Rory McIlroy Was in Bust-Up With Ryder Cup Opponent in Furious Car Park Incident
Rory McIlroy will be looking to avoid a repeat of what took place at the last Ryder Cup when he meets one of his American opponents later this week.
McIlroy has been named as part of team Europe for this year's Ryder Cup, which takes place on the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York from Friday.
The Northern Irishman comfortably topped the points list for qualification, amassing almost double the points of the next highest-ranked player Robert MacIntyre.
They will be joined by Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and other top European stars.
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The American team will be led by world number one Scottie Scheffler, with four Ryder Cup rookies among their 12-strong selection.
No other player on either side has a higher Ryder Cup win percentage than Patrick Cantlay, who has won five out of his eight previous matches for the USA.
Cantlay and Wyndham Clark - who has not qualified for this year's event - defeated the European team of McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick in their fourballs match in the 2023 edition.
The match went down to the final hole - but there was major drama.
Cantlay's long-time caddy Joe LaCava waved his cap in McIlroy's line of sight while he was preparing for a putt attempt on the 18th green.
There was an initial confrontation that was quickly cooled down, but the row spilled into the parking lot as the players and caddies were leaving the venue.
McIlroy had to be held back by team-mate and close friend Shane Lowry, with footage of the incident quickly going viral on social media in the hours that followed.
Speaking on The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast in 2024, McIlroy explained what specifically led to the incident and how the two players buried the hatchet afterwards.
"I got back into the team room and Shane Lowry was giving us an incredible motivational talk," he began.
"And as he's speaking, I'm getting angrier and angrier about what happened, and that riled me up to what occurred in the car park afterwards.
"As a competitor and a golfer, I have nothing but respect for Patrick Cantlay. He's an amazing player.
"I lost it, calling people names, and things happened that I regret. I used some language in front of people that should never hear that. And I'm sitting in the car afterwards going, 'I probably shouldn't have done that'.
"But we shook hands and made up, and had a beer together on the Sunday night - everything was fine."
Topics: Rory Mcilroy, Golf, Ryder Cup
Ryan Smart