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Team Europe’s Rory McIlroy celebrates defeating Sam Burns in his singles match on Sunday during the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy.
CNN –
Rory McIlroy said he wanted to “make it painful for Team USA” after two heated arguments with American caddies as Europe channeled their anger into results on Sunday and reclaimed the Ryder Cup.
The Northern Irishman shone in Rome and contributed the best four points of the tournament as the hosts fended off a spirited comeback, winning 16.5 to 11.5 and sparking euphoric celebrations on the 18th green of the Marco Simone Golf Club.
It was a stark contrast to scenes at the same venue some 24 hours earlier when tensions boiled over at the end of Saturday’s fourballs round. The trigger was when American Patrick Cantlay sank a brilliant 30-foot birdie putt, securing a decisive victory for himself and Wyndham Clark over McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Cantlay’s heroics resulted in McIlroy’s only defeat of the week and cut Europe’s lead to five points. This brought new hope to Team USA and sparked huge celebrations from watching teammates and, crucially, caddy Joe LaCava.
McIlroy was incensed as LaCava cheered near him and waved a hat in the air as he prepared his attempt to tie the game. After confronting LaCava on the green, hostilities flared again in the course’s parking lot when the 34-year-old got into an angry exchange with another Team USA caddy, Jim “Bones” Mackay.
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McIlroy confronts LaCava, Cantlay’s caddie (right).
McIlroy was led into a car by teammate Shane Lowry and taken to “cool down” in the hotel’s cold plunge pool. He returned on Sunday to defeat Sam Burns 3-1 in his singles match.
“I don’t think it just motivated me, it motivated the whole team… we wanted to go out there and make them hurt,” McIlroy told BBC Sport.
“I felt like I used it to my advantage and came out of it with a different level of focus and determination and in a way it gave the whole team a bit of fire in the belly.”
“Going from 18th place yesterday was the angriest moment I’ve ever experienced in my career. I told the US people that I thought it was a disgrace what happened. I made that clear.
“But I had to calm down. I could have let it take me down the wrong path, but I let it focus me.”
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Lowry and LaCava exchange words on the 18th green.
The four-time major winner later said he had apologized to Mackay – who caddies for Justin Thomas – via text message on Sunday morning.
McIlroy explained that the caddy was “in the wrong place at the wrong time” as he was the first American the 34-year-old golfer saw after leaving the locker room and subsequently bore the “brunt” of his anger .
McIlroy added that he has also spoken with LaCava via text message and is optimistic the rift will resolve over time.
“Everything will be fine,” McIlroy told reporters.
“It is a point of contention and it still hurts, but time is a great healer and we will all move on.”
According to NBC Sports reporter Steve Sands, LaCava texted McIlroy’s team late Saturday night with the message: “I love you, I have nothing but respect.”
CNN has reached out to Team USA representatives regarding the two incidents.
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McIlroy speaks with LaCava after the loss to Cantlay.
Cantlay said he had not seen the incident between LaCava and McIlroy but praised his European counterpart for his “fantastic” performances in Rome, while US captain Zach Johnson insisted the dispute between the duo had been “aggravated”.
“I spoke to Joe afterwards and he said he had spoken to Rory and everything was fine. That’s all I know,” Johnson told reporters on Saturday.
“What I saw on the 18th was a phenomenal putt and a celebration from some of our guys. I saw passion and everything that is great about the Ryder Cup come to the fore.
“The Ryder Cup is so full of emotion and passion that we as humans sometimes go beyond ourselves on both sides. And it’s both the beauty and the curse, but I think the beauty far outweighs everything else.”
A leading performance in a dominant victory sealed an emotional personal redemption arc for McIlroy as tears of joy replaced tears of fear from the 2021 Ryder Cup.
The Northern Irishman was heartbroken after losing three times at Whistling Straits, declaring in a gut-wrenching television interview that he “should have done more” to prevent Europe’s historic crushing 9-19 defeat.
It’s been almost two years to the day since an elated McIlroy moved into Team Europe’s winners’ conference after the best performance of his career – and his fifth win – at his seventh Ryder Cup.
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McIlroy had a fantastic week in Rome.
“At the beginning of the week everyone was talking about, ‘Do you want revenge on the US team?’, but this wasn’t about revenge. This was about redemption and showing what we can do.
“It was a process… we basically knew months in advance what the game plan was, how we were going to execute it, and then it comes down to everyone going out on the golf course, being themselves and playing their way .” They know they can play. And that’s the result that’s amazing.”