“You can’t do both” - Azinger calls out McIlroy on Ryder Cup double standard

Former US Ryder Cup skipper Paul Azinger hit out at Rory McIlroy for being hypocritical in his criticism of foul language at the Ryder Cup.

While the PGA of America’s CEO Derek Sprague said they’d be making a written apology to McIlroy and his wife Erica, and to the European team for US fan behaviour, Azinger took issue with the Holywood star.

“In the press conference after it’s over, he is saying that I think golf should be held to a higher standard of decorum, but in the meantime he says ‘F you, F you, F you’ in full voice for the world to see,” Azinger told the Subpar podcast.

“He turns around and says to the guy, ‘Shut the F up.’ The guy in the media asks him, ‘How did that feel, Rory, to tell him to shut up and then hit it to two feet?’ And he said, ‘It felt pretty f’ing good.’

“And I’m, like, which is it, Rory? Is it that golf is held to a higher standard or are you just going to ‘F you’ the fans and act that like that’s OK?

“So, I love Rory, but you can’t say that. You can’t say the fans need to behave better and then in the meantime lay them to waste.

“You can’t do both. You’ve got to be one or the other.”

As for the PGA of America, its CEO planned to apologise to McIlroy and his wife, who had a beer hurled at her during the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

"It's unfortunate that people crossed the line last week," Mr Sprague told Golf Channel. "There's no place for that at the Ryder Cup, no place for it in the game of golf and we are not happy with what happened last week.”

He added: “I haven’t spoken to Rory or Erica, I do plan on sending them an e-mail with my heartfelt apologies because of what occurred,

“There’s no place for that in the Ryder Cup or the game of golf. I heard Rory say it, we’re better than that in golf.”

At the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, Tom McKibbin and Conor Purcell opened with seven-under 65s to lie just two shots off the lead.

McKibbin made eight birdies on the Old Course at St Andrews while Purcell, who lies 147th in the race to make the top 115 in the Race to Dubai who keep their cards, made an eagle and five birdies in a bogey-free round at Kingsbarns.

American Ryan Brehm, the Netherlands’ Darius van Driel and England’s Matthew Jordan shot 63s to lead by a shot on nine under from Danes Thorbjorn Olesen and Jeff Winther and American Dustin Johnson.

Pádraig Harrington shot a two-under 70 at Carnoustie to share 122nd place.

At the Sanderson Farms Championship, Seamus Power’s level par 72 left him seven shots off the lead.

He was tied for 88th behind leaders Eric Cole, Sam Ryder, Garrick Higgon and Danny Walker, who shot 65s to lead by two strokes from an eight man group at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi.

Meanwhile, Ireland were tied for 21st at halfway in the World Amateur Team Championships for the Espirito Santo Trophy in Singapore.

Beth Coulter shot a one-under 71 and Aine Donegan a 73 as Emma Fleming’s 77 was discarded, leaving them on four-over, 17 strokes behind South Korea.