ROME — A blowout Ryder Cup has rarely seen this much drama. Even with the Europeans leading 10.5 to 5.5 going into Sunday’s singles session, Saturday night is must see TV, especially if you leave your TV on after the golf is over.
After eight rounds on Saturday, Rory McIlroy was caught on camera in the parking lot of the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club yelling at Justin Thomas’ caddy, Jim “Bones” Mackay about … something. Perhaps, his anger was caused by an incident that occurred about 30 minutes earlier on the 18th green involving Patrick Cantlay’s caddy, Joe LaCava.
Cantlay made a 40-foot putt on the 18th for birdie, a shot that ultimately won the hole and the Cantlay & Wyndham Clark match beating McIlroy & Matt Fitzpatrick. After Cantlay’s putt fell, the sides of McIlroy and Fitzpatrick still had putts to match; however, LaCava was in McIlroy’s way, waving his hat to the crowd in celebration.
NBC’s Steve Sands originally reported that LaCava told him that McIlroy laughed it off with Shane Lowry who was upset about the incident. While LaCava and Lowry are definitely going after each other, the video tells a different story.
LaCava took a long time, and even then, he continued to chip away at McIlroy even as one of Europe’s stars tried to make a match-tying putt. It’s a player-caddie interaction I’m not sure I’ve seen before.
Tensions seemed to calm after some conversations between LaCava, Lowry and others on the 18th green.
This is what US captain Zach Johnson stated in his press conference: “What I saw on 18 was an amazing putt and a celebration by some of our guys. I saw the love and everything that was good about the Ryder Cup that came out. . And to my knowledge, based on what I was told, that was broadcast after the game. And so, I was told everything was fine. Yeah, that’s all I know.”
When it came time to leave the course and head back to the team hotel, McIlroy was clearly still reeling from the incident or something it pointed to. Although he wasn’t mad at Mackay, the caddy took the brunt of his rant.
Europe captain Luke Donald was asked about all this in HIS press conference too. He never said McIlroy directly yelled about LaCava in the parking lot, but he said McIlroy was upset about what happened on the 18th green.
“Obviously, I was there at 18,” Donald said. “I saw it when Patrick made that putt; Joe was waving his hat. Apparently, there’s been some hat waving all day from the crowd for our players. Talking to Rory. He respectfully asked Joe to move away. in his line of sight. He stood there and didn’t move for a while and kept waving the hat, so I think Rory was upset about that.”
Getty Images
Getty Images
To say he was upset would be an understatement. Donald said he wasn’t in the parking lot, didn’t know what was going on and didn’t say exactly what McIlroy was yelling, but the insult was clear throughout.
“I’ll talk to Rory when I get back,” said Donald. “I didn’t see the incident personally. I saw one at 18. As I said in my speech, we always try and play with passion, play with energy but play with respect. That’s definitely my message to the players .
“We’re all competitors. We all want to win, but we want to do it the right way. You know, from what Rory told me, he asked Joe to move. It took him a little while to move. which is bad because he still has to pitch. And so Rory is upset, and I understand that.”
So, why the high hat wave in the first place?
Well, that happened because of a report from earlier in the day from Jamie Weir of Sky Sports that Cantlay was upset about not being paid to play in the Ryder Cup and decided not to wear a hat in protest.
Two sources told CBS Sports that reports of a division in the US team room between Cantlay and anyone else are ridiculous. Cantlay confirmed that there was nothing to do with his decision not to wear a hat after the round, pointing out that hats don’t suit him and he’s not wearing one at Whistling Straits in the 2021 Ryder Cup, either.
“Not at all,” Cantlay said when asked if he didn’t protest. “It was the first I heard about it when I came out on the green. That was the furthest thing from the truth. The hat didn’t fit. It didn’t fit at Whistling Straits, and it didn’t fit this week. Everybody knows that .â€
However, all afternoon, Cantlay was serenaded by the fans waving their hats at him amid the initial report. So, when he nailed a 40-footer on No. 18, Cantlay fake folded his left hat to the crowd; most of his team took off their hats and waved them back at the fans, too, as did LaCava.
That’s how it all started, and it ended with McIlroy screaming in the parking lot.
It’s all a bit confusing but mostly fun, and it gives the Ryder Cup some much-needed juice going into Sunday’s singles matches. Partly because it gives the US some momentum but also because it gives the Europeans a reason, a reason to cheer a potential explosion.
Just when it looked like this Ryder Cup was going to be a bit of a snoozer, Sunday was once again must-see TV.
Rick Gehman and Patrick McDonald break down all the action from Day 2 of the 2023 Ryder Cup. Rory McIlroy warmed up, Patrick Cantlay’s hat and more! Follow and listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.