Shane Lowry fired a two-word expletive towards an American fan at the Ryder Cup as tensions spilled over in the Saturday fourballs at Bethpage Black.
The Irishman was left furious after a fan directed an insult and disturbed his partner Rory McIlroy as he was about to play a shot on the fourth hole, with Europe dominating the cup in New York after a 8.5-3.5 lead following the morning foursomes.
Lowry responded on the course, though, with his eagle turning the match blue with the advantage heading to the fifth, with police later tasked with settling the hostile crowd on the next hole.
The world No 24 drained a lengthy putt for three and then erupted in delight.
Firstly, Lowry shouted “come on!” and then he turned to the crowd, screaming at a fan, “f*** you!”
Lowry’s form skyrocketed after the hole, with another birdie on the fifth, extending Europe’s advantage in the match to two up. But only after McIlroy backed off another putt, refusing to play until the crowd settled down, with more than a dozen officers seen around the ring of fans in a bid to settle the rising tension. Justin Thomas, one of McIlroy and Lowry’s opponents, alongside teammate Cameron Young, also urged the crowd to settle down.
McIlroy was subjected to similar behaviour in the morning foursomes alongside Tommy Fleetwood, with a shout during his backswing.
He could be heard shouting, “shut the f*** up!” But the grand slam winner then responded with quality on the course, too.
His sensational approach set up Fleetwood to convert birdie on the 16th hole, securing a 3&2 victory.
“I don’t mind them having a go at us, that’s to be expected. I mean, that’s what an away Ryder Cup is,” said the Irishman.
“When they’re still doing it while you are over the ball and trying to hit your shot, that’s the tough thing.
“In between shots, say whatever you want to me. That’s totally fine.
“But just give us the respect, let us hit shots, and give us the same chance that the Americans have.”
Collin Morikawa had called for “chaos” on Thursday before the Ryder Cup started, though the crowd had mostly been tame on day one.
But as Keegan Bradley’s side struggled, the volumed turned up, with insults delivered more regularly.
McIlroy lost patience on the sixth hole, backing off a putt on the green twice, shrugging and glancing at the referee Mike Raby, with police flocking to fans directing barbs at the Irishman.
McIlroy’s birdie putt narrowly missed left, prompting loud jeers and cheers from the American crowd. Lowry then converted his own birdie, halving the hole, with McIlroy lifting his arms and staring at the fans that had insulted him.
Thomas remained sporting, despite his passion for Team USA, and once again protested against the behaviour of his own fans, shaking his head in disapproval following the conclusion of the hole.
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