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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Rory McIlroy was public enemy No. 1 at Bethpage Black all week.
The reigning Masters champion was the solo leader in heckles thrown his way at this weekend’s Ryder Cup on Long Island. Most were fine, but many crossed the line.
Whether it was telling him his wife was “a four,” asking about Amanda Balionis amid a previously rumored fling (with his wife mere feet away), dropping F-bombs, or constant reminders of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, McIlroy is sure to be happy that this Ryder Cup is over.
McIlroy was stoic and ignored everyone 99.9% of the time. But that 0.01% included him telling fans to “shut the f— up” on Saturday morning and another instance that afternoon where a fan told him he was “not that good,” to which he responded, “I’m very f—ing good.”
“I am. I am really good,” McIlroy reiterated to Fox News Digital during Europe’s celebration press conference, right after chugging a beer.
But McIlroy has to stay composed, because an athlete is automatically the bad guy if they respond.
EUROPE WINS RYDER CUP TO END WILD WEEKEND AT BETHPAGE BLACK
However, there are times — whether it’s playful banter or someone crossing a line — when McIlroy has no choice.
“Honestly, I’d say it’s just on impulse,” McIlroy said. “Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. I’m quite an impulsive character, if you haven’t noticed.
“Sometimes I’ll engage and sometimes I’ll catch myself and refrain. But I don’t really choose when, and it’s just sort of sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.
At the end of the day, McIlroy got the last laugh, as his European squad made good on his bold prediction from two years ago, defeating the Americans 15-13 and becoming the first team to win a road Ryder Cup since 2012.
But the New York crowd is certainly unlike most, especially in a Ryder Cup.
Future Ryder Cup venues are set through 2039, which will be played at Hazeltine, where McIlroy had one of the fiercest matchups ever against Patrick Reed. So, the earliest a Ryder Cup can return to the New York metro area is 2043.
After all he endured, would McIlroy be OK with that?
“If the result is the same,” McIlroy said slyly, “Absolutely.”
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