On a scorching day in Rome, the scoreboard finally turned red, and with it, the Ryder Cup was lit.
The impetus was a bizarre news article that set in motion a chain of events that turned American Patrick Cantlay into a pantomime villain. He was then sarcastically serenaded by thousands of fans as he walked down the 16th fairway, sparking angry exchanges between members of both teams. Rory McIlroy lashed out in the car park, culminating on the 18th green, and had to be restrained by his teammate Shane Lowry.
The incident began around lunchtime when it was reported that Cantlay was not wearing a Team USA cap on the course in silent protest over not being paid his Ryder Cup entry fee. Cantlay later vehemently denied it, but European fans took every opportunity to heckle him after each hole, asking, “Patty, where’s your hat?”
Comments followed him everywhere. As his chip agonized through the fourth hole, a voice shouted from the top of the hill. that? ” The joke snowballed throughout the Marco Simone Golf Club, and by the time he reached No. 16, a crowd of spectators were waving his hat in the air, as if saying goodbye to golf. Became. titanic, walked down the fairway singing, “Hats off to your bank account.” Cantlay, who had been wearing a poker face for most of the day, finally smiled.
But he was clearly frustrated, calmly sinking a crucial long putt on the 18th, and then immediately removing his imaginary cap to the fans. Caddy Joe LaCava took the celebrations a step further by flailing his hat around wildly, inciting angry boos from the crowd. McIlroy glared at LaCava, who retreated as he tried to match his own putt. Lowry and his other European teammates, who were watching, were furious and shouted at LaCava to show respect.
“Joe was waving his hat when Patrick made that putt,” European captain Luke Donald said. “Rory politely asked Joe to step aside because he was in his line of sight. He was there waving his hat and I think Rory was upset about that.”
McIlroy and teammate Matt Fitzpatrick missed the putt that sealed the United States’ long-awaited point, and the postgame handshake began with words exchanged between McIlroy and LaCava, then Lowry, Justin Rose, and their caddy. Shots were exchanged between them. A caddy must protect his player at all costs, but it was difficult to know whether LaCava took Cantlay’s heat or turned him on.
That wasn’t the end. Lowry was later photographed outside the clubhouse restraining McIlroy in an angry exchange that also involved another American caddy, Jim “Bones” McKay. McIlroy was seen pointing and cursing at someone off-camera.
Asked about footage of a furious McIlroy, Donald said: “Rory is a passionate player. I’ll talk to him about it later.”
McIlroy said after the match that the collision on the 18th green would only increase his desire to succeed on Sunday. “Obviously they had a great finish and Patrick made three great putts at the end to seal the deal. Hats off to them. They played a great game. Yes, some on the 18th. There was a scene, but it only adds fuel to the fire tomorrow.”
Cantlay was questioned during an awkward press conference, but declined to comment on the caddy’s actions. “He’s the best,” he said of LaCava. “That’s all I have to say.”
With emotional conflicts always present, it was no surprise that tensions spilled over into conflict. A flashpoint is bound to occur on a golf course where some fans have been drinking all day in 30-degree heat, and a heavyweight showdown between McIlroy and Cantlay is always the most likely scene. was.
There were four matches going on throughout the afternoon, and half of Italy’s population seemed to be walking along. The captain and vice-captain, the players’ friends and family, and the chauffeur’s attractive wives. A bib-wearing sheriff, a police officer with a gun, a photographer, journalist, and radio broadcaster whispering into a microphone. Niall Horan. Justin Timberlake. Peter Jones in Dragon’s Den. There was a steady stream of well-dressed Italians, presumably friends of fashion designer and course owner Lavinia Biagiotti.
The match featured world No. 5 Cantlay, U.S. Open champion Windham Clark, and former U.S. Open champion Fitzpatrick, but this was Rory’s show, a traveling circus surrounding him who rarely gives solo performances. was. As fans filled the stands and steep banks like the fourth green, creating a mini-ampitheater, silence fell, only the sound of McIlroy’s footsteps as he made a birdie putt. He pumped his fist and made his way through the small tunnel with a deafening “Rory!” chanting. Moved Europe up by one.
Like the tee shot on the par-4 5th with a mission to pierce the sun. “As expected,” one of the American vice captains murmured, surprisingly quietly. Like on No. 6, only his head could be seen over the edge of the greenside bunker, and he jumped and nearly holed the hole.
The surrounding atmosphere was grim, and Cantlay became the main target. He played admirably to match McIlroy’s stroke and stroke, and the European’s birdie on four was canceled out by Cantlay’s 11th hole. Then, with Cantlay at 15 feet from the 14th hole, McIlroy hit a beautiful approach to the inside to 6 feet. Donald was celebrating by holding up his finger before the ball finished falling from the sky. Cantlay’s putt whistled just over the edge of the cup, showing McIlroy the line and making birdie to put Europe one up again.
But Cantlay’s final three putt was sensational. He made another birdie on the 16th despite some nice hitting from the fairway crowd to tie the match. He held his nerve on the 17th and halved the hole, hitting everyone right to the end. And even though he took his chip to the back of the green, he drilled his final putt from 40 feet, giving Team USA a glimmer of hope for a spot in Sunday’s singles.
Going forward, the United States dominated the first two games, and Europe took the third game thanks to efforts from Rose and rookie Bob McIntyre, but Cantlay’s heroics helped the United States win the session by three points. We definitely took it and gained some momentum. Europe has a lead of 10.5 points, and the United States has 5.5 points, competing for the remaining 12 points.
By the end, the sun had set behind the hills, casting long shadows across the greenery. The crowd turned into an unruly mob, and teams were fighting each other. It had been a long and surreal day, but it was clearly time for everyone to go to bed. Tomorrow is another day.