Report: Rory McIlroy confronts Brooks Koepka's caddie Ricky Elliott after Ryder Cup drama
At the 2023 Ryder Cup last week, Rory McIlroy got into a couple of heated debates. He first got into a fight with Patrick Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava, and then had a heated argument with Justin Thomas' caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay.
He yelled at Mackay in a rage in the parking lot of the Marco Simone Golf Club. After his outburst in the parking lot, McIlroy reportedly confronted Brooks Koepka's caddie Ricky Elliott in the hotel lobby.
In a radio interview on Sirius XM's PGA Tour show, US Ryder Cup assistant captain Fred Couples disclosed that Elliot had told him that McIlroy had confronted him at the hotel.
On the radio show, Couples provided details of the controversial Ryder Cup incident. Speaking about the incident, Couples said:
“He said Rory looked at him and said, ‘Mooove’. And he made the ‘ooo’ last a little longer.
“And Joe replied, ‘Relax, Rory’. Then Joe turned to get out of the way. And Shane Lowry and [European assistant captain] Thomas Bjorn were screaming some things at him, which is fine.
“I don’t have any problem with Shane Lowry or Thomas Bjorn — they’re protecting the number one player on their team. But no one did anything wrong. [LaCava] didn’t bump into [McIlroy]. He didn’t stand over him. It wouldn’t be a 15-yard penalty in college football for taunting. He said he was 6 feet from him,” he added.
"I think Rory was upset"- Luke Donald talks about the Ryder Cup incident
On the 18th hole during Saturday's four-ball match, Patrick Cantlay made a putt taking the lead over Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick. His caddie Joe LaCava started waving his hat in the air to celebrate like many other US supporters did.
However, he mistakenly got into McIlroy's line of vision who was taking his final shot of the day. The Irish golfer missed his shot and lost the match against Cantlay and Wyndham Clark. He was angry with LaCava and had a small argument with him on the penultimate hole.
The European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald spoke about the incident during a press conference on Saturday. He said:
"I was there on 18. I saw it unfold when Patrick made that putt, Joe was waving his hat. [McIlroy] politely asked Joe to move aside. He was in his line of vision. He stood there and didn’t move for a while and continued to wave the hat, so I think Rory was upset about that."
"It was a little off-putting because he still had to putt. And so Rory got upset, and I understand that. ... Rory felt like the line was crossed on the 18th green," he added.
Reportedly, Rory McIlroy texted Mackay and apologized to him for his rude behaviour. He also had a meeting with LaCava ahead of the Sunday singles and made amends with him.