The slow-burning rivalry between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay that captivated golf fans back in Rome 2023 exploded again at Bethpage Black, but subtly. Months after the 2025 Ryder Cup, a video has emerged that you definitely should not miss.

NUCLR Golf shared a video on X, showing Rory McIlroy mimicking Cantlay’s deliberate slow pre-shot routine consisting of extensive stepping, waggling, and regripping at the Ryder Cup. With both players on opposing sides, McIlroy for Europe and Cantlay for Team USA, the moment captures the competitive tension that has simmered between them for years.

It stems from the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, where tempers flared during an intense Saturday afternoon four-ball match. McIlroy and Fitzpatrick played against Cantlay and Wyndham Clark. After Cantlay’s 43-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win, his caddie, Joe LaCava, celebrated by waving his hat in McIlroy’s direction while he lined up his putt.

Rory McIlroy later revealed he had been trying to quiet the European crowd for Cantlay during the match, only to feel disrespected when the same courtesy wasn’t extended to him. The incident spiraled into a heated confrontation in the parking lot, with Shane Lowry physically restraining Rory McIlroy as he angrily confronted Jim “Bones” Mackay.

“My relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently. LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger, and now he’s caddying for that d— [Cantlay]. He’s turned into an arse,” McIlroy told the Irish Independent in 2023.

Later, McIlroy cleared the air and said that his anger stemmed from a place of competition.

“As a competitor and a golfer, I have nothing but respect for Patrick Cantlay. He’s an amazing player. I lost it, calling people names, and things happened that I regret. I used some language in front of people that they should never hear. 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.”

The two have crossed paths multiple times since. At the 2024 U.S. Open, they both led the first round with bogey-free 65s at Pinehurst. Since 2020, they’ve been paired eight times in stroke play, with Cantlay holding a slight edge of 68.75 average to McIlroy’s 69.13.

At the 2025 Ryder Cup, the jabs weren’t limited to the greens.

Rory McIlroy, who had been mimicking Cantlay’s action, was ironically targeted by unruly crowds. What was supposed to be America’s home-field advantage devolved into unacceptable verbal abuse directed at European players, particularly McIlroy. The abuse extended to McIlroy’s wife, Erica, when a fan threw a beer that clipped her hat. The PA announcer on Saturday morning even led a “F— you, Rory” chant before later resigning.

Despite the hostility, McIlroy and his teammates let their performance do the talking. Europe secured a 15-13 win, with Rory McIlroy finishing strong at 3-1-1. Cantlay struggled at 1-3-1, highlighting the gap between the rivals when it mattered most.

Beyond that, their contrasting approaches to the future of professional golf deepened the divide.

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Governance deepened the Rory McIlroy– Patrick Cantlay divide

In 2024, when Rory McIlroy attempted to rejoin the PGA Tour policy board position as Player Director after resigning in November 2023, some voted against the Irishman. Among those who voted against him were Patrick Cantlay, Tiger Woods, and others.

Rory McIlroy’s rejected return to the PGA Tour Policy Board in 2024 discreetly showed that there was a bigger problem. McIlroy wanted a louder, clearer influence in defining the future of golf, especially after LIV Golf messed things up. His effort showed that there was a need for change and urgency, not patient consensus.

Patrick Cantlay, who was already on the Policy Board, took the other side. Cantlay preferred internal process to public positioning because he was careful, measured, and strategic. People who didn’t want McIlroy to come back didn’t do so out of anger. They believed leadership should be planned, controlled, and protected from external pressure.

The episode mattered because it moved their rivalry off course. This has nothing to do with swing tempo or Ryder Cup feelings. It was about power. McIlroy’s loud style was at odds with Cantlay’s quiet authority, suggesting their dispute went beyond how professional golf should be run.

Neither of them made it clear that the decision was personal, but the effects were clear. Rory McIlroy noticed that progress was being stopped. Meanwhile, Patrick Cantlay saw that stability was being maintained. That conceptual divide deepened the tension, showing that their rivalry isn’t about moments but about very different ideas about power, development, and control in the game.