Rory McIlroy’s true character shines through as PGA Tour star drops telling comment

Chris Gotterup has opened up on what he learned about Rory McIlroy after sharing his final round of this year’s Scottish Open at Dunluce with the seasoned career Grand Slam winner

Rory McIlroy showed his caring nature by ensuring he and Chris Gotterup weren’t disrespected by fans at this year’s Genesis Scottish Open.

The 36-year-old settled for a respectable T2 finish alongside Marco Penge at the Renaissance Club after sharing his final round with Gotterup, coming up against not only stiff competition on the greens and fairways, but also lairy crowds surrounding them, especially on the back nine.

And now, speaking on the Fore Play podcast, Gotterup has explained exactly how McIlroy put their minds at rest during the prestigious British tournament. The 26-year-old explained: “Once we got going we were chatting and talking about Florida and stuff.

“I know he’s down there. I was asking him about courses and what not, and we were just kind of chatting. And then once it turned to 12, 13, the crowd started getting very hostile, once they realised this is happening.

“And I will say to Rory’s credit, he was very aware of what was happening and he had his security guard telling people to cut it out, which is cool because he’s trying to win the tournament too. But he’s also aware of what’s going on.

“And I know it’s extra crazy over there with him, especially coming off a Grand Slam, but it always amazes me that those guys play so good, week in, week out with all that going on.”

When probed on whether there was any moments where spectators overstepped the line in their vocalisation, Gotterup added: “I mean there were a couple [that were] too far for your average crowd, but it didn’t bother me. There were a couple of guys that were yelling, ‘You’re going to three-putt,’ and ‘Watch out for the pot bunkers,’ and stuff.

“And then there was one on 18, this kid yelled like, ‘I hope you choke so Rory can win,’ or whatever, and Rory told him to shut up which was…we were laughing about it walking down 18, because no matter where you go in the world, there’s always idiots yelling in the crowd. It didn’t matter where you were but it was funny. Going into the day I totally expected that.”

McIlroy silencing a fan despite them rooting for him shows a wealth of class from the Northern Irishman, who evidently understands that there’s more to life than the game. Gotterup ultimately ended up claiming the second PGA Tour win of his short but sweet career thus far at the event, pipping McIlroy to the title by two strokes with an overall score of 15-under-par.

His first title on the PGA Tour also only came last year at May’s Myrtle Beach Classic, where he set the world alight with an overall score of 22-under, six strokes clear of runners-up Alistair Docherty and Davis Thompson.

For McIlroy, it appears as though fan jubilation of seeing him complete the Career Grand Slam in April hasn’t died down just yet. McIlroy added the coveted Green Jacket of the Masters to his trophy haul to become just the sixth man to win each of the four majors in golf.

It also ended a decade-long drought in terms of major titles, with his most recent excluding the Masters coming in the form of the 2014 Open at Royal Liverpool.