"Rory McIlroy's a crybaby" - Fans react to the Northern Irishman taking a round of the Yas Marina F1 track

Rory McIlroy recently traded golf clubs for a racing helmet and fans had plenty to say about it. Ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Northern Irishman took a high-speed lap around the Yas Marina F1 track with professional driver Francesco Pardini, and the speed clearly took its toll.

The DP World Tour shared a clip of the ride on X, showing McIlroy sitting alongside Pardini as the car hit speeds of over 200 mph. The post was captioned:

“Rory McIlroy has dealt with some of the most high-pressure scenarios a professional athlete can face 😅 But can he keep his cool at 200mph around the Yas Marina F1 track? 🏎️”

After stepping out of the car, Rory McIlroy looked both thrilled and drained.

"I'm exhausted, I don't know about you. I'm buzzing after that, by the way, that was really cool," he said.

The five-time major winner revealed that he had barely slept six hours after arriving in Abu Dhabi and was feeling jetlagged. Even so, he encouraged Pardini to go faster, with his heart rate crossing 100 bpm during the run.

Fans were quick to share mixed reactions under the DP World Tour’s post. Some poked fun at McIlroy’s reactions, with one writing,

“I doubt it, he’s a crybaby”

Another added,

“Who cares? He still sucks at Golf”

Others appreciated his enthusiasm, saying,

“That was really cool. Go Rory!!! #F1“

Another joked:

“Hahahaha jet lag on your private plan with a double bed….”

While someone chimed in:

“Whomever says that money can't buy happiness is completely wrong. Cheers”

A screenshot of fan comments on DP World Tour's X post (via X)

Back on the course, Rory McIlroy’s day didn’t go quite as smoothly. He finished his third round at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at 14-under-par, six shots behind leader Aaron Rai.

Rory McIlroy carded a 66 with seven birdies and one bogey, adding to his earlier rounds of 68 on Thursday and Friday. He sits tied for 12th going into the final round and will need a strong finish to make a late charge for the title.

When will Rory McIlroy tee off in the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship?

Rory McIlroy will be grouped with Marcus Armitage and Tyrrell Hatton for the final round, teeing off at 10:41 a.m. GST (6:41 a.m. GMT).

Here’s a look at all the final-round tee times for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links:

• 07:02 AM GST (03:02 AM GMT) – Jacques Kruyswijk, Ben Schmidt, Ryggs Johnston
• 07:12 AM GST (03:12 AM GMT) – Jeong Weon Ko, Junghwan Lee, Todd Clements
• 07:22 AM GST (03:22 AM GMT) – Manuel Elvira, Shaun Norris, Tom McKibbin
• 07:32 AM GST (03:32 AM GMT) – Alex Fitzpatrick, Brandon Robinson Thompson, Ewen Ferguson
• 07:42 AM GST (03:42 AM GMT) – Joost Luiten, Thriston Lawrence, Joe Dean
• 07:52 AM GST (03:52 AM GMT) – Nicolai von Dellingshausen, Dylan Naidoo, Ryan Gerard
• 08:08 AM GST (04:08 AM GMT) – Marcel Schneider, Joakim Lagergren, Adrien Saddier
• 08:19 AM GST (04:19 AM GMT) – Darius van Driel, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Mikael Lindberg
• 08:30 AM GST (04:30 AM GMT) – Eugenio Chacarra, Grant Forrest, Ugo Coussau
• 08:41 AM GST (04:41 AM GMT) – Rasmus Højgaard, Johannes Veerman, Jorge Campillo
• 08:52 AM GST (04:52 AM GMT) – Romain Langasque, John Parry, Ludvig Åberg
• 09:03 AM GST (05:03 AM GMT) – Kazuma Kobori, Andrea Pavan, Oliver Lindell
• 09:19 AM GST (05:19 AM GMT) – Joel Girrbach, Jacob Skov Olesen, Marco Penge
• 09:30 AM GST (05:30 AM GMT) – Francesco Laporta, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
• 09:41 AM GST (05:41 AM GMT) – Michael Kim, Daniel Brown, Jayden Schaper
• 09:52 AM GST (05:52 AM GMT) – Patrick Reed, Angel Ayora, Alex Noren
• 10:03 AM GST (06:03 AM GMT) – Calum Hill, Matthew Jordan, Laurie Canter
• 10:14 AM GST (06:14 AM GMT) – Haotong Li, Richard Mansell, Martin Couvra
• 10:30 AM GST (06:30 AM GMT) – Robert MacIntyre, Kristoffer Reitan, Elvis Smylie
• 10:41 AM GST (06:41 AM GMT) – Rory McIlroy, Marcus Armitage, Tyrrell Hatton
• 10:52 AM GST (06:52 AM GMT) – Connor Syme, Keita Nakajima, Alejandro Del Rey
• 11:03 AM GST (07:03 AM GMT) – Shane Lowry, Jordan Smith, Richard Sterne
• 11:14 AM GST (07:14 AM GMT) – Andy Sullivan, Daniel Hillier, Nacho Elvira
• 11:25 AM GST (07:25 AM GMT) – Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Højgaard, Aaron Rai

Edited by Sonali Verma