The treatment handed down to Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry by the American fans at last weekend’s Ryder Cup was nothing short of disgraceful.

Both had had run-ins with the crowd before they played together on Saturday evening, but it was during that four-ball session that things really came to a head.

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The Irish duo were targeted with abuse by sections of the home support, with McIlroy at one stage refusing to take his putt at the 6th until the noise from the crowd dissipated.

Lowry and McIlroy both launched expletives towards the crowd in response, as barbs were made towards both men’s families, as well as towards Lowry’s weight.

Eventually, State Troopers were called in to protect the duo after a beer was launched at McIlroy’s wife, Erica.

The days since have seen reluctant apologies towards McIlroy and Lowry from those within American golf, but there are still those who have chosen to target the Irishmen for criticism instead.

Now, a far more sinister aspect has emerged, with fake AI-generated videos of the pair speaking out against American golf fans going viral among said group.

READ HERE: New Footage Shows Vile Abuse Directed At Shane Lowry During Ryder Cup

READ HERE: PGA Of America President Gives Truly Baffling Defence Of US Crowd Behaviour

AI-generated Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry videos go viral

Disturbing AI-generated videos have been shared on social media, purported to show Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry speaking out against various aspects of their experience at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black last week.

One such (completely fake) video seemingly showed McIlroy announcing he would never play another tournament on US soil after the treatment he and his family received at the Ryder Cup.

The video’s audio alleged to be McIlroy’s voice, claiming that sections of the American fans had turned the golf stands into a “fighting arena.”

It was shared on an Instagram page with the username ‘papagamblz,’ and has surpassed 375,000 likes at the time of writing. A cursory glance at the comments shows that many viewers took the video at face value, including English soccer legend Ian Wright.

Any viewer who could watch such a video and truly believe that Rory McIlroy would supposedly never play at the Masters again has evidently never watched a round of golf in their lives.

Similar videos have been shared about McIlroy’s compatriot and European teammate Shane Lowry.

The Offaly native faced similar abuse from the home fans in New York, and another video suggests that Lowry came out in support of McIlroy’s “act of defiance.”

In the video, Lowry can allegedly be heard slating the American team for not standing up to the abuse faced by the European team at Bethpage.

@conarybxov1 I completely understand and support Rory’s act of defiance against Team USA.#usa🇺🇸 #tiktok #foryou #Rydercup#Rory ♬ original sound – Joyful Frenzy

That video had fewer viewers than the Rory McIlroy edition on Instagram, but nonetheless has amassed over 50,000 views and nearly 1,500 likes on TikTok.

To a wary eye, it is obvious that the videos have been created by AI programmes.

However, the fact that so many viewers have taken them at face value shows the serious dangers we are facing (and are about to face in growing volume) with the rapidly increasing hold of AI.

The audio is indeed convincing, and many people have been duped by how convincing it is, even if a more critical eye quickly confirms the whole video to be nonsense.

For Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, it is a depressing reflection of their deeply unpleasant experiences at last weekend’s Ryder Cup.

However, they will be content in the knowledge that the Ryder Cup will at least be staying in Europe for another two years.

SEE ALSO: Quiz: How Well Do You Know Shane Lowry?