Paul Azinger loves Rory McIlroy.
He made that clear multiple times during his appearance on GOLF’s Subpar with Colt Knost and Drew Stolz. But loving someone doesn’t mean you can’t call out the contradiction when you see it.
“Now, I want to take a shot at Rory, who I love,” Azinger said. “Rory probably turned down $500 million not to go to LIV. And he’s a European, and we see how much he wants to beat our Tour. But he stayed here, and he fought for us. He fought for the PGA Tour, so I love him for that.
“But today after the press conference, after it’s over, he’s saying, ‘I think golf should be held to a higher standard of decorum.’ But in the meantime, he says ‘f-you, f-you, f-you’ in full voice for the world to see.”
Paul Azinger takes a shot at Rory McIlroy’s Ryder Cup behaviour:
“Today in the press conference he said ‘I think golf should be held to a higher standard of decorum. But in the meantime he says ‘f-you, f-you, f-you’ in full voice for the world to see.
“He turns around and says… pic.twitter.com/RXclb78L4n
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) September 30, 2025
The 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black turned into a weeklong ordeal for McIlroy. Europe won 15-13, but the story became what McIlroy endured from American fans. Before the tournament even resumed on Saturday, comedian Heather McMahan led a “f*ck you, Rory” chant into a megaphone at the first tee as part of the PGA of America’s official “hype team.” She later apologized and stepped down after the clip went viral.
The abuse continued throughout the weekend. Video surfaced showing McIlroy’s wife apparently getting hit with a drink while walking through the crowd on Saturday. Golf reporters following his groups said the heckling crossed lines.
On Saturday morning, during foursomes, McIlroy had had enough. While lining up an approach shot on the 16th hole, fans made noise in the background. He stepped away from the ball, turned around, and told them plainly to “shut the f*ck up.”
When asked about it in the post-tournament press conference, a reporter brought up the moment. How did it feel to tell the guy to shut up and then hit it two feet?
“Very f*cking satisfying,” McIlroy said.
🤣🤣🤣this is unreal pic.twitter.com/2vBKX7CRMC
— RORY FANS (@rory_fans) September 28, 2025
McIlroy also spent time during that same press conference discussing how golf should be held to a higher standard of decorum. He spoke about the crowds going too far and asked that fans in Ireland for the 2027 Ryder Cup behave better.
“He turns around and says to the guy, ‘Shut the f up.’ The guy in the media today asks him, ‘How did it feel, Rory, to tell the guy to shut the f up and then hit it two feet?’ And he said, ‘It felt pretty f-ing good.’ And I’m like, which is it, Rory?” asked Azinger. “Is it that golf is held to a higher standard, or are you just gonna f you the fans and act like that’s OK?”
Azinger captained the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team to victory at Valhalla, ending a streak of European dominance with his “pod system” that broke the roster into groups of four. He knows what Ryder Cup pressure feels like. He understands the heat of the moment.
He’s also saying you can’t have it both ways.
“I love Rory, you know that, but you can’t say that,” Azinger continued. “You can’t say the fans need to behave better and then in the meantime lay them to waste. You can’t do both. You gotta be one or the other.”
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.