The 2023 Ryder Cup was an emotional affair for Team Europe and Rory McIlroy. McIlroy & Co. faced a tough challenge against the defending champions, Team US, which included the Irishman’s close friend, Brooks Koepka. The two teams went head-to-head for national pride and a chance to prove which side was superior. In the end, the European squad won the title convincingly. But it didn’t come as easily to them as the scoreboard illustrates. There were quite a few highs and lows for both teams throughout the tournament. But one incident that caught everyone’s attention was the altercation between Patrick Cantlay‘s caddie, Joe LaCava, and Rory McIlroy.
The American golfer and his teammate, Wyndham Clark, showcased some incredible strokeplay to beat McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick on the second day. However, at one point, the Team Europe squad still had strokes to play, which would have tied them for the round. But LaCava disrespectfully walked on the line of McIlroy’s shot, which triggered the Irishman. The two faced off in the parking lot, where McIlroy was ready to throw punches at the caddie for his actions. Things got so heated that Shane Lowry had to step in to make his teammate back off and avoid any further escalation. Brooks Koepka was not present during the incident involving his close friend in the parking lot. But when he later learned the details, he was as shocked as anyone in the community.
Speaking about the episode, Koepka said, “There was tension, you could tell stuff was going on, but I didn’t see it because I was on the green. I went back to the hotel and hopped in the shower. My wife said, ‘Did you hear what happened?’ She says, ‘Look at this’ and holds the phone up against the glass. I was like, ‘Oh my God, holy shit, that’s crazy’.” Koepka’s reaction is valid not only because of the sudden circumstance but also the fact that the Irishman has never been known to get into fistfights. So, as passionate as the Irishman is, he hasn’t been so aggressive that he tries to throw a punch at someone. Koepka had gotten know about it, as he ended his round much earlier, when he and Scottie Scheffler were beaten by Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg in the first set of foursomes. But McIlroy had stayed back as he was also involved in the four-ball matches. What’s more, McIlroy
Koepka further added, “It was good. It got people riled up. You know what it reminded me of a bit? It was like a hockey fight where guys duke it out real quick and it just energises their team. Well, it worked for them.” Team Europe was certainly pumped up for the remainder of the tournament as they ended up winning 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 over Team US.
But the LIV Golf pro enjoyed the incident as well as he stated, “It’s also like a lot of shit that goes on in the NBA, when these guys are ready to go and everyone’s just pulling them back. Once they get pulled back they’re twice as tough. I don’t think Rory’s ever been in a fist fight in his life. Shane? I’d probably say he’s been in a few. It was odd. I got a laugh out of it.” Judging by Koepka’s statement, he would have certainly been surprised by the fact that McIlroy jumped into the fight like he did. That might have been a part of the reason he had a laugh about it.
The heated exchange was certainly one of the highlights of the tournament. But it didn’t take anything away from the fact that Team Europe annihilated their rivals in the prestigious event. Is the American side preparing for revenge in the 2025 Ryder Cup? Let’s take a look at how both sides are preparing for it.
Keegan Bradley & Team US pumped up for revenge against Rory McIlroy & Co.
Team US has been facing a lot of issues ever since Keegan Bradley was announced as the captain. His insistence on appearing as a playing captain has raised a lot of questions in the squad. Moreover, the possible squad of the American team is also not fixed yet. The top 6 on merit is shaping up well with the likes of Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, and Collin Morikawa making enough Ryder Cup points over the past 54 weeks. However, there are no signs of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and other top American golfers on the leaderboard. However, Bradley is still quite pumped up about leading the squad. He expressed his desire to help Team US win in the Netflix series, Full Swing, as he plans to “Kick” the European squad’s “A**.”
At the other end, Team Europe is shaping up really well. The likes of Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, and others are ranked high on the Ryder Cup leaderboard. Alternatively, players like Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia have been impressive in LIV Golf recently. They will make it easy for Luke Donald to make his captain’s picks. At the moment, it seems that Team Europe is much more prepared for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Having said that, who has the stronger team going into the 2025 Ryder Cup? Share your views in the comments section.
