Rory McIlroy once had an American spectator kicked out of the Ryder Cup after they made a disgusting comment about the golf star's ex-girlfriend.
On Friday morning, Team USA and Team Europe will tee off at the Bethpage Black Golf Course in Long Island, New York for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Several of the biggest names in golf will be representing their country across the two teams as Europe hope to retain their title after their spectacular win on the final day of the 2023 competition.
World number two McIlroy will perhaps be more eager to win the competition than any other golfer in New York, after previously labelling it as one of the biggest accomplishments in the sport.
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And his passion for the Ryder Cup was once made abundantly clear after he got one American fan kicked out for a disrespectful comment made during the competition.
Back in September 2016, the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota hosted a Ryder Cup that went on to be won by the US with a scoreline of 17-11.
During the second day of the competition, as McIlroy walked to the eighth tee during afternoon fourballs he was met with chants of 'Go America!' but one fan decided to take things down a more negative route.
In a video posted on social media, via The Daily Mail, the Northern Irishman could be seen confronting a man in a red striped polo shirt who appeared to say 'oh wee man'.
But that's not all he allegedly said, as fellow fan Nate Anderson, who shared the viral clip, said that the heckler had told McIlroy to 'suck a d***' and that him 'coming up short' was the reason why ex-girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki 'left his a**'.
Other fans quickly told McIlroy to ignore the heckler, asking him to keep walking, but the golf star made it clear that he wasn't prepared to be abused in such a way, leading to the man being kicked off the course.
Speaking about the moment after the second day of play, McIlroy admitted: "It fuelled me a lot, the more they shouted the better we played.
"I hope they shout at us all day tomorrow."
What happened to Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki's relationship?
Back in August 2011, a 22-year-old McIlroy was spotted spending time with Danish tennis star Wozniacki ahead of the European Masters.
The pair continued to grow close with Wozniacki, who was women's world number one for a total of 71 weeks, even caddying her partner at the Masters in In 2013 and 2014.
After dating for over two years, McIlroy proposed to Wozniacki on New Year's Eve in 2013 but just a month after their appearance together during the 2014 Masters, the Northern Irishman confirmed that the pair had split.
“There is no right way to end a relationship that has been so important to two people,” McIlroy said in a statement at the time, per CNN.
“The problem is mine. The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise that I wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails.”
McIlroy is now married to Erica Stoll, having got engaged just months into their relationship in December 2015.
The couple had a daughter, Poppy, in September 2020.
Meanwhile Wozniacki is now married to former NBA basketball player David Lee, who she shares three children with, Olivia, James and Max.
Topics: Rory Mcilroy, Ryder Cup, Golf
Ben McCrum