“Rory is doing more damage to PGA Tour than LIV” - Fans react to recent Rory McIlroy comments about Patrick Cantlay 

Rory McIlroy once again ignited controversy this Sunday by describing his relationship with Patrick Cantlay as "average at best." The Northern Irishman used this expression during an interview given to the Irish Independent, in which he spoke about the most recent edition of the Ryder Cup.

There have been several interviews and statements from Rory McIlroy regarding his discussion with Joe LaCava at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. His words on the subject have been quite controversial, and those published this Sunday, November 12, were no exception.

Rory McIlroy described his relationship with Patrick Cantlay as "average at best" but added that he still showed him respect during the match Cantlay beat him, on the second day of the 2023 Ryder Cup.

"My relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently... But when I saw he was getting stick on the 17th and 18th greens, I tried to quieten the crowd for him," he said.

"I shook Joe’s [LaCava] hand, and Patrick’s [Cantlay] hand. Those three putts he made on 16, 17 and 18 were fantastic, and under that pressure, to give your team a glimmer of hope going into Sunday was big balls. So all respect to him," he added.

Many fans did not take kindly to what Rory McIlroy said about Patrick Cantlay. On that note, here are a few reactions from X (formerly Twitter) users:

(Image via X)

McIlroy teamed up with Matt Fitzpatrick to face Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark on the second day of four-balls at the 2023 Ryder Cup. The result was 1 up in favor of the Americans.

It was the only match McIlroy lost throughout the event. The Northern Irishman contributed four points to the European victory.

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Rory McIlroy calls Patrick Cantlay a "d**k"

Rory McIlroy himself gave the Irish Independent some details of what happened at the end of that round of four-balls. It was the scene of his now famous altercation with Patrick Cantlay's caddie, Joe LaCava.

McIlroy spoke at length about what happened on the course and later in the locker room. According to the Northern Irishman, Brooks Koepka's caddie and swing coach Ricky Elliot and Claude Harmon also approached him to defuse the tension, but McIlroy greeted them with the following words:

"Joe LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger, and now he’s caddying for that d**k."

Patrick Cantlay has yet to respond to McIlroy's comments. McIlroy also commented that Tiger Woods himself tried to contact him that night, but that he missed both of his calls. In his words, he sent him a text message assuring him that everything would be fine.