A bizarre heckle directed at Rory McIlroy shattered the famous decorum at the Masters on Saturday. During the third round, a patron's strange shout referenced a 90s thriller, marking another chapter in McIlroy's recent history with disruptive crowds.

As the career grand slam winner teed off at the 17th, a man shouted during the third round on Saturday, “Give me back my son!”

According to NewsBreak, the remark seemed to reference the 1996 film Ransom, a line that is often used as a heckle at PGA Tour events. At Augusta, though, that kind of callout is rarely heard because patrons are expected to follow a different standard of conduct.

This is not the first time Rory McIlroy has dealt with heckling. Earlier in 2026, at the Players Championship, Rory McIlroy prepared to play an approach shot from the rough over a water hazard on the fourth hole. However, a group of spectators called out, "Get in the water!"

While McIlroy remained unfazed, clearing the hazard, even Announcer Wayne Riley commented on the unruly fans. Rory McIlroy experienced something similar in 2025 as well.

During the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, he and Shane Lowry reportedly faced "brutal" and "nasty" comments from sections of the crowd. 

They apparently didn't even spare his wife, Erica. "We shut them up by our performance and how we played, and we tried to - I chirped back a few times because it got to me a few times," McIlroy said after that round.

"We tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise, and for the most part, I felt like we did that," he added.

Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young are in focus at Augusta

In the third round, five-time major winner Rory McIlroy opened with a bogey before responding with a birdie on the third hole. From there, he settled into a run of pars and later picked up another birdie on the 10th.

However, the round took a turn at the 11th, where Rory McIlroy carded a double bogey. Ironically, Rory had revealed that this was exactly what Jack Nicklaus had told him to avoid.

"No f****** double bogeys," Nickalus had told him ahead of the 2026 Masters. The defending champion somewhat recovered with birdies on the 14th and 15th to steady things, but another bogey on the 17th, and eventually closed the round with a score of 73.

Meanwhile, Cameron Young, who opened the third round eight shots behind Rory McIlroy, closed the gap.

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Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi