McIlroy takes a bow after Ryder Cup heroics

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Fresh off the heroics that secured him a US$11million payday less than a week earlier, Rory McIlroy provided the lasting image of the opening day of the Ryder Cup.

After the US started with a rare clean sweep (4-0) in the morning foursomes matches, Europe hit back to trail 5-3 after the completion of the afternoon fourball contests.

McIlroy and his partner Thomas Pieters scored a  3&2 win over Americans Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar, with McIlroy’s stunning eagle on the 572-yard, par-5 16th guaranteeing the win.

A majestic long iron to the middle of the green left the Northern Irishman with this putt for the match.

Golf fans already know how much the Ryder Cup means to the players. Newcomers just need to watch McIlroy’s reaction to see for themselves.