McIlroy expects 'different' New York reception at Shinnecock

After a run of near misses, McIlroy believes patience can help deliver a first US Open title since 2011

Rory McIlroy speaks to the media at the 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills. Pic: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

THIS somewhat new phenomenon that has seen American golf fans taunt European players with highly unoriginal chants of “USA, USA” is just the latest in a bizarre spate of spectator behavior, especially on this side of the Atlantic.

Matt Fitzpatrick heard it at the Players Championship, and so did Rory McIlroy at the US PGA Championship last month, where he had a spectator removed from Aronimink Golf Club due to the excessive boorishness.

And yet, that was nothing compared to what both players endured last September at the Ryder Cup. 

That was McIlroy’s last official visit to Long Island, one filled with tears of joy and pain, a victorious European Ryder Cup triumph interrupted at times by boisterous and overbearing spectators at Bethpage Black.

That was a venue some 60 miles and more than an hour away from the toney Hamptons, where Shinnecock Hills Golf Club sits among some of America’s finest golf courses amid luxurious vacation homes just a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean.

The scene for the staging of the 126th US Open will be far different than the one at the very public Bethpage Black, and McIlroy expects the decorum to be different, too, when the tournament begins tomorrow.

Still, will those New Yorkers now shower the six-time major winner with love?

“Look, I love playing around New York. I love playing in this area. It’s got some of the best golf in the world,” McIlroy said Tuesday during a pre-tournament news conference.

“This is different. The Ryder Cup is us versus them, very partisan, very... like it’s just a different beast. So... yeah, was it a rough week for me at times? Absolutely. But it is what it is. If that’s a price to pay to live the life that I’m living, then I’m okay with that.”

McIlroy, who won the 2011 US Open at Congressional and finished runner-up to Wyndham Clark in 2023 and again to Bryson DeChambeau in 2024, begins play on Thursday morning at 7:52am local time (12:52pm IST) along with Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood.

Three-time major winner Pádraig Harrington, who won the US Senior Open last year to qualify, is joined by amateur Miles Russell and Cameron Smith at 7:19am. (12:19pm IST).

Graeme McDowell is also off at 7:19am (12:19pm IST) but off the 10th tee along with American Patrick Rodgers and Keith Mitchell.

Shane Lowry tees off at 1:47pm (6:47pm IST) along with Joaquin Niemann and Alex Smalley.

And No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler will begin early on Thursday at 8:14am (1:14pm IST) with reigning U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell and defending US Open champion JJ Spaun.

Shinnecock is a US gem, one of the five founding members of the United States Golf Association and the site of the second US Open in 1896. 

It returned again in 1986, when Raymond Floyd won the title at age 43, making him the oldest champion at the time. (Hale Irwin became the oldest at age 45 in 1990.) It returned again in 1995 (Corey Pavin), 2004 (Retief Goosen) and 2018 (Brooks Koepka).

While a New York fan five is expected to be prevalent (Greg Norman nearly came to blows with a heckler at Shinnecock in 1986), that scene at Bethpage during the Ryder Cup clearly went beyond the scope of a few knucklehead fans.

McIlory and several of his teammates including Lowry and Fitzpatrick were subjected to considerable abuse. McIlroy’s wife, Erica, was showered with insults and had beer tossed in her direction.

The scene eventually led to PGA of America officials apologizing to McIlroy in the aftermath.

The atmosphere will be different here, but not without the occasional loudmouths, such as what McIlroy encountered last month at the PGA Championship.

During a practice round, McIlroy said the vibe was far different. “It was great,” he said. “It was amazing. Look, New York is New York, and they’re going to make their voices heard, but that’s a good thing. That’s a good atmosphere to play in.”

McIlroy comes in after a tie for 12th at Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament two weeks ago.

Since defending his Masters title in April, McIlroy tied for 19th at the Truist Championship in Charlotte and was tied for seventh at the US PGA Championship.

In 10 worldwide starts, McIlroy has four top-10 finishes, including the Masters victory.

The last time the US Open was at Shinnecock, McIlroy missed the cut. That was during a period when the 2011 champion was in a US Open rut, having missed three consecutive cuts. 

But starting in 2019, McIlroy has been in the top-10 every year but his tie for 19th in 2025, which followed consecutive runner-up finishes.

“If you can get your ball to the middle of the greens here and just putt to the corners wherever the flags are going to be, that’s never going to be a bad strategy,” he said.

“I think that’s the strategy that I’ve employed at the US Open over the past few years has been a lot like that, and that’s served me well.

“It hasn’t gotten me the trophy, but it’s gotten me pretty close a few years. But I definitely feel like I’ve become a lot better of a US Open player by trying to really stay patient throughout the week and not taking on too much.”