Team USA make Ryder Cup blunder with McIlroy silhouette merchandise

The countdown is very much underway with the 2025 Ryder Cup set to be held from September 26-28, at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York.

The event is one of the most prestigious events in golf, a biennial men’s competition pitting a 12-member team from the United States against a 12-member team from Europe. Unlike most professional golf tournaments which are individual stroke-play events, the Ryder Cup is a team competition played in a match-play format which means that instead of a total score for all 72 holes, the winner is determined by which team wins more individual matches.

Team USA blunder

A new Team USA Ryder Cup t-shirt (part of the official Ralph Lauren collection), has caused a stir because the silhouette of the golfer on the front appears to be Europe’s star player, Rory McIlroy.

The t-shirt, which costs $65, features the words “USA Ryder Cup 2025” and a silhouette of a golfer in a high-finish follow-through pose.

Golf fans on social media quickly pointed out that the silhouette’s pose, stance, and finish are almost identical to McIlroy’s signature swing. This led to a wave of online reactions, with fans joking about McIlroy “defecting” to Team USA and criticizing Ralph Lauren and the Ryder Cup organizers for the blunder.

When asked about the shirt, Rory McIlroy laughed it off. He jokingly suggested it looked “more like Adam Scott” but admitted the resemblance was there. He also said that he wouldn’t mind if American fans wore the shirt with his silhouette on it at the Ryder Cup.

The incident has been widely reported as an early “faux pas” or “blunder” for Team USA ahead of the Ryder Cup. It’s a humorous subplot to the traditional rivalry, with many people commenting on the irony of a key European player being featured on the opposing team’s merchandise.

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