Rory McIlroy watched the ball bounce in the wrong way on the 16th hole, knowing his hopes of a majors could be slipping away, and no longer could stay silent.
He turned back to a heckling fan and had a succinct but stern message: “Shut the f–k up.”
McIlroy’s outburst summed up his rough Day 4 of the PGA Championship that ultimately cost him his second major of the year in as many tries this year.
The Irishman specifically lamented shooting par on that hole and underperforming on two others — Nos. 9 and 13 — after ultimately posting a 4-under for the tourney, two strokes behind winner Aaron Rai.
“Not birdieing the two par 5s and bogeying the drivable par 4,’’ McIlroy said. “Looking back, I’ll rue those three holes. I played the golf I feel like I needed to play the rest of the way … other than those three holes.
“If I birdie those par 5s and turn that five [on 13] into a three, the day looks very different.’’
McIlroy certainly had a shot to win his seventh major this past weekend and it seemed that frustration came out on said 16th hole.
He trailed Rai by three strokes at the time — per the Associated Press — when he swatted the ball out of the rough, only for it to bounce into the bunker.
The broadcast captured two indecipherable sentiments being shouted at McIlroy after he swung, with the AP reporting one fan yelled “USA.”
As the fans groaned after seeing the unlucky bounce, McIlroy turned around and uttered the NSFW remark to the spectator.
“McIlroy not happy with one of the fans here in Philadelphia,” the announcer said.
McIlroy took a step toward the ball before turning back and walking toward the fans and pointing with the handle part of his club, seemingly wanting security to tend to the measure.
He settled for par on the hole by shooting a five, but The Post’s Mark Cannizzaro noted that the hole had been a “birdie festival” for others.
