Rory McIlroy Showed Class After Damaging the 18th Green on Ryder Cup Friday

The World No. 2 damaged the 18th green after tossing his club in the air on Friday, but made sure to go back and repair it following his TV interview.

It was a frustrating end to Day 1 of the Ryder Cup for Rory McIlroy. / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Team Europe leads Team USA 5.5 to 2.5 after Day 1 of the Ryder Cup.

Rory McIlroy, as anticipated, played both morning and afternoon matches for Europe. After a successful morning session that saw him secure a point alongside teammate Tommy Fleetwood in foursomes, McIlroy was back on the course for afternoon four balls with fellow Irishman Shane Lowry.

McIlroy and Lowry ended up halving their match against Americans Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns in the afternoon session, but it came down to the 18th green. Sam Burns missed a birdie putt that would have given the Americans the late lead, and when his putt slid by, the floor was cleared for McIlroy.

The World No. 2's putt that would have won the match blew past the hole, and McIlroy threw his club in the air in frustration. When it came down, it left a pitch mark in the green.

McIlroy went on to do his television interview, seemingly not knowing that he had damaged the 18th green. Following his interview, he went back and repaired the mark in a classy moment following a frustrating end to his day.

Rory McIlroy's 18th hole putter toss left a mark.

He came back to fix it after his TV interview. 👏 pic.twitter.com/G71GgCUwOB

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) September 26, 2025

McIlroy is sure to be at the center of the action for the rest of the weekend as he tries to help Team Europe capture its second consecutive Ryder Cup.

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