Rory McIlroy addresses US Ryder Cup own goal over t-shirt which bears striking resemblance

The official Team USA merchandise for the eagerly-awaited match on Long Island looks to include a Ralph Lauren T-shirt with a silhouette of McIlroy on the front panel.

Priced at $65, it is listed on the 45th Ryder Cup merchandise website as having a “bold golfer graphic” with the words “USA Ryder Cup 2025”.

The golfer bears a striking resemblance to McIlroy, who will be making his eighth successive appearance for Europe in the biennial bout, due to his well-known post-swing pose.

The T-shirt was brought to McIlroy’s attention by Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir at Wentworth, where the Masters champion is joining ten of his Ryder Cup team-mates in this week’s $8 million BMW PGA Championship.

"Can you confirm or deny that that is a silhouette of Rory McIlroy on the T-shirt," Weir asked McIlroy, who landed his 20th DP World Tour triumph with a dramatic victory in the Amgen Irish Open at The K Club on Sunday.

"It looks more like Adam Scott than me, I think," replied the world No 2 with a wry grin. "Yeah, it looks a little similar to me, I don't know!"

Weir then pointed out that there is likely to be "loads of American fans at Bethpage with a silhouette of Rory McIlroy on their tops", to which McIlroy replied: "That's okay, that's fine. I won't mind that."

The T-shirt is part of Team USA’s Ralph Lauren collection for the match, with captain Keegan Bradley and his players being kitted out by the American clothing brand.

The Americans also suffered an embarrassment when replacement waterproofs had to be bought from the merchandise shop at Celtic Manor when the 2010 contest got underway in very wet conditions.