A hugely dramatic Saturday afternoon at the Ryder Cup culminated in quite a tense affair when, following Patrick Cantlay‘s lengthy birdie putt on the 18th hole to win his four balls match, his caddie, Jo LaCava and Rory McIlroy were involved in a war of words and a heated argument.
The tense incident didn’t stop there as McIlroy, who missed a birdie putt to tie the game, kicked off once again when Justin Thomas‘s caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, attempted to speak to him in the parking lot as McIlroy got into his car to go back to the hotel.
Following the incident, both USA and European captains, Zach Johnson and Luke Donald, were asked about the debacle, with Johnson explaining his point of view and giving his reaction.
“Well, what I saw on 18 was a phenomenal putt and a celebration by some of our guys, and you know, I saw passion and all of what’s great in the Ryder Cup come out,” explained the 47-year-old, whose side is currently 10.5 – 5.5 behind going into Sunday’s singles. “To my knowledge, based on what I was told, that was diffused after the match, and so I’m told it’s all good. Yeah, that’s really all I know.”
Arguably, the moment would have been even more satisfying for Cantlay who, before heading out for his afternoon session, was reportedly part of a fracture in the US Ryder Cup camp that is driven by a desire from certain players to be paid.
Cantlay, who is not wearing a hat at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, was regularly taunted by the European fans, who took their hats off and waved them in the air. Consequently, when the American drained the winning putt, the US side deliberately waved their hats in the air as a taunt towards the European spectators.
When asked about the hat gestures and the actions of LaCava, who seemed to have a spat with McIlroy as he was setting up to putt, Johnson replied: “Well, I just think you see passion and complete emotion involved in the Ryder Cup. You know, I don’t think it’s anything more than that or anything less than that. I just think it is what it is.
“I can tell you this. In a mundane round, I’d have to move, a lot, because I get spatially unaware of where I am relative to who I am playing with at times,…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golf Monthly RSS Feed…