McIlroy refutes report of meeting with LaCava prior to Sunday singles
Rory McIlroy has refuted a report that he met with Patrick Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava prior to Sunday's singles matches at the Ryder Cup.
The NBC broadcast reported that LaCava sought out a meeting with McIlroy to apologize for the incident that happened on the 18th green at the end of Saturday's four-ball session. However, McIlroy said that wasn't the case when pressed about it after his 3&1 win over Sam Burns.
no apology to rory. still steaming.
— Matthew Wiley (@wiley77) October 1, 2023
“I have not met joe” pic.twitter.com/GvGBE6L2fg
The incident in question came following Cantlay's 43-foot birdie on 18 on Saturday that sparked a raucous celebration among the American team, including LaCava, on the green. The veteran caddie was right in the middle of it, lingering for a very long time in the vicinity of McIlroy, who was lining up a potential tying putt.
🚨🇺🇸🧢 #HatGate — Another angle of the LaCava-Rory incident #RyderCup
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) October 1, 2023
pic.twitter.com/PKYS9L0lop
McIlroy exchanged words with LaCava multiple times before eventually missing the putt. Matthew Fitzpatrick also failed to birdie the hole, giving Cantlay and the U.S. the improbable win.
It appeared as though McIlroy and LaCava settled the dispute Saturday during post-round handshakes on the green, but footage of a furious McIlroy in the parking lot 40 minutes later suggested otherwise.