The moment US golfer Justin Thomas ‘kicks his own ball’ at the Ryder Cup as Team USA faces accusations of ‘playing dirty’
Team USA golfer Justin Thomas was last night accused by fans of ‘kicking his own ball’ after footage of him apparently stepping on it emerged online.
The 30-year-old former world number one was captured on camera during the Ryder Cup.
Video captured the moment he and partner Jordan Spieth found themselves in the rough on the sixth hole.
Thomas tried to knock him out of the grass with his bat, but hits the ball wrong, causing him to go sideways before appearing to step on it, knocking him a bit further away.
Under the rules, players can be penalized for hitting the ball with their body, although this is waived if the ball is still in motion and it was an accident.
It is not clear whether Thomas informed a referee about the accident, but so far the tournament has been very bad-tempered.
American caddy Joe LaCava sparked outrage at the Ryder Cup on Saturday after refusing to step out of Rory McIlroy’s line of sight during a crucial putt.
That caused an argument that continued in the club’s parking lot and ended in McIlroy being bundled into a car.
Golf fans took to their Twitter apps to vent their frustration over Thomas’ images.
One asked, “Didn’t JT kick the ball there?” while another was more candid, stating: ‘JT just kicked his ball!’.
Video captured the moment he and partner Jordan Spieth found themselves in the rough on the sixth hole
Thomas tried to hit the ball out of the grass with his club, but he mishit the ball and sent it flying
Thomas then appears to step on it, pushing him a little further away into the overgrown greenery
Justin Thomas, a 30-year-old former world number one, was caught on camera during the Cup
Another fan of the sport simply thought: ‘Loss of hole right?! He called it too.”
The second day of Ryder Cup action in Rome was marred by controversy.
McIlroy was annoyed that Patrick Cantlay’s caddy LaCava did not initially move from his eyeline, instead waving his cap over his head in celebration of Cantlay’s birdie on the last.
The Northern Irishman reportedly ‘politely’ asked LaCava to get out of the way, but the caddy continued to ignore the request for a while.
It happened ahead of the final day of the cup on Sunday, with Luke Donald’s European side now having plenty of extra motivation after the angry scenes on the 18th green, which continued outside the clubhouse at Marco Simone.
Europe needs just four points from the 12 final day singles matches to complete their revenge mission in Rome and reclaim the Ryder Cup.
At the front of the line, American player Cantlay converted a 43-foot putt, while McIlroy was still waiting to make his own shot.
The European golfer had a fantastic outing in this year’s Cup and was on the verge of winning his fourth straight point in an impressive performance that allowed the team to dominate play on Saturday.
After Cantlay converted his putt, the American team held lavish celebrations, including waving their hats.
Rory McIlroy went on an angry tirade at someone as he left Marco Simone on Saturday
Caddy Joe LaCava, who worked with Tiger Woods, began his career in 1987 and saw Fred Couples rack up 12 PGA Tour victories. He is now one of the most famous caddies in the world.
Waving hats towards Cantlay was a theme at this year’s Ryder Cup. It was initially said that this was due to him refusing to wear a cap in protest at not being paid for the tournament. He has since denied that this is the case.
McIlroy and teammate Matt Fitzpatrick still had their own birdie putts to halve the hole and the match, but neither could convert.
Both Lowry and Justin Rose, who had gathered to watch, also spoke to LaCava and – when McIlroy and Fitzpatrick subsequently missed their shots – headed to the green to reinforce the point as the line moved through the tunnel to the clubhouse.
Team captain Donald said: “I spoke to Rory. He politely asked Joe to step aside. He was in his field of vision.
‘He stood there and didn’t move for a while and kept waving the hat, so I think Rory was upset about that.
‘The Ryder Cup is always passionate. We have seen that before in the past. I will address all twelve of my men. I give them the right message and they are ready to play.”
He added: “We are all competitors. We all want to win, but we want to do it the right way.
McIlroy was quickly bundled into a car by teammate Shane Lowry ahead of Sunday’s final day of play
The line started on the 18th green but continued through the tunnel and into the club’s parking lot
The Americans waved their caps – a nod to European fans’ taunts over the hat controversy
McIlroy’s outburst in the parking lot comes after a tense exchange with LaCava on the final hole
“From what Rory told me, he asked Joe to move out. It took him a long time to move. It was a bit unpleasant because he still had to putt. So Rory got upset and I understand that.”
The argument continued into the parking lot, where McIlroy was seen jabbing his fingers and making his feelings clear to the Americans about what many have called unsportsmanlike behavior by LaCava.
In astonishing scenes, a furious McIlroy was heard shouting: ‘This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening – it’s a bloody shame’ as a security guard was forced to intervene.
As the feelings seemed to grow more intense, McIlroy’s teammate Shane Lowry pulled the player back and bundled him into a car.
It was reported that Cantlay refused to wear a cap in protest at players not being paid to play the Ryder Cup, mocking the European fans who waved their caps at him, jokingly sang and chanted at him.
Cantlay denied the report, claiming he didn’t wear a hat, even for the team photo, because it “just doesn’t fit.”
But the Americans, including the women and caddies, turned the taunting of the Europeans back on them with their celebration of Cantlay’s birdie, including the joy of LaCava, who set off the heated scenes on 18.
After the 18th-green altercation, McIlroy appeared to be confrontational, claiming this would only boost Europe in the Sunday singles.