Rory McIlroy admits that he “lost it” during the Ryder Cup row with Patrick Cantlay and regrets how he acted.
The Northern Irishman was involved in an infamous altercation with Cantlay and his caddie Joe LaCava during – and after – their Saturday fourball match at the Ryder Cup last year.
McIlroy was furious after LaCava waved his cap in his line of sight while he was preparing for a putt, leading to a fiery confrontation on the 18th green.
The incident would later spill into the parking lot and continue to play out in the media long after the tournament.
Speaking on Sky Sports' Stick to Football podcast, McIlroy said he continued to seethe about the incident after the match, which led to the altercation in the parking lot where he had to be held back by teammate Shane Lowry.
"It happened on the 18th green and then we shook hands after – everything was okay," he said.
"I got back into the team room and Shane Lowry was giving us an incredible, motivational talk and as he's speaking, I'm getting angrier and angrier about what happened and that riled me up to what occurred in the car park afterwards.”
McIlory was also not happy with Cantlay, who was at the center of several controversies during the tournament.
In a recent interview with Paul Kimmage in the Irish Independent, McIlroy admitted that he called Cantlay a “d***” and described their relationship as “average at best”.
He says he regrets some of his behavior and that he continues to respect Cantlay as a golfer.
"As a competitor and a golfer, I have nothing but respect for Patrick Cantlay – he's an amazing player,” he told Stick to Football.
“I lost it [my emotions], calling people names and things happened that I regret, I used some language in front of people that should never hear that and I'm sitting in the car afterwards going, 'I probably shouldn't have done that.'
"But we shook hands and made up and had a beer together on the Sunday night – everything was fine."
Cantlay also recently attempted to bury the hatchet with McIlroy, adding that McIlroy’s “d***” remark was “taken out of context”.
