Golf insider says Rory McIlroy's treatment at Bethpage was like 'booing Michael Jordan at the Garden'

Golf insider Alan Shipnuck said that Rory McIlroy's treatment at Bethpage Black was like booing Michael Jordan at the Garden. Shipnuck teased about his upcoming book on McIlroy on his X handle, with a screenshot that showed the total pages and word count of his book.

With that, Shipnuck wrote:

“Rory book is done! Comes out in March. I had a blast typing this, which hopefully means it’s fun to read. He’s had a big life, and it’s all in here.”

A fan asked Shipnuck if McIlroy’s reputation would be affected by Bethpage Ryder Cup confrontations. He replied:

“It should elevate fans’ respect for Rory. That was like booing Michael Jordan at the Garden… and then he drops 50 points and leads his team to victory in Game 7.”

Another fan asked Shipnuck the reason behind writing about McIlroy.

In response, Shipnuck noted that McIlroy’s career growth has been inspiring, having conquered all four majors and being very outspoken. He wrote:

“First act of Rory’s career was a prodigy’s rise, culminating in 4 majors (with turbulence in his business/love life). Second act was becoming a man in full, more outspoken and polarizing...an unfulfilled champion. The Masters win was the mountaintop. Everything now is a bonus.”

At the Ryder Cup, the European team won against the Americans with a total score of 15-13. This was the European side’s second Ryder Cup win in a row. Before this, they won the 2023 Ryder Cup with 16.5-11.5.

How did Rory McIlroy perform at the Ryder Cup?

Rory McIlroy won three out of five Ryder Cup matches in the 2025 season. He won the Friday foursomes along with Tommy Fleetwood against Collin Morikawa and Harris English with 5 & 4. He was tied in the Friday fourballs with Shane Lowry against Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay.

McIlroy won the Saturday foursomes with Tommy Fleetwood against Harris English and Collin Morikawa with 3 & 2. He won Saturday fourballs with Shane Lowry against Justin Thomas and Cameron Young with 2 UP.

On Sunday, Rory McIlroy lost to Scottie Scheffler with 1 UP. After his singles, he shared that he didn't perform well against Scottie. He said, via ASAP Sports:

“It's been a really tough week. It's been really tough. I felt I didn't have much today. I didn't feel I put up that much of a fight against Scottie. He wasn't at his best either. If we were at our best, the level of golf would have been better.”

Before the Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy had four victories in 2025. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Players Championship, the Masters Tournament, and the Amgen Irish Open after scoring 21-under, 12-under, 11-under, and 17-under, respectively.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam