Rory McIlroy act at Ryder Cup speaks volumes after clashing with opponent's caddie

The highly anticipated rematch between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay, alongside caddie Joe LaCava, certainly delivered on expectations. And LaCava, true to his word, kept himself out of the drama this time around.

During Friday's opening day at the Ryder Cup held at Bethpage Black, Europe seized the early advantage by commanding the morning foursomes. They established a 3-1 advantage heading into the afternoon fourballs, with the Americans then falling further behind, trailing 2 1⁄2 to 5 1⁄2 at the conclusion of play.

One particular matchup caught the attention, that being Cantlay taking on McIlroy. Their feud traces back to the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, when the Northern Irishman's confrontation with LaCava erupted beyond the boundaries of the course.

LaCava - formerly Tiger Woods' bagman - faced a chorus of boos from European supporters as he celebrated provocatively towards McIlroy after Team USA secured the decisive fourball point in 2023.

The caddie had brandished his cap in the air as a response to supporters who had been heckling Cantlay throughout the day following reports the American had declined to wear headwear in an alleged wage dispute.

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McIlroy felt the caddie's taunting celebration dragged on excessively, and believed he loitered too near his putting line. This sparked a furious exchange of insults between the duo, with McIlroy even confronting LaCava's friend Jim "Bones" Mackay in the club car park, reports the Mirror US.

Relations remained frosty following the Marco Simeone incident; McIlroy even told the Irish Independent that LaCava "used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger" but had subsequently "turned into an a**" after teaming up with Cantlay. Thanks to a mix of talent, emotion, and history, the stage was set for a thrilling showdown that had all the makings of a Ryder Cup classic.

Cantlay and McIlroy were neck and neck. Both Irish and European fans and American supporters gave it their all, but both players held their nerve and made impressive putts to seemingly land a killer blow, only for their opponent to hit back immediately.

The two went toe-to-toe throughout the round. Initially, Cantlay and Sam Burns took the lead with a birdie on the first, only for McIlroy and Shane Lowry to equalise on the next hole. The European pair surged ahead with a 2-up lead, but Cantlay magically pulled them back.

Both Cantlay and McIlroy made incredible putts to give their teams a shot at victory, taking it down to the wire on the final hole. The American's approach shot went long, and McIlroy's putt to win the match missed wide left.

This time, there were no off-the-course antics. Instead, after watching his shot agonisingly trickle wide, McIlroy - having thrown his club in the air in despair - embraced LaCava, shaking his hand in a display of sportsmanship that was absent in Rome.

They may not have spoken much during the round, but when needed, the respect was there, a stark contrast to two years ago. Perhaps McIlroy, Cantlay and LaCava have moved on. However, the next two days at Bethpage Black may add more to their story.

McIlroy is set to team up with Tommy Fleetwood to take on Collin Morikawa and Harris English, while Cantlay will once again partner with Xander Schauffele to face Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in Saturday's foursomes.