WATCH: Rory McIlroy allegedly furious with caddie Joe LaCava after he taunted the Irish golfer
Rory McIlroy was spotted at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club parking in Rome, allegedly getting furious over Patrick Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava. As per a few reports, the caddie taunted the Irish golfer after Team USA's final fourball victory.
A video surfaced in which the Northern Irishman was seen involved in a furious quarrel with someone off camera in the parking lot while Justin Thomas' caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay held him back. The off-camera figure could be LaCava, but it is not yet confirmed.
Team Europe's Shane Lowry, who is one of the best friends of McIlroy, then pulled him from the moment and got him seated into his car.
Watch the video here on X (formerly Twitter):
Joe LaCava, who previously served as caddie to Tiger Woods, is now working with Patrick Cantlay.
An incident happened at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome when Rory McIlroy was preparing for a birdie putt on the 18th hole and LaCava was seen pointing out at him and saying something in a furious manner.
At that moment, the Northern Irishman reacted little to the caddie's act. But when he was in the parking lot, he allegedly lashed out at him for unknown reasons, and things got even more heated.
"He politely asked him to move aside" - Luke Donald explains the entire chapter between Rory McIlroy and caddie Joe LaCava
After the second day of the ongoing 2023 Ryder Cup, Team Europe's captain Luke Donald attended the post-round press conference.
When asked about the tension that rose between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava on the 18th hole at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Luke Donald was quoted by Golf Magic as saying:
"Yeah, obviously I was there on 18. I saw it unfold when Patrick made that putt, Joe was waving his hat. Obviously there was some hat waving going on throughout the day from the crowd for our players."
Donald added that he spoke with Rory McIlroy about the entire incident, and the latter told him he asked Joe LaCava to move aside politely, but LaCava refused, which might have affected the Northern Irishman.
"[I] talked to Rory. He 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," Donald said.
Luke Donald assured he would talk to Rory McIlroy about the car parking incident, as he had not seen that personally. He added his team plays with high energy but also maintains the same amount of respect for their competitors.
After the first two days of the 2023 Ryder Cup, Team Europe has maintained a huge lead of five points as they are 10.5 - 5.5 against Team USA.