WATCH: Rory McIlroy Holes Outrageous Shot From Brutal Ryder Cup Rough

It’s safe to say Rory McIlroy is getting firmly into the spirit of the Ryder Cup. He participated in a practice session as Europe's preparations for the match against the US at Marco Simone continued.

There was very little riding on the outcome of the round, with the main objectives of gaining familiarity with the course and building sharpness, but at one point, the 34-year-old was seen celebrating in a manner that wouldn’t have looked out of place had he just holed the winning putt to take the trophy!

In fact, McIlroy's exuberance came from holing of an incredible flop shot from the course’s penal rough.

The chances of him landing anywhere close to the hole didn’t look that great as he prepared for his shot, with his ball in thick rough and a bunker standing between him and the eighth green. The camerawork didn’t catch the moment the ball dropped into the hole, but the celebrations said everything, from the 34-year-old as well as everyone around him.

Well, almost everyone. McIlroy was playing alongside Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood. It seems Lowry didn’t quite appreciate the four-time Major winner's moment of genius, though, with McIlroy’s ball later ending up in the water, courtesy of the Irishman.

Afterwards, Lowry was asked about the incident and remarked: “Yeah, it looked like me and Tommy were going to win the hole, and then he chipped in from nowhere, so that was disappointing. No, we were just having a bit of fun out there. We were having a game and he won the hole, so I threw his ball away. That was it.”

Of course, the vastly experienced McIlroy will be one of the players much of Team Europe’s hopes will rest with over the three days of action. It’s safe to assume that if he recreates that kind of form in the heat of battle, all will be very quickly forgiven.