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Rory McIlroy told a fan to "shut the f*** up" and had them ejected during the closing stages of the PGA Championship. The six-time major champion was playing the par-five 16th at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday and left his third shot in the bunker when he was unsettled by a comment from the crowd. McIlroy glared at the individual and delivered his blunt response before instructing security to remove them.

The remark that rattled McIlroy was not picked up on the broadcast, yet his irritation was plain for all to see. His failure to create a birdie opportunity extinguished his chances of claiming the title, which was eventually won by Aaron Rai. The 37-year-old - who finished T7 - had appeared visibly frustrated for much of the week, displeased with the PGA of America's preparation of the course.

McIlroy endured a trying day at Aronimink, repeatedly finding himself out of position on the scoreable holes. Beginning the day at three under, he opened his birdie account at the second, only to then make 10 consecutive pars. Nevertheless, the lead remained within striking distance, as only Rai amongst the many contenders managed to string birdies together.

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However, a bogey at the accessible par-four 13th dealt a severe blow to McIlroy's prospects. He responded with a birdie at the next hole, but by the time he arrived at the 16th, it was eagle-or-nothing territory, and he failed to find the fairway. His second shot settled in the rough once more, and he required all of his skill to rescue a birdie.

Yet when his pitch failed to crest the fringe and spun right into the bunker, his frustration broke through to the surface, with words from beyond the ropes provoking his fiery response. The incident unfolded 24 hours after McIlroy had praised the crowd at Aronimink.

He had been subjected to some appalling abuse at the Ryder Cup in New York last year, but he noted that his reception in Philadelphia was markedly different. "Again, 103 out of 104 weeks, I get pretty good support everywhere I go," he said. "It's just that one week every four years, I guess it is, that most of the crowd are on the other side, and that's fine.

"If I were them, I'd be on the U.S. side, too. But no, I do, I feel like I get a lot of support anywhere I go, and I'm very fortunate and very grateful for that." The Masters champion is set to take another brief break from the sport as he will not play in The CJ Cup Byron Nelson this weekend.