![](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/static-assets\/images\/newsletter\/sport\/sport-135x135.png\")
<\/p>\nRory McIlroy (left) clashed with Patrick Cantlay and his caddie Joe LaCava at the Ryder Cup <\/p>\n
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Rory McIlroy has labelled Patrick Cantlay a \u201cd***\u201d while recalling the pair\u2019s clash during the Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n
McIlroy was involved in a heated exchange after he and Matt Fitzpatrick fell to a narrow fourballs defeat to Cantlay and Wyndham Clark on Saturday in Rome.<\/p>\n
The Northern Irishman was aggrieved by the behaviour of Joe LaCava, Cantlay\u2019s caddie, who appeared to encroach into McIlroy\u2019s space on the putting green and then waved his cap in close proximity to the four-time major winner as he prepared to line up a putt to halve the match.<\/p>\n
The argument continued in to the car park at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, with Europe teammate Shane Lowry having to intervene and usher McIlroy away.<\/p>\n
Revealing that he used to be on friendly terms with LaCava during his time caddying for good friend Tiger Woods, McIlroy has suggested that Cantlay has been a bad influence on his bag carrier.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s what angered me,\u201d McIlroy explained to the Irish Independent<\/em>. \u201cMy relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don\u2019t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently.<\/p>\n \u201cBut when I saw he was getting stick on the 17th and 18th greens, I tried to quiet the crowd for him. And I don\u2019t think Fitz [Matt Fitzpatrick, his partner] and I were afforded the same opportunity to try and hole those putts to halve the match.<\/p>\n \u201cI shook Joe\u2019s hand, and Patrick\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Rory McIlroy and Joe LaCava had a confrontation on the 18th green<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a bit of argy-bargy at the back of the 18th green with Fred Couples and Thomas Bjorn \u2013 and that\u2019s fine \u2013 but as I\u2019m walking back to the locker room I can feel this red mist coming over me. \u2018No! That wasn\u2019t right.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they\u2019re trying to defuse the situation, but I start having a go at them. Joe LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger, and now he\u2019s caddying for that d*** [Cantlay] he\u2019s turned into an a***.<\/p>\n \u201cI still wasn\u2019t in a great headspace.\u201d<\/p>\n McIlroy also revealed that Woods had reached out in the aftermath of the incident to check he was ok.<\/p>\n The pair are business partners on a new golfing venture, TGL, which is due to launch in January.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were also three texts and two missed calls from Tiger, because they\u2019re obviously still close,\u201d McIlroy said. \u201cI sent him a quick message: \u2018It will be fine \u2013 long day \u2013 just want to go to bed.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Europe regained the Ryder Cup with victory in Rome, continuing their dominance on home soil.<\/p>\n The United States have not won the biennial event away from home since the 1993 edition.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2023\/09\/30\/20\/GOLF%20Ryder%20%2019220097.jpg\")
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