Anticipation continues to build for the 2025 Ryder Cup. But with the showdown at Bethpage Black still more than two weeks away, golf fans are searching the internet to keep the conversation going. Enter a new U.S.-themed Ryder Cup T-shirt that allegedly depicts . . . European star Rory McIlroy?!
Earlier this week, images of the shirt circulated around the golf world, eventually making their way to the Masters champ himself, who reacted ahead of the BMW PGA Championship.
Viral U.S. Ryder Cup T-Shirt raises questions
One of the first people to notice the potential T-shirt problem was Sports Illustrated editor Ian MacMillan.
On Monday night, MacMillan posted a photo to X of a “Ralph Lauren 2025 Ryder Cup Graphic T-Shirt in Refined Navy.” The shirt, which cost $65, featured the words “USA RYDER CUP 2025” superimposed over a silhouette of a golfer.
MacMillan posited that the silhouette did not belong to any of the U.S. team’s 12 players, but McIlroy, the star of the European team.
The post sparked debate. Many observers agreed with MacMillan, while others suggested it was Jordan Spieth, Wyndham Clark or Chris Kirk.
As of Wednesday morning, the T-shirt couldn’t be found among Ralph Lauren’s Ryder Cup apparel collection on its website. There is, however, a thumbnail of a “2025 Ryder Cup Canvas Tote Bag” featuring the silhouette in question. But when you click into the product, the silhouette logo is not among the design options available for the tote bag.
Ralph Lauren has not responded to a request for comment.
Who Rory McIlroy thinks Ryder Cup T-shirt silhouette features
McIlroy is not one to back down from a golf debate, especially a good-natured one like this. So it begged the question, did McIlroy think the T-shirt featured his image?
Sky Sports caught up with McIlroy on Tuesday at Wentworth as he prepped for this week’s BMW PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy downplays viral ‘gesture.’ But also knows why it matters
First off, did he see the viral T-shirt?
“I saw this, yeah,” McIlroy said, laughing.
The reporter then asked if McIlroy could “confirm or deny” whether it was his silhouette on the T-shirt, and Rory offered up a different theory for which player it was.
“It looks more like Adam Scott to me than me I think, but it looks a little similar, I don’t know.”
As an Australian, Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, is definitely not on the U.S. Ryder Cup team; he’s not eligible for the European team either. Instead, he’s a star of the International team that plays the Americans every two years at the Presidents Cup.
When the reporter then suggested that there will be American fans at Bethpage rocking McIlroy’s silhouette on their shirts, Rory smiled again.
