While Rory McIlroy was a key protagonist at the 2025 Ryder Cup, it was perhaps surprising that there was no real revival of his rivalry with Patrick Cantlay from Rome.
Patrick Cantlay was the pantomime villain at Marco Simone amid reports of a rift within the American team room. Of course, the situation came to a head on Saturday evening, with Rory McIlroy having to be dragged into a car by Shane Lowry after a row with Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava.
Predict who the Ryder Cup captains will be in 2027 🤔
Cantlay had a week to forget at Bethpage. He was the only American to lose his match on Sunday as Europe stumbled across the line and won the Ryder Cup.
Cantlay and McIlroy did face off during the week. They were on opposite sides on Friday afternoon, with McIlroy and Lowry halving their match with Cantlay and Sam Burns.
And it seems that McIlroy could not resist something of a dig at Cantlay during the course of their match.
Michael Kim defends Patrick Cantlay as Rory McIlroy video emerges
A video has emerged showing the Northern Irishman mimicking Cantlay’s waddle before he hits a tee shot.
Of course, the 33-year-old is known for being one of the slower players on tour. He is certainly methodical in his approach. And McIlroy could not resist the temptation to poke fun at how long Cantlay seems to spend over the ball.
But one PGA Tour player has defended Cantlay. Taking to X, Michael Kim explained the reason he does shuffle when preparing to hit the ball.
Patrick Cantlay is surely a surprise contender to miss the Presidents Cup
Cantlay goes into the 2026 season with a real point to prove. Following his performance in Italy in 2023 – and in the darkness on Saturday evening at the Presidents Cup the following year – there was next to no chance of him not featuring in Keegan Bradley’s team.
But there was no sign of Patty Ice in New York. He was one of three Americans to play all five matches, and he delivered just 1.5 points for his team.
That arguably throws the spotlight once again on the fact that he has not won on the PGA Tour since 2022. He also missed three major cuts in 2025.
If he is unable to earn an automatic spot for the Presidents Cup later this year, there is a strong argument that Brandt Snedeker would be much better off taking a less proven player in the hope that they can get some crucial experience ahead of Adare Manor in 2027.
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