By Lathika Krishna
Copyright sportskeeda
Rory McIlroy stunned in both the morning and afternoon matches of the Ryder Cup on Friday, September 26. However, a moment during the second session of the tournament provoked a bold reaction from the professional golfer.The Northern Irishman made birdies on Bethpage Black’s sixth and seventh holes to give him and Shane Lowry a lead over Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns. Things got dramatic on the eleventh hole.McIlroy answered back to Team USA’s birdie on the 10th hole with one of his own on the next hole. As he was making his way off the green and to the next tee, the crowd of spectators began heckling.The PGA Tour sensation then appeared to be flipping the fans off as he and Shane Lowry walked off the green.Here’s a look at the scene at Bethpage Black’s 11th hole on the opening day of the 2025 Ryder Cup (via X @NoLayingUp):The next hole saw Rory McIlroy perfectly place his drive on the 494-yard-long par 4 hole. All four players hit the fairway and also proceeded to hit greens in regulation.However, Patrick Cantlay stuck his 196-yard long iron shot to 4 feet and 8 inches from the pin to then hole out for birdie. McIlroy and Lowry carded in pars to lose the hole and drop down to one up on the match over the Americans.Rory McIlroy showers Tommy Fleetwood with praise after Friday Ryder Cup matchesRory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood were paired together as a team to go against Team USA’s Collin Morikawa and Harris English for Friday’s foursomes match in the morning. The two had an unmatchable rhythm on the golf course that led to a point for Team Europe.In a post-round press conference, the TGL co-founder stated that knowing he has a teammate by his side who he trusts was crucial to the result. Here’s a look at what Rory McIlroy had to say about Tommy Fleetwood (via ASAP Sports):”Yeah, it’s been amazing to be part of another European Ryder Cup Team, to play alongside this guy, he’s one of the best players in the world. And to know that I have him by my side, it frees me up. I can play with ultimate trust and ultimate freedom, and you know, you saw a little bit of that today.”The two European golf superstars won five up in the match against Collin Morikawa and Harris English. The American team conceded after 14 holes of play.For the four-ball session of the day, Tommy Fleetwood was teamed up with Justin Rose. Together, they took on the United States of America’s Ben Griffin and Bryson DeChambeau. The two Englishmen won their match and earned Europe yet another point.
