Just two days ago, a U.S. fan had hurled a “choke” heckle at Rory McIlory. It barely rattled the Irishman, who had been using VR headsets in practice to “desensitize” himself to such treatment. Sure, he did lose his cool at one point on Friday, but even then, there’s a ceiling— if one even exists at Bethpage Black— where any player has good reason to snap. Especially when the expletives don’t start with rival fans but are led by the event’s own staff, before the match has even begun.

Perhaps sensing the home team needed an extra jolt, chants of “F— you Rory” erupted around 7 a.m. on the first tee Saturday. Golf media personality Brendan Porath captured the entire scene and posted it on his X account. What stood out most wasn’t the chant itself, but its source, the MC for the U.S. team. “They have someone MCing the first tee trying to lead chants, and it is not working / resulting in boos. A De-Cham-beau led chant lasted a couple beats before turning into a ‘F U Rory’ which also came over the mic,” Porath wrote.

The last part of that chant may have caught Rory off guard. But perhaps he wanted to course-correct from Friday, when he’d fired an offensive gesture back at the booing American crowd. Because when chants from the grandstand intensified as McIlroy came out for the second foursomes match, once again alongside Tommy Fleetwood, the 36-year-old golfer smiled broadly, opened his arms to the crowd, and blew kisses their way. But soon, that hard-earned calm frayed.

Mid-swing on his second shot at the 16th hole, a U.S. fan tried to throw him off. While the exact words weren’t caught on camera, Rory’s reply: “shut the f— up,” was. Yet it didn’t derail his play. He hit it to within a few feet of the hole, and Fleetwood sank the putt to secure another point, winning the tie for Europe by beating Harris English and Collin Morikawa 3&2.

Asked later about the crowd’s hostility, McIlroy said only, “You do have to focus on the task at hand.” Acknowledging how helpful it is to have a partner during such matches, he added, “I think in the team format, foursomes and fourballs you can stick together with your partner, which makes it easier.” Fleetwood was even seen whispering something to Rory after he blew kisses to the crowd, likely a quiet word of support now it seems.

But for all Rory’s composure, or Fleetwood’s calm, social media users didn’t see the morning incident the same way.

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Fans disapprove of the behavior: ‘Disgrace’

At the moment, the video is going viral at a fast rate. With several hundred likes and comments, fans did not hesitate to call out the mic announcer. Here are some of the comments.

“Oh my, the fact the person in the microphone said it .. too far, just too far,” one user said. Since Friday morning’s sessions, the crowd had been showing their rude side, the brunt of which players like Robert MacIntyre and others had to face. With calls of “w*nkers” and a jibe at his physique, fans were able to ruin his game by getting into his head.

“It took my whole mind away from the shot, it was that loud,” he later said. Even after this, not much attention was paid. But an official member of the Ryder Cup does it, it definitely goes too far. Echoing the sentiment, another user typed, “Fans can chant what they want, but the announcer chanting F U Rory over the mic is a disgrace.”

“Embarrassing as always,” was another comment. Previously, Jon Rahm faced several comments regarding his weight, with one of them asking if he had been taking Ozempic. But, Rahm was able to keep the spirits humorous, not giving in to frustrations. “So far, the humor that’s been there…it’s really funny.” Even Rory McIlroy was able to laugh off at one such comment. But after this incident, the nature of such vibes will change.

What did not sit right with many was McIlroy’s disrespect at the hands of the announcer. Despite representing Europe or Britain, McIlroy has spent a lot of his formative PGA Tour years in America. In fact, just a few days before, he shared how much he loves the country, calling it “the land of opportunity.” For a player who loves the country so much, such antics surely break hearts. On this line, someone commented, “Fans can chant what they want, but the announcer chanting F U Rory over the mic is a disgrace.”

With the Ryder Cup halfway done and no notable action taken against either the crowd or the announcer, serious disciplinary questions are starting to surface. Does the desperation of watching your team trail justify stooping so low that even the world’s second-best player can’t be shown basic respect?