Rory McIlroy's perfect response to Ryder Cup hecklers and ruthless message before sudden outburst

US fans do not like Rory McIlroy at the Ryder Cup, and it is no secret Rory McIlroy does not like US fans at the Ryder Cup. So on Saturday, when McIlroy blew kisses to Team USA supporters who made him the target of their early heckling on the first tee at Bethpage Black, it was no real surprise.

McIlroy walked onto the first tee with Tommy Fleetwood to face Harris English and Collin Morikawa for the second time in this Ryder Cup; the European pair had comfortably beaten the Americans on Friday whilst extending their perfect 5-0 Ryder Cup record.

McIlroy has faced intense hostility throughout the week at Bethpage Black. The Northern Irishman was greeted on the tee with a savage three-word chant before striking a ball at the beginning of Friday's foursomes.

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By the time he was competing in the afternoon fourballs with close mate and fellow countryman Shane Lowry, Team Europe was firmly in control after Team USA endured a catastrophic opening, leaving supporters stunned and Bryson DeChambeau embarrassed, reports the Mirror US.

Nevertheless, when partnering with Lowry against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay, McIlroy responded to boos by giving fans the middle finger.

As he prepared to tee off on Saturday, McIlroy once again reacted to taunts from opposing supporters who welcomed him on the tee with shouts of "ass----!" and "F--- you Rory!"

The five-time major winner grinned as he absorbed their chants before blowing a succession of kisses towards the grandstand. Fan behaviour has been a burning issue in the build-up to the tournament, with US rival Justin Thomas telling supporters in New York exactly where to draw the line when it comes to heckling players.

Speaking before the tournament got underway, McIlroy discussed the difficulty of competing in an unfamiliar and hostile environment in the United States.

"I think everyone has to find their own balance of what works for them or what - you know, we're playing in an environment that we are not really used to or we don't get to play in very often," McIlroy told reporters.

"I'm very lucky, I get a lot of support pretty much everywhere I go when I play golf, and it's going to feel a little different for me this week. But that's to be expected, and that's totally understandable.

"I feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd. But then there's times where I haven't engaged enough.

"So it's really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance.

"I felt like at Hazeltine, I probably engaged too much at times, and then Whistling Straits, I didn't engage enough and felt pretty flat because of it.

"It's just trying to find that balance. I can't tell anyone on the team what that balance is. They really have to find it themselves. But that's the challenge of playing away, right.

"You're not just trying to perform to your best level, but someone in the American Team holes a putt, and then you have to try to follow them in. But you know, you've got the crowd going crazy and you're waiting for them to quiet.

"There's a lot of little things like that that I guess takes you out of your normal routine that you just have to deal with, and that's part of the challenge of this week."

It appears McIlroy is still striving to strike that balance over the forthcoming two days. He and Tommy Fleetwood notched another point for Europe's tally on Saturday in the foursomes, edging them closer to securing a legendary victory.

But just before beating Harris English and Collin Morikawa, McIlroy lost his cool with loud fans in attendance.

He turned to one, who shouted "FREEDOM" before he was about to swing, and blasted: "Guys, shut the f*** up!"