ropes screams after him, “Fa–ot!” The nearby people start laughing and cheering as McIlroy’s smile disappears from his face.

But McIlroy responds, points towards the man, and asks the officials to have him removed. But what puzzled several people was the man’s reaction to this call. He asked back, “For what? For what?” to McIlroy’s “throw him out” demands. But part of the reason behind this mass abuse was that the officials refused to do anything about it, for the most part.

His fellow pros tried to shield him from it, however. Justin Thomas tried to put a stop to it by shushing the American hecklers, but to no avail. Shane Lowry screamed back a “f-ck you” to the hecklers after successfully making a birdie putt. All. Day. Long. It still didn’t stop. It’s not like other European pros didn’t face the same problem.

Bob MacIntyre faced heckling for his appearance. Jon Rahm and Lowry for their weight. And more. But nothing as bad as what McIlroy (and his wife) faced. During his Sunday singles against Scottie Scheffler, for instance, he noted the fans were focused on swearing at him instead of cheering on Scheffler. That’s as absurd as it can get.

In a follow-up interview, he said of the heckling, “I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf. I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week.” Golf, McIlroy said, is about learning good life lessons, etiquette, how to play by the rules, and how to respect people. “Sometimes this week we didn’t see that.” You could argue that heckling is part of the modern sport, yet ask most golf personalities and they’d call the Ryder Cup days “embarrassing” and “shameful.”

Paige Spiranac shares her thoughts on the Rory McIlroy treatment

“Hot take for golf but I like when the golfers show some sass in competitive settings like this. The crowd is saying whatever they want to them so the players can banter back if they want,” Paige Spiranac wrote in a post update on X. It came just some time after Saturday’s foursome when Rory McIlroy clapped back at the unruly fans with a “f-ck off” of his own.

Of course, it affected other golfers as well, even those who weren’t playing. Like, Tom Watson. Following Europe’s win at the Ryder Cup, Watson took to X, writing, “I’d like to congratulate @RyderCupEurope on their victory. Your team play the first few days was sensational. More importantly, I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Bethpage. As a former player, Captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened.”

On the other hand, despite agreeing that McIlroy’s treatment was in poor taste, Spiranac admitted she has seen it happening too often. In a different X post, she shared a jarring anecdote about a football game, where a visibly intoxicated man was heckling players, causing chaos, and even trying to brawl. But what really stuck with her was the man’s young nephew, barely seven, parroting the insults while the family laughed along.

“I’m not saying you have to sit quietly. You can have passion, chirp, have fun banter, enjoy yourself at the event or game but there’s a line and it’s crossed so many times now,” she added in the post. It is likely that McIlroy will not forget this treatment, but we hope that the hecklers remember this part of the Ryder Cup week.