Rory McIlroy clashed with two caddies from the United States Ryder Cup team at Marco Simone last year, as tempers boiled over into the car park at Marco Simone
Rory McIlroy has opened up on his heated Ryder Cup clash with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava, which letter boiled over into the car park of Marco Simone Golf Club.
McIlroy was in action for Team Europe against their American rivals, on a week where the home team went on to regain the Ryder Cup crown they lost at Whistling Straits a year earlier. On the way to victory, McIlroy was caught up in the controversy involving his American rival Cantlay.
On the second day of the matchplay clash last Autumn, a report from Sky Sports claimed Cantlay was not wearing a cap in protest that he and his Team USA teammates were not being paid to compete.
The report quickly made its way around the Italian course, which led to European crowd taunting Cantlay over his alleged protest. The American partnered Wyndham Clark in the Saturday afternoon fourball session where they took on McIlroy and his partner Matt Fitzpatrick.
Partway through the session, the home fans began to wave their caps in the air, goading Cantlay as he made his way round Marco Simone. In the end it was the Americans who had the last laugh, as the former FedEx Cup champion holed a superb putt at the final hole to win the match.
In celebration the Team USA members ironically lifted their caps into the air, and they were joined by Cantlay’s caddie LaCava. The bagman soon found himself embroiled in a clash though, as he directed his celebration towards McIlroy, who still had a putt for the half.
Rory McIlroy faced off with Joe LaCava ( Image: Getty Images)
As tempers were paused, McIlroy went on to miss his putt, but was left unimpressed with LaCava, who he confronted coming off the green alongside Shane Lowry. Minutes later, the Northern Irishman was seen clashing with another US caddie in the car park, this time Justin Thomas’ sidekick Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay.
McIlroy was then shoved into a car by Lowry and whisked away on the back of the drama. Fortunately for McIlroy who was able to put it behind him a day later, helping the Europeans win the Ryder Cup. Just over a year on, the world No. 3 has looked back on the clash as part of the behind-the-scenes documentary ‘Una Famiglia’.
“It turned from a match we thought we were going to win into a dog fight,” McIlroy told the documentary cameras. “Patrick’s caddie Joe stood there a little bit longer than he should have. I was trying to read my putt and he was in the way. I asked him to move and he didn’t take too kindly to that.”
Having left the green, McIlroy’s frustrations continued. ” The fun and games sort of happened after that,” he added. ” As soon as I saw anyone with an American jersey on I went at them.” McIlroy however felt the controversy on Saturday only helped the European team going into the Sunday singles.
“Not my proudest moment,” he added. “But I felt like what happened on the 18th green and what spilled over into the car park, it almost made us feel that we were more ready than ever to go out on Sunday and to all win our points and get that Ryder Cup back.”
