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, 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 on the fourth 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.
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,” McIlroy had stated afterwards.
“But when I’m trying to hit my shot, that’s a tough thing, give us some respect and let us hit shots.”
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, 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.
More to follow…
