It’s hardly a secret that, as well as capacity for some truly explosive golf, Rory McIlroy can be combustible in other ways during the Ryder Cup.
You only have to go back two years for the biggest evidence of that. Back then, during the afternoon four-ball session at Marco Simone, tensions boiled over as he took issue with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava, who was waving his hat while the Northern Irishman lined up a crucial putt.
Two years on, and McIlroy’s competitive spirit in the biennial match has clearly not waned one little bit.
Not only did McIlroy resume his successful Ryder Cup partnership with Tommy Fleetwood to win the opening foursomes session on Friday, the duo were at it again on Saturday, holding a 2 up lead over Harris English and Collin Morikawa on the 16th hole.
That doesn’t tell quite the full story of the situation, though.
The American pair had found some momentum at that point, reducing the deficit from four down just three holes earlier, and the pressure was ramped up even further when their approach left a great birdie opportunity and the door very much ajar to the chance of pulling another back.
It was left to McIlroy to try and match that effort from the right rough, but as he was standing over the ball for the potentially pivotal moment, he finally snapped at heckling from the US fans, stepping back and retorting: “Shut the **** up!"
Rory McIlroy silenced a heckler with an expletive before hitting a superb approach to clinch victory for him and Tommy Fleetwood in their foursomes match. #RyderCup #McIlroy pic.twitter.com/oZphxaDFJnSeptember 27, 2025
While that would have been cathartic for McIlroy, had he lost his cool at just the wrong moment? Not a bit of it. He sent his approach even closer, which left Fleetwood to complete the birdie putt and seal a 3&2 win.
Afterwards, McIlroy addressed the issue, saying: "I don't mind them having a go at us. Like that's to be expected. I mean, that's what an away Ryder Cup is.
"Whenever they are still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that's the tough thing.
"You know, look, in between shots, say whatever you want to me. That's totally fine. But just let us - you gave us the respect to let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have, I guess."
Clearly, a riled McIlroy is a dangerous one, but that message wasn’t heeded earlier, with the European taking abuse throughout the morning, as noted by the Daily Mail’s chief sports writer Oliver Holt.
He wrote an X: “Out on course with McIlroy’s group. The abuse of him has crossed a line this morning. Vicious, personal, thuggish edge to it.”
Out on course with McIlroy’s group. The abuse of him has crossed a line this morning. Vicious, personal, thuggish edge to itSeptember 27, 2025
Perhaps McIlroy’s reaction was inevitable given the scale of the abuse, which even caused him to react on the first tee, albeit on that occasion to sarcastically blow fans a kiss when they began singing, "**** you, Rory."
Even McIlroy and Fleetwood’s 5&4 cruise over English and Morikawa on Friday didn’t pass without incident, with McIlroy appearing to give fans a message in the form of a middle finger.
Despite the flashpoints in McIlroy’s two foursomes matches, there’s one thing all the heckling in the world can’t change, and that is the affectionately named Fleetwood Mac’s Ryder Cup record, all in foursomes, which now reads 4-0-0.
