HMidway through Saturday afternoon, something unexpected happened: the United States finally appeared at this Ryder Cup. And when the top of the scoreboard turned red, and the chants of “USA! UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!” increased in volume and intensity, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay found themselves locked in an eternal battle. It was one that raged on the course – and, dramatically, later in the parking lot.
Because of the characters involved, a fourballs match with McIlroy and Matthew Fitzpatrick against Cantlay and Wyndham Clark always promised spice. But when the American team sensed an opportunity to take Europe’s lead as the match entered the 18th, things got much more heated and heated than that.
And the lingering tension finally boiled over when Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, celebrated his man-holing from 45 feet just short of the line, where McIlroy had a putt to halve the match. Screams were heard. Fingers pointed. The anger on Europe’s part was palpable – and understandable.
There were echoes here of Brookline in 1999, when the American team celebrated Justin Leonard’s long-range hole with José María Olazábal yet to putt. Later, McIlroy was also seen pointing his finger at Justin Thomas’ caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, in the parking lot, while Shane Lowry and Justin Rose also looked decidedly unimpressed.
This Ryder Cup needed some excitement for a long time, and it certainly got it. And with the victory of Cantlay and Clark, it now also has an outside chance of a match. The American team is now 10½ to 5½ behind. Suddenly Sunday’s singles bring a little danger.
The tension was already evident as the players walked to the 14th tee. McIlroy was greeted with loud cheers. Cantlay, meanwhile, was bombarded with chants of “Where’s your hat, Patrick?” – a reference to the rumor that he was apparently upset about not getting paid to play in the Ryder Cup and refusing to wear headgear.
At this point the battle had come down to McIlroy versus Cantlay, hero versus villain, ultimate team player against a man alleged – and denied – of causing a rift in the American dressing room.
The tension was so great that Clark hit his ball out of bounds – before Fitzpatrick did the same. Meanwhile, Cantlay stood in the fairway, ready to twist the knife. But the hour comes, McIlroy comes – or so it seemed.
First, he hit a 376-yard drive up the middle. Then, after a textbook sand wedge, came a nerveless putt to put Europe one to three. However, Cantlay – who is not nicknamed ‘Patty Ice’ for nothing – refused to leave.
First he made a 10-foot putt on the 16th before halving it with a birdie. He then leveled the match with a birdie from 30 feet on the 17th. Before a stunning 43-foot putt finally gave him another birdie – and the American victory.
“I wasn’t really thinking at the time,” Cantlay explained afterwards. “It was just raw emotion. I just felt it. It felt like the group birdied every hole on the back nine, and it felt like every putt was do-or-die.
As he celebrated a hat-trick of birdies, the American players waved their hats in delight. However, Cantlay later denied that he had not worn a hat in protest at not being paid, pointing out that he had done the same at the last Ryder Cup. “It just doesn’t fit,” he added, dismissing rumors of a rift in the US team after their disappointing first day. “It’s that simple. That’s all it is.”
Meanwhile, McIlroy, understandably, seemed upset at failing to get a win or a draw at the death. And he was clearly furious with the way the Americans celebrated at the end, which also included some nice words exchanged between Shane Lowry and LaCava. But he insisted the incident would only inflame the Europeans.
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“They played a great game,” he said. “And yes, a few scenes there on the 18th and just fuel for the fire tomorrow.”
However, the Northern Irishman can certainly hold his head high and has won three points from four games, including a 2&1 win with Tommy Fleetwood over Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas on Saturday morning.
That is a particularly important achievement considering McIlroy was in tears after Europe’s thrashed at Whistling Straits two years ago, feeling he had let his teammates down.
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As the skies over Rome began to darken, U.S. captain Zach Johnson insisted he was a big believer in momentum, in a way that made it sound like he could swing back and forth like a grandfather clock.
Cantlay also senses an opening. “We’ve been a little confused this week,” he said. “But we finally have a moment where we can celebrate a little bit, and we’re going to take that opportunity and try to turn it into momentum for tomorrow. Hopefully we have a silver lining and we can build on this session and try to get a big win.”
Maybe on Sunday evening we will all talk about Marco Simone’s Miracle. But right now, this is still the game Europe has to lose.