Rory McIlroy appears to give rowdy Ryder Cup fans the finger

McIlroy roared in delight after a birdie before making a gesture to the crowd (Picture: Getty)

Rory McIlroy appeared to give a rowdy and raucous American crowd the finger as he walked off the green on the opening day of the Ryder Cup.

Team Europe took a commanding 3-1 lead after the opening foursome session of the day but victory for Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay in the final game ensured the hosts carried some momentum into the afternoon fourballs.

Having been paired with Tommy Fleetwood earlier in the day, McIlroy linked up with countryman Shane Lowry up in fourballs action against Sam Burns and Cantlay.

United States President Donald Trump was watching on  after being flown in on Air Force One to watch the action in New York.

The traditionally partisan American crowd have been making themselves heard throughout the day with Team Europe mercilessly jeered and heckled at every turn.

McIlroy was targeted with chants of ‘F**k you Rory’ from the moment he appeared on the giant screens around the course ahead of first tee at the start of the day.

The Northern Irishman missed a huge putt from four feet on the second hole, drawing huge roars of jubilation from the US crowd who revelled in his misery.  

But back-to-back birdies had McIlroy and Lowry firmly back on course, moving two shots ahead.

As he and Lowry made their way off the green to make their way through the crowd, McIlroy turned to the left, holding out his hand with at least one finger raised in the direction of someone out of shot.

McIlroy has history with US crowds in previous Ryder Cups having also been involved in a heated clash with caddie Joe LaCava in 2023.

This week, he admitted he had been guilty in the past of getting too involved with the crowd.

‘I feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd,” he said. “But then there’s times where I haven’t engaged enough. So it’s really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance.

‘I felt like at Hazeltine, I probably engaged too much at times, and then Whistling Straits, I didn’t engage enough and felt pretty flat because of it. It’s just trying to find that balance.’

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