Rory McIlroy says he and Patrick Cantlay don't have great relationship; Rory may have made it worse
Jupiter neighbors Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay will not be sending each other holiday greetings anytime soon.
McIlroy admitted in an interview with the Irish Independent he doesn't have a great relationship with Cantlay. He said he called Cantlay a "d***" to others who approached him to try to diffuse the controversy that occurred on the 18th green during second-day play at the Ryder Cup in September.
When McIlroy returned to the hotel following that day's play, he said Brooks Koepka's caddie, Ricky Elliott, like McIlroy a Northern Irishman, and coach Claude Harmon III reached out to McIlroy.
"I start having a go at them," McIlroy said in the interview. "'Joe LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger and now he’s caddying for that d*** he’s turned into an ass …’ I still wasn’t in a great headspace."
LaCava, who caddied for Tiger Woods for 12 years, now carries Cantlay's bag. Cantlay was greeted by thousands of cap-waiving fans that Saturday who taunted Cantlay when he was in the tee box, walking up the fairway and on the green.
Cantlay was the only player from both sides who did not wear a hat the first two days. Rumors, which Cantlay denied, spread it was in protest of players not being paid to compete in the Ryder Cup.
When Cantlay made the putt that proved to be the difference in his fourball match with Wyndham Clark against McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick - the only match McIlroy (4-1) lost in Europe's convincing win - members of the U.S. team surrounding the green celebrated by waving their caps. McIlroy clearly was angered when LaCava overdid his celebration on the green and distracted McIlroy as he was lining up a putt during a chaotic scene.
McIlroy and Fitzpatrick both had putts that could have halved the match.
That anger spilled over into the parking lot as McIlroy was leaving Marco Simone Golf Club as McIlroy took it out on caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay, a friend of LaCava's.
McIlroy told the Irish Times that Woods even attempted to intervene.
"There was also three texts and two missed calls from Tiger, because they’re obviously still close," McIlroy said. "I sent him a quick message, 'It will be fine … long day … just want to go to bed.' "
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McIlroy, who said he ignored LaCava's attempt to reach out, expanded on his relationship with Cantlay and what upset him most.
"Here’s what angered me," McIlroy said. "My relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently. But (on the 17th and 18th greens) I tried to quiet the crowd for him. And I don’t think Fitz and I were afforded the same opportunity to try and hole those putts to halve the match …
"I shook Joe’s hand, and Patrick’s hand. Those three putts he made on 16, 17 and 18 were fantastic, and under that pressure, to give your team a glimmer of hope going into Sunday was big balls. So all respect to him.
"There was a bit of argy-bargy at the back of the 18th green with Fred Couples and Thomas Bjorn — and that’s fine — but as I’m walking back to the locker room I can feel this red mist coming over me. 'No! That wasn’t right.' "
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: What Rory McIlroy called Patrick Cantlay; how Tiger Woods try to help at Ryder Cup
