The last time Rory McIlroy was on a Long Island golf course, he was celebrating a Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black while trying to come to terms with the rough reception he had gotten from the New York crowd all week.

The taunting and vulgar comments toward McIlroy during the U.S. vs. Europe event made headlines and led to some fiery interactions between the fans and the two-time Masters winner.

But Tuesday, two days ahead of the start of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, a little more than 60 miles east of Bethpage Black, McIlroy didn’t seem to hold any ill will toward the local golf fans.

Being part of the victorious side of the Ryder Cup certainly seemed to help.

“Look, I love playing around New York. I love playing in this area. It’s got some of the best golf in the world,” he said ahead of his practice round. “This is different. The Ryder Cup is Us vs. Them, very partisan. It’s just a different beast. … Was it a rough week for me at times? Absolutely. But it is what it is. If that’s a price to pay to live the life that I’m living, then I’m OK with that.”

McIlroy received a warm reception while out on the course Tuesday for his second practice round of the week. Several fans shouted out “Rory!” as he waited to tee off on the first hole.

“We love you Rory!” a woman shouted before he hit the ball, and swaths of fans followed down the first fairway. Coming off the first green, fans lined the sides looking for an autograph.

It was similar Monday while he was out on the course for his first practice round, alongside Michael Brennan and Filippo Celli.

It was a starkly different scene than nine months earlier in Farmingdale when the crowd at Bethpage Black had upset him to the point he told a fan to “shut the f–k up” before a shot during his Saturday Ryder Cup round, and the day earlier was seen flipping another off.

Tuesday, McIlroy called the fans following him during the practice round “great” and the reception in Southampton “amazing.”

“New York is New York, and they’re going to make their voices heard, but that’s a good thing. That’s a good atmosphere to play in,” he said.

This year’s U.S. Open presents a unique opportunity for the Northern Irishman, as a victory at Shinnecock Hills would mark the first time since 2014 that Europeans have won three majors in a single season. McIlroy had been part of the last time it happened, winning the PGA Championship and The Open, while Martin Kaymer won the U.S. Open that year.

McIlroy already won the Masters this year — his second consecutive after winning the first of his career in 2025 — and Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship in May.

“Obviously a historic start to the major season for golfers from that part of the world, and I would say this is more a UK/European style of test than certainly the first two majors at Augusta and Aronimink,” McIlroy said. “So it certainly wouldn’t surprise me to see a few players from Europe and the UK in contention on Sunday.”

McIlroy is looking for his first U.S. Open victory since 2011, when he won the tournament at Congressional Country Club in Maryland, and a bit of redemption after struggling at Shinnecock back in 2018, the last time the major was held here.