Scottie Scheffler calls out Northern Irish fans for ‘crossing the line’ at The Open

Scottie Scheffler has opened up about the stick he got from Northern Irish golf fans during his winning performance at last month’s Open Championship as they supported local hero Rory McIlroy

Scottie Scheffler has called out Northern Irish golf fans for crossing the line with comments made at last month’s Open Championship.

The world No. 1 claimed his second major of the year at Royal Portrush with an overall score of 17-under-par, despite a jeering crowd who were on hand to give Rory McIlroy a well-deserved homecoming after completing the Career Grand Slam at the Masters in Augusta earlier this year.

And while Scheffler insisted the comments he received in enemy territory failed to put him off his game, he claimed some fans were out of order with the severity of their hostility. Speaking after the third round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club, the 29-year-old said that the crowd was tame in comparison to what he saw in Northern Ireland.

He explained: “I didn’t see any of that. I played with Bob [MacIntyre] when we were in Scotland. I heard some fairly choice words when I was leading the tournament in Ireland.

“I think it’s part of it. People have a tendency to say things that are dumb. I can think of a few things that were said to me in the final round in Ireland that were very far over the line.

“If you’re a fan, it’s only going to fire the guy up more, and I think just do your best to behave out there. It can be a little bit silly sometimes.”

If Scheffler’s performance in Portrush was anything to go by, then the comments certainly lit a fire under him which allowed him to turn it up a notch. That’s given he finished four strokes clear of runner-up, Harris English.

McIlroy was unfortunately unable to double down on major titles in 2025 at the Open, settling for T7 alongside Xander Schauffele and MacIntyre with a total score of 10-under. It comes as Scottish prodigy MacIntyre has voiced his disapproval at some of the comments he has heard from American fans at this week’s BMW Championship in Maryland.

The 29-year-old led the pack ahead of the fourth and final round of the tournament at 16-under, four strokes clear of second-placed Scheffler. When questioned about how a particularly noisy fan on the 14th affected him, he replied: “Yeah, he was just jeering. He was just shouting I missed it, he’s pushed it. Pushed it right in the middle of the hole, I guess.”

Meanwhile, MacIntyre also explained that fans were vocal from him stepping up to the first tee-box, adding: “I mean, it started on the first tee. It probably started when I walked down to the range.

“It ain’t bothering me. It’s there. As long as they don’t do it within… if they do it outside the shot, it’s fair game, but don’t do it within the shot that’s going to affect myself or Scottie.”

When asked if it fires him up to hear people badmouthing him around the greens and fairways, he continued: “100 percent. It can go two ways.

“But look, I grew up all my days amateur golf being the one on the outside looking in, faced not fitting, really fighting for it. What we say in the team, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog, and I grew up fighting to be in this position.”