Why didn't Rory McIlroy shake Austin Johnson's hand after their Ryder Cup match?

After Rory McIlroy ripped the heart outs of Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar with an eagle that ended their Friday afternoon four-ball match at the 2016 Ryder Cup, the Ulsterman took two bows before the crowd before turning to his opponents to shake hands.

McIlroy shakes hands with Kuchar, then Johnson, and then he mouths something to Johnson's brother and caddie Austin, before not shaking his hand and moving toward his European teammates to celebrate.

I wonder what Austin did to piss off @McIlroyRory? @NoLayingUp @KylePorterCBS pic.twitter.com/PCCR6H4FFx

— Forrest M (@mctrees02) September 30, 2016

After the match, McIlroy was asked about the snub, and he was surprised that he did that. He said he got caught up in the moment and didn't intentionally not shake Austin's hand, adding that he gets along well with both Dustin and Austin. McIlroy said he would apologize to Austin for what happened.

About the author

View All Posts

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

Ryan talks about golf on various social platforms:

X or Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanballengee
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanballengeegolf
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanballengee
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanballengeegolf

Ballengee can be reached by email at ryan[at]thegolfnewsnet.com

Ryan occasionally links to merchants of his choosing, and GNN may earn a commission from sales generated by those links. See more in GNN's affiliate disclosure.