By Tyson Otto

Copyright news

Golf commentators have been genuinely stunned at ugly scenes that have unfolded with added security needed to protect the Northern Irishman from rowdy spectators.

McIlroy angrily told one group of spectators to “shut the f*** up” after he was repeatedly heckled during Sunday’s action at the famous Bethpage Black course on Long Island, New York.

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There have been reports that heckling from some spectators turned disgusting with some commentators reporting McIlroy and Shane Lowry were both abused with comments made about their families.

According to reports, Lowry asked for some fans to be evicted from the course before extra security was deployed to monitor rowdy galleries during the Europe star’s afternoon four-ball match as tensions reached fever pitch.

In his morning foursome match with Tommy Fleetwood, McIlroy — who on Friday had flipped the middle finger to hecklers — used an obscenity as he told noisy fans to “shut up” as he prepared to play a shot.

You can watch the incident in the video player above.

It had TV broadcasters apologising to viewers at home who heard the remark clearly through their TV speakers.

Later, McIlroy was forced to pack off a putt by a heckler on the fourth hole in his four-ball match with pal Lowry, a move that draw of chorus of boos and prompted McIlroy to ask a rules official if anything could be done about over-the-top annoyers.

“I don’t mind them having a go at us,” McIlroy told reporters at his press conference after the match.

“Like, that’s to be expected. 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 a tough thing.

“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.”

As Europe stretched its lead over the United States, McIlroy became the focus of most of the remarks and insults from the crowd, from the creative to the mundane.

“You really just have to focus on the task at hand,” McIlroy said, adding that mental toughness was a requirement.

Even after making an obscene gesture to the crowd on Friday, McIlroy said after Friday’s play that the spite being fired his way was “what we sort of expected.” “It was rowdy and lively,” McIlroy said. “They made it difficult for us, but I felt like Shane and I, we handled that really well and dug in. Made some good swings and good putts when we needed to.” McIlroy, who dropped to his knees and cried on the 18th green at Augusta after winning the Masters to complete a career Grand Slam, has fed off the intense atmosphere, saying on the eve of the event he has struggled to find a balance on how much to engage with hostile crowds.

“At times in the Ryder Cup, I’ve engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd,” McIlroy said.

“But then there’s times where I haven’t engaged enough. So it’s really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance.”