Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay were involved in a Ryder Cup battle for the ages at Marco Simone last September, with the European crowd more than playing their part
Rory McIlroy has opened up on the moment thousands of European golf fans taunted Patrick Cantlay at last year's Ryder Cup at Marco Simone in Rome. It proved to be a Ryder Cup for the ages in the Italian capital, as Luke Donald guided Team Europe to victory over their American rivals.
The event was a dramatic one on and off the golf course, with Team USA star Cantlay finding himself at the centre of controversy. During the second day of the event, a report from Sky Sports claimed Cantlay had left the American camp split after allegedly protesting at not being paid to compete by refusing to wear a US cap.READ MORE: Gardaí rule out foul play following discovery of body in Cork The report came ahead of Cantlay's fourball clash with Wyndham Clark against McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick, as the home crowd quickly got wind of the claims. So much so, those backing the home team goaded the PGA Tour star by continuously waving their hats in the direction of him. Having found himself at the centre of the jeers towards Cantlay, McIlroy told the 'Una Famiglia' documentary cameras: "It was a great match back and forth, and then there was some mumblings that Patrick wasn’t wearing a hat because it was a silent protest for the Americans not getting paid to play. "I will never forget walking down the 16th hole and there are 20,000 people waving their hats in the air. It was an amazing moment.” In the end it was Cantlay who had the last laugh, as he and Clark defeated McIlroy and Fitzpatrick on the final hole after the American man in the middle of the drama hold a long-range putt.The drama was far from over though, as the Americans then waved their hats in the air in celebration. Joining in was Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava, who directed his hat waving directly at McIlroy who still had a putt to half the hole. With tensions starting to boil over, McIlroy missed his putt, before going on to confront the caddie alongside Shane Lowry. Clearly still left angered, McIlroy then clashed with another US caddie in the car park moments later in Jim 'Bones' Mackay, before being ushered into a car and driven away. "Patrick’s caddie Joe stood there a little bit longer than he should have," McIlroy continued. "I was trying to read my putt and he was in the way. I asked him to move and he didn’t take too kindly to that. The Northern Irishman added: "The fun and games sort of happened after that... Not my proudest moment. But I felt like what happened on the 18th green and what spilled over into the car park, it almost made us feel that we were more ready than ever to go out on Sunday and to all win our points and get that Ryder Cup back." Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .
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