Rory McIlroy appears to mock PGA Tour rival as fans laugh in new Ryder Cup footage

The mind games at the Ryder Cup are some of the most brutal in the world of sport.

In newly-surfaced footage, Rory McIlroy found a subtle but genius way at taking a dig at a Team USA rival.

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Previous unseen Ryder Cup video has only just emerged across social media, via NUCLR GOLF, and it shows McIlroy hilariously mocking Patrick Cantlay‘s pre-shot routine. 

The 2025 Masters champion watched from the side of the tee, appearing to mimic the American’s trademark foot shuffling and prolonged shot set-up, giving watching fans a good laugh. 

The moment occurred during Friday afternoon’s fourballs at Bethpage Black, with Cantlay paired alongside Sam Burns to face McIlroy and close friend Shane Lowry. 

Team USA were struggling to get a foot-hold in the contest, after Europe’s electric start left the home side flailing.

McIlroy’s sly mockery is just another chapter in what became a highly-charged, fierce encounter between the two great rival teams, despite this match itself ending in a tie.

Both Cantlay and McIlroy are no strangers to Ryder Cup controversy.

At the 2023 contest in Rome, the American became public enemy number one for European supporters in ‘hat gate’.

The furore followed a Sky Sports Golf report that claimed he refused to wear a cap in protest at the players not being paid to compete.

Those allegations were categorically denied by both Cantlay and Team USA.

It did, though, generate the now infamous scenes of his team-mates removing their own caps en-masse as he holed a 43-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Marco Simone.

The McIlroy-Cantlay beef goes further, too.

That week in Rome saw McIlroy square up with Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava on 18th green during their Saturday fourballs match.

A dramatic day on course would boil over into the car park outside the clubhouse as tensions flared yet again.

McIlroy believed LaCava didn’t move out of his eyeline so he could putt. A shot he went on to miss.

Lowry had to intervene and pull McIlroy away and towards a waiting car.

With McIlroy clearly still seething, this finally diffused the situation, which had seemingly reached boiling point.

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As the 2026 season begins Cantlay returns to the tee this week at the Farmers Insurance Open, arriving as one of the leading contenders for the trophy.

Meanwhile, grand slam champion McIlroy is finishing up his Middle East swing before beginning his PGA Tour season with the defence of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on February 12.