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Caddie Joe LaCava Had Heated Moment With Rory McIlroy, European Team, on 18th Green at Ryder Cup

LaCava caddies for Patrick Cantlay, who was heckled all afternoon by the pro-European crowds. Rory McIlroy became angry at LaCava for his antics.

Gabrielle Herzig

Caddie Joe LaCava Had Heated Moment With Rory McIlroy, European Team, on 18th Green at Ryder Cup
Caddie Joe LaCava Had Heated Moment With Rory McIlroy, European Team, on 18th Green at Ryder Cup /

When Patrick Cantlay sunk a 43-foot putt to secure a third four-ball point for the U.S. Ryder Cup team on Saturday—a much needed boost of momentum amidst the European’s dominance—the scene on the 18th green became heated. 

With Cantlay’s unconfirmed “HatGate” controversy at the top of mind, the celebration of choice for the former FedEx Cup champion’s clutch putt was obvious. His U.S. teammates took off their caps and waved them at the European fans in response to their persistent trolling. 

Reports circulated on social media that Cantlay did not wear a USA hat this week out of frustration at the lack of compensation for players at the Ryder Cup. He denied the rumor, saying that the hats offered to the team simply, “didn’t fit” him. 

Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, who previously worked for Tiger Woods, joined in on the hat-inspired celebration. But the European team felt LaCava waved his cap a bit too early. 

“Rory McIlroy took issue with him waving the hat before he had to make his putt there and then when he turned around, Shane Lowry gave Joe a little bit of lip and he gave it right back,” NBC’s Steve Sands said. 

This angle shows that LaCava was indeed near McIlroy on the green.

On-course commentator and former Ryder Cup caddie John Wood spoke to LaCava and provided some context. 

“He said, ‘You know what, I was celebrating, flipping my hat up in the air, getting the crowd jacked up.’ He was turning around he didn’t know that Rory was coming back to his ball, got slightly in the way. Rory was fine with it, he kind of laughed, but then Shane kind of started coming onto the green, telling Joe to ‘get out of the way.’ Joe said, ‘We’re getting our butts kicked I’m going to celebrate a little bit right now.’ And then Justin Rose got involved. It just got a little chippy,” Wood said. 

It appears that McIlroy was still upset about the situation long afterward, as Golf Channel cameras caught him in a heated exchange with Jim “Bones” Mackay and others in the parking lot. McIlroy’s agent confirmed to Golf Channel that the incident outside of Marco Simone’s clubhouse was not isolated and was related to the finish of the match and LaCava’s early celebration.

When asked about the hat-inspired scene on 18, U.S. captain Zach Johnson said, “A celebration is a celebration. With a big putt like that on 18 at the Ryder Cup, I think you have every right to celebrate with your team and that’s exactly what I saw.” 

Luke Donald, the European captain, briefly discussed the situation in his post-round press conference.

“Joe was waving his hat and Rory asked him to move away from his line and stop,” Donald said. “And Joe didn’t move for a while and he was upset about that.” 

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Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

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