With just two weeks to go until the Ryder Cup tees off at Bethpage Black, Team USA may already be facing its first unforced error. A new $65 Ralph Lauren T-shirt, part of the official 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Collection, is causing a stir online, and fans are now wondering if Rory McIlroy has suddenly switched his allegiances to Team USA, or has Ralph Lauren just made one of the biggest blunders in Ryder Cup merchandise history?

The drama erupted after NUCLR Golf posted on X, highlighting a curious, and now viral, detail: “Team USA is selling a Ryder Cup shirt ($65) featuring what appears to be a silhouette of Rory McIlroy.” The t-shirt features a silhouette of a golfer, with the words “USA RYDER CUP 2025” printed in bold across it. But it wasn’t just any random golfer, or a player from Team USA. That classic, high-finish follow-through was nothing but a spitting image of Rory McIlroy’s iconic finish.

At first, you might not notice it. But another glance, and you’d realize that the image is far too familiar. The pose, the swing finish, the stance… it all screams Rory McIlroy. For a T-shirt meant to celebrate the red, white, and blue, fans were stunned to see what looks suspiciously like the Northern Irishman. The cotton tee is part of the official 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Team Collection, currently available on the Ryder Cup online store. “Designed for the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Team Collection, this cotton T-shirt commemorates this year’s competition with a bold golfer graphic,” the tagline read on the website.

When shown the shirt, McIlroy laughed and said: “It looks a little more like Adam Scott to me than it does me… I’ve seen worse. It’s flattering, I guess. But I’ll be firmly in the European camp at Bethpage.”

The timing of the mix-up only adds to the buzz, with the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black set for September 26–28, a venue where the U.S. will be desperate to defend home turf, having not lost on American soil since Medinah in 2012, and especially after Europe’s dominant 2023 win in Rome. McIlroy arrives in peak form to fuel that narrative, fresh off a win at the 2025 Irish Open after a jaw-dropping 30-foot eagle putt to force a playoff, and set to tee it up at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week as he chases a second career title there after first winning in 2014.

Yet, as everyone is focused on Team Europe as they aim to retain the Ryder Cup trophy after a commanding five-point victory in Rome in 2023, it’s the Ralph Lauren T-shirt that has stolen the show this week.

Fans react to Team USA’s Ryder Cup merch blunder

When the post from NUCLR Golf went up on X, golf fans absolutely went bonkers. The comment section quickly turned into equal parts disbelief and laughter. One fan didn’t bother mincing his words with a simple but assertive comment— “Appears to be???? That IS Rory. Unreal.” The silhouette’s swing — the high follow-through and the perfect finish was so unmistakably McIlroy that even casual fans could spot it from a mile away. For a t-shirt designed to fire up Team USA, it was giving serious Team Europe energy, as one fan even jokingly questioned, “Is Rory switching sides?”

The reactions only got funnier. One user even took the opportunity to take a dig at Team USA, hinting that McIlroy’s form has been so good that he might be subconsciously in their minds. “He’s in your head, he’s in your head— Rory, Rory, Rory!” the fan commented. It probably hinted at a deeper fear among American fans that with Rory McIlroy playing some of the best golf of his career, Team USA is already feeling the pressure. After all, no one on American soil wants to be part of the first home team to lose the Ryder Cup since 2012.

Another comment summed up the collective disbelief with a sharp jab: “Yikes, fire the intern.” Whether it was a rogue design choice or an oversight no one caught, fans weren’t ready to let this one slide. One user was so disappointed in the design that he said, “Not buying that 💩,” making it clear that not even Ralph Lauren’s signature Pony or Ryder Cup branding could justify the $65 price tag, especially when the shirt appears to celebrate the wrong team.

Ralph Lauren, Team USA’s official outfitter since 2014, stumbled badly here: a shirt meant to showcase American pride ended up resembling Europe’s biggest star. With the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black only two weeks away, the slip has become an unneeded distraction.