Rory McIlroy has emerged as one of LIV Golf’s biggest critics over the past year, and the wife of breakaway league star Pat Perez is clearly not a fan of the Northern Irishman
Rory McIlroy’s criticism of LIV Golf has clearly got under the skin of Pat Perez’s wife Ashley, after she brutally claimed she wanted to see the PGA Tour loyalist to be “punched in the face”.
Perez was one of a number of PGA Tour stars who made the move to the LIV setup following its emergence last summer. After spending two seasons with the breakaway league playing for Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces, there were concerns his time with the LIV setup was coming to end this month after he entered free agency.
Fortunately for the 47-year-old, he was handed a lifeline by former world No. 1 Johnson. Perez was recalled to the 2022 team champions, the 4Aces, for a third campaign heading into 2024.
To many, Perez’s decision to join the Saudi-backed league was a controversial one, after the PGA Tour found itself at war with the rival circuit. One man in particular who was far from impressed with the rise of LIV was McIlroy, who has made his feelings about the league and its players clear over the past 18 months.
It would come as no surprise to hear McIlroy does not have many friends within the LIV setup, and it appears Perez’s wife Ashley is less than keen on the four-time major champion. In a brutal comment about McIlroy on Instagram last month, she wrote: “I can’t possibly be the only one that would absolutely love to watch Rory get punched in the face.
“That’s in the kindest way possible, kind of.” Perez’s assertion followed McIlroy’s violent altercation with the US Ryder Cup team, during which he tussled with two caddies after the second round of play at Marco Simone.
The first altercation he had with McIlroy involved Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava, who seemed to provoke the Northern Irishman during a tense fourball match between the Northern Irishman and Matt Fitzpatrick as he was celebrating his player’s winning putt. After the round, McIlroy confronted LaCava about his antics as they were saying hello as they were leaving the green.
The four-time major winner, still furious, then threw a tantrum at Justin Thomas’ caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, in the Marco Simone parking lot before teammate Shane Lowry put him in a car. Upon returning to the hotel, McIlroy disclosed that he had missed calls and messages from LaCava as well as from his close friend Tiger Woods, who had previously worked with the caddie in question.
Joe LaCava texted me when I got back to my room, saying, “Hey Rory, would love to meet up in the morning to clear the air.” However, I was worn out and neglected to reply to him,” he revealed to the Irish Independent. Tiger sent two missed calls and sent three texts, so it’s clear that they’re still close.
“I quickly texted him, saying, ‘It will be fine.'” I just want to go to bed after a long day. The fallout from the previous evening only served to motivate McIlroy, the Northern Irishman said, as he and his teammates responded flawlessly to win the Ryder Cup the next morning.
He told Sky Sports, “I felt like what happened in the parking lot inspired the team and it worked in our favor.” “The event took place. I wanted to use what had happened as fuel, and I wanted to make sure that Europe won the Ryder Cup, so I didn’t want to meet anyone on Sunday morning. After that, we will organize everything else. And everything is good. All of us are pals.”
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