Former American professional golfer Paul Azinger has slammed Team Europe star Rory McIlroy over his reaction to the treatment he endured from USA supporters during the Ryder Cup. Throughout the three-day tournament at Bethpage Black, McIlroy found himself in the crosshairs of hostile US fans who were desperate to give their team the upper hand over the Europeans.
At one point, a frustrated McIlroy declined to putt whilst American spectators jeered the Northern Irishman relentlessly. McIlroy also retaliated at fans, telling them to “shut the f*** up,” before delivering a stunning shot that landed his ball perfectly on the green.
When questioned about that heated exchange, McIlroy later declared in a press conference that it felt: ‘Pretty f****** good,’ to execute such a brilliant shot. The 36-year-old wasn’t the only target of the crowd’s hostility though.
His wife Erica Stoll also came under fire from US supporters and was struck with beer. Following that incident, McIlroy demanded that golf should maintain a ‘higher standard,’ whilst team captain Luke Donald argued that the behaviour had gone too far.
But Azinger, who claimed the PGA Championship in 1993, insinuated that McIlroy was a hypocrite for condemning the poor conduct of US fans given his own language during the weekend’s action. Speaking on the Subpar podcast, he revealed: “I wanna take a shot at Rory, who I love.
“Rory probably turned down $500m not to go to LIV and he is a European and we see how much he wants to beat our tour but he stayed here, he fought for us and he fought for the PGA Tour, so I love him for that. But today in the press conference after it [the Ryder Cup] is over, he is saying: ‘I think golf should be held to a higher standard of decorum.’
“In the meantime he is going: ‘F you, f you, f you,’ in full voice for the world to see. He turns around and says to the guy: ‘Shut the f up.’
“The guy in the media asked him today: ‘How did that feel today Rory to say to that guy shut the f up and then hit it two feet,’ and he said: ‘It felt pretty f’ing good.’ And I am like which is it, Rory?
“Is it that golf is held to a higher standard or are you going to f you the fans and act like that is okay? I love Rory but you can’t say that.
“You can’t say the fans need to behave better and then in the meantime [pointing in different directions] lay them to waste. You can’t do both, you have to be one or the other.”
