Rory McIlroy became the center of controversy on day two of the Ryder Cup, after being involved in a heated confrontation with two American caddies at Marco Simone.
The details behind Rory McIlroy’s parking crisis at the 2023 Ryder Cup have been revealed, after the Northern Irishman remained angry during the final hole of Saturday’s quarter-final.
McIlroy plays alongside Matt Fitzpatrick in the final match of day two, facing Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark. At the end of a tense match, the American won thanks to a remarkable birdie putt from a long distance with Cantlay on the 18th green.
The putt sparked wild scenes in the American camp, who celebrated by taking off their hats and waving them in the air after reports that Cantlay was playing without a hat in protest against players not get paid to compete.
One man who joined us was American caddy Joe LaCava, who seemed to direct his celebration toward McIlroy, who still had one putt to save the round. Amid the chaos, McIlroy asked the American caddy to leave so he could prepare his putt, but LaCava ignored him.
That proved to be the spark, as the Northern Irishman and American exchanged words after LaCava failed to back down. McIlroy’s teammate and close friend Shane Lowry also spoke out, confronting the Americans over their actions on the field.
McIlroy missed the putt, giving the Americans victory, but the drama wasn’t over yet. Immediately after the match ended, the European star was seen angrily shouting at another American student, Jim Mackay, in the parking lot. During the melee, the four-time major champion appeared to shout the words “shame” at Mackay.
Once again, Lowry found himself involved, pulling his teammate back before getting him to the car. After the incident, McIlroy captain Luke Donald spoke up in his defense, admitting his player was “upset” by LaCava’s behavior.
He say:
“I talked to Rory. He politely asked Joe to step aside. He was in her sight. He stood there for a while without moving and kept waving his hat, so I think Rory was very upset about that. The Ryder Cup is always crazy. We have seen this many times in the past. I will talk to my 12 people. “I will give them the right message and they will be ready to compete… We are all competitors. We all want to win but we want to do it the right way. From what Rory told me, he asked Joe to move, but it took him a long time to move. It’s a bit annoying because he still has to putt. So Rory feels uncomfortable and I understand that.”
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