Rory McIlroy demanded that a fan be ejected from the PGA Championship after an interaction on the 16th hole at Aronimink Golf Club
18:02 ET, 17 May 2026Updated 18:23 ET, 17 May 2026
Rory McIlroy had a fiery exchange with a fan at the PGA Championship(Image: CBS)
Rory McIlroy told a fan to “shut the f— up” and had them ejected during the closing stages of the PGA Championship.
The six-time major champion was playing the par-five 16th at Aronimink Golf Club and left his third shot in the bunker when he was upset by some words from the gallery. McIlroy stared them down and delivered his explicit reply before telling security to kick them out.
The words that bothered McIlroy were not heard on the broadcast, but McIlroy’s frustration was clear to see. He is three shots off the lead in Philadelphia, and his inability to set up a birdie opportunity likely cost him the chance to win the tournament. He had cut a frustrated figure for much of the week, unhappy with the PGA of America’s setup of the course.
READ MORE: Donald Trump’s actual height exposed as he attends LIV Golf event with son EricREAD MORE: Dianna Russini was left furious by doctor’s question when delivering her baby
Aaron Rai leads at nine under par, three clear of Matti Schmid. Justin Thomas holds the clubhouse lead at five under.
McIlroy has endured an irksome day at Aronimink, leaving himself out of positions on the scoreable holes. Starting the day at three under, he opened his birdie account at the second, but he made 10 consecutive pars.
Still, the lead was within reach, as only Rai from the many contenders was able to string together birdies. But a bogey at the gettable par-four 13th was a hammer blow to McIlroy’s chances.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive interviews with Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and more
McIlroy saw this chance to win his seventh major pass him by(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
He responded with a birdie at the following hole, but by the time he reached the 16th, it was eagle-or-bust territory, and he failed to hit the fairway. His second shot came to rest in the rough once more, and he needed all of his craft to salvage a birdie.
But when his pitch failed to climb the fringe and kicked right into the bunker, his disappointment came to the surface, with the words from outside the ropes triggering his feisty response.
The incident occurred 24 hours after McIlroy commended the crowd at Aronimink. He was on the receiving end of some deplorable abuse at the Ryder Cup in New York last year, but he said the experience in Philadelphia was very different.
“Again, 103 out of 104 weeks, I get pretty good support everywhere I go,” he said. “It’s just that one week every four years, I guess it is, that most of the crowd are on the other side, and that’s fine. If I were them, I’d be on the U.S. side, too.
“But no, I do, I feel like I get a lot of support anywhere I go, and I’m very fortunate and very grateful for that.”
