Joe LaCava Apologizes To Rory McIlroy For Exchange That Led To Ryder Cup Parking Lot Incident

Patrick Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava has reportedly apologized to Rory McIlroy after an exchange in the Ryder Cup that spilled over into the parking lot after Saturday's play.

Late on Saturday, tensions boiled over when Rory McIlroy was involved in the heated moment with LaCava on the 18th green. That all stemmed from the latter’s exuberant hat-waving while the four-time Major winner tried to concentrate on his potentially match-saving putt.

In the end, McIlroy missed the putt leaving Cantlay and teammate Wyndham Clark to take the full point in the fourball match and give Team USA some much-needed hope in its effort to claw back a five-point deficit on the final day.

Such was the disgruntlement of McIlroy over the incident that he was later seen in the Marco Simone parking lot remonstrating after the end of play, this time with another caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, in the thick of it.

With the potential for that incident to overshadow events in the all-important Sunday singles session, though, it appears LaCava has done his bit to defuse the situation by holding out an olive branch to McIlroy.

Per Sports Illustrated golf journalist Bob Harig, NBC reported that LaCava has apologized to McIlroy for the incident. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “NBC reporting that Joe reached out to Rory and European team last night to clear the air and that he met with Rory this morning to apologize and get last night’s incident behind them going into final day.”

McIlroy denied meeting LaCava on Sunday morning, though.

The controversial incident soon dominated the post-play discussion, with Team USA captain Zach Johnson weighing in on it and Team Europe captain Luke Donald also having his say. 

Elsewhere, former European winning captain Paul McGinley said on the Golf Channel: “That’s a mistake from Joe” over footage of LaCava close to McIlroy as he lined up his putt, with the fallout from the clash threatening to rumble on into the final day.

However, with LaCava having reportedly reached out to McIlroy and the European team, it will be hoped that, come the end of Sunday’s play, it will be the golf rather than more controversial incidents that determines the post-match discussion.

Team USA began the Sunday singles needing 8.5 points to retain the trophy, while the Europeans needed just four to win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2018.