Amanda Balionis’s Bold Rory McIlroy Prediction Proves True as Team Europe Dominates Ryder Cup Day 1

After Day 1 concluded on Friday, the American fans were in disbelief. Rory McIlroy and his team took a commanding lead on American soil, something that hadn’t happened for Team Europe since 2012. But in a twist of events, CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis had already predicted this outcome days earlier, in an interview aired two days before the Ryder Cup even began.

In a recent episode of the YouTube show ‘Well Played’ that was aired on September 24th, Balionis didn’t hold back. “Team Europe is trying to win for the first time on US soil since 2012,” she said, setting the stage for what would be a historic showdown. Then, with a twinkle in her eye, she turned her attention to the man at the heart of the European charge — McIlroy.

“Rory McIlroy — undoubtedly the clear leader of this team. He’s been talking so much trash about beating Team USA in New York. He wants all of the New Yorkers to come out. He wants the trash talk. In almost every interview, he talks about winning the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black,” Balionis continued. And his confident attitude was on display during Day 1. He played in both the morning & the noon sessions, and Balionis’ prophecy rang loud and clear.

Partnering with Tommy Fleetwood in the morning foursomes match, he dismantled the American duo of Collin Morikawa and Harris English with a 5 & 4 victory. The loss for Team America received a lot of heat, especially Keegan Bradley, since he decided to pick the same duo for Saturday’s round to go against McIlroy and Fleetwood again.

Rory McIlroy was paired with fellow Irishman Shane Lowry for the afternoon fourballs session, and would have followed a similar feat from his morning performance. But ultimately, their match against Patrick Cantlay & Sam Burns resulted in a tie, for which their American counterparts received admirable praise from their captain. But the energy that Rory McIlroy brought across 11 hours of play was palpable — the kind of leadership that Balionis spoke of that shifts momentum and rattles opponents.

And Balionis didn’t stop there. She painted a vivid picture of the Ryder Cup’s electric atmosphere. “It’s out the window,” she said, referring to the fans’ intensity at Bethpage. She referred to the noise, the tension, and the almost infamous scuffle that erupted a few years back involving McIlroy himself. “I don’t know if this is also something you guys can go back and look at it — there was almost a fist fight a couple of years ago. Yeah. I mean, it was like outside the clubhouse, like people weren’t happy with the way Patrick Canley did something, and then Rory started getting in the fight,” she continued. 

The fight was so intense that the “caddies had to break it up,” and Balionis described it as “unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” The drama unfolded during the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, when Joe LaCava, Patrick Cantlay’s caddie, celebrated mockingly in McIlroy’s direction and also apparently was too close to his putting, sparking a heated verbal exchange that even spilled into the parking lot.

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood win their first match in a… Landslide. pic.twitter.com/MemPYR95C9

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 26, 2025

“So, the intensity is through the roof. Team Europe… they’re ready to come in and take this cup. And Team USA knows what’s on the line. They’ve changed things up. The team chemistry seems better than it’s ever been,” Balionis continued. And the chemistry was very evident with their performance on day 1, which earned them a 5.5 to 2.5 lead over the homestanding Americans. 

But what truly makes Amanda Balionis’s perspective so compelling is the layered history she shares with Rory McIlroy — one that’s marked not only by moments of genuine praise but also by subtle critiques.

The Other Times Amanda Balionis Spoke of Rory McIlroy

Just months before the Ryder Cup drama, she had praised an unlikely victor at the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open — Chris Gotterup. The young underdog from New Jersey stunned the world by edging out McIlroy in a field packed with major champions. Amanda Balionis took to Instagram to celebrate Gotterup’s gutsy performance, admitting with a playful nudge that she might be a bit biased as a fellow Northeasterner.

“It doesn’t get better than a Sunday like this. The best in the world battling it out where the game began… and it’s @chrisgotterup who gets it done, but man was it fun watching the young Jersey kid figure out links golf and take down a world-class field, including going toe-to-toe with  #2 Rory McIlroy,” her post read. Despite Gotterup’s victory, Balionis’ admiration for McIlroy remained unmistakable.

But Amanda Balionis hasn’t always admired McIlroy. Back in May, during a tense post-round interview with Bryson DeChambeau, she subtly called out McIlroy for skipping media obligations on all days at the 2025 PGA Championship — a move that sparked chatter among golf fans and social media alike. Several fans took to Instagram and called Balionis’ comment a “subtle dig at Rory.” It was just another example of how, when it comes to McIlroy, Balionis doesn’t just cheer from the sidelines — she calls it exactly how she sees it.

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