The Ryder Cup 2025 had already become notorious for heated clashes with fans, but tensions escalated further when players and caddies from opposing sides were caught in a spat of their own. A video of Scottie Scheffler‘s caddie, Ted Scott, and European vice captain Francesco Molinari made its rounds last night, where the two could be seen engaging in what looked like a heated argument. As fans wondered what could have happened, the silence from the duo has finally been broken. In a friendly and sweet video posted on Scott’s Instagram account, he cleared the air and apologized for what actually went down.

“This guy right here has always been just a very sweet-spirited man, and you know we had a heated moment yesterday, but what many of you don’t realize is that we got over it. By the time we walked off the 16th tee, it was over and neither one of us want to make this competition about us,” Scott said, standing aside Molinari, his hand around the latter’s shoulders.

It all started during the afternoon session on Saturday. The fourball matches between the pair of Bryson DeChambeau & Scheffler, with Tommy Fleetwood & Justin Rose, were underway, with Europe already leading (3-up). The spirits were high, and as the group moved to the 16th, things turned a little too heated.

In the videos circulated on the internet, Molinari is seen walking between the players and caddies, trying to create space between them. As he walked, he lightly placed a hand on Scott’s shoulder, which, for some reason, triggered the latter, leading to a heated exchange between the two. Scott turned around angrily, asking Molinari to back off. Sensing tension, Fleetwood and his caddie Ian Finnis stepped in. Eventually, the two cooled down and kept walking down the fairway.

Recalling the incident, Scott further added in his video, “We want to let the players go out there and do their thing, and obviously Team Europe is kicking our b*tts and hopefully today we can make it a little more equal, have a better competition [and] give the fans what they want but ultimately I just want to spread love and joy. It’s a great competition, it’s great fun, and this is a great man right here. So, just want to say I’m sorry.”

This incident was like a domino effect of what had happened earlier. The day was already marred by Rory McIlroy’s and Shane Lowry’s back-and-forth with the crowd, prompting the police to make rounds. Things turned even uglier after it was reported that bottles were thrown at McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll.

With so much tension surging on the course, Fleetwood-DeChambeau and co stepped on the course for their rounds. At the 15th green, Rose was lining up for a crucial birdie putt when DeChambeau’s caddie, Greg Bodine, accidentally walked into his line. A frustrated Ross asked Bodine to step aside, which, as per reports and Ross’s later admission, he came across as rather aggressive. But he then continued with his game and shot the birdie.

Once the group walked off the green, DeChambeau was seen approaching Fleetwood and Finnis, sharing verbal banter. Not much could be heard on the camera mic, but Fleetwood was heard taking a jab at DeChambeau’s YouTube career, while Finnis asked the American to “chill out.”

So, with all that happening, Scott’s apology comes from a really matured stance of things. And hearing this heartfelt apology, Molinari also shared a few words in the video: “I appreciate you, and like I told you, [I have] a huge admiration for you. I love you, so thank you for all you did on that day.”

The incident was a heightened moment in this edition of the Ryder Cup. Till now, only the crowd was causing a ruckus on the course. But this particular rift gave the fans what they had been anticipating since the day the teams were announced: a passionate rivalry on course. And anyway, the rift between caddies and players is the norm in this biennial event. The HatGate incident in Rome is another apt example, where Patrick Cantlay‘s caddie Joe LaCava brawled with Rory McIlroy for a very similar reason. The 2025 Ryder Cup now has its own such drama to look back to.

Meanwhile, Scott is not the only person who apologized for his behaviour.

Justin Rose accepts his mistake, which caused the Ryder Cup drama

After the entire scene played out, Justin Rose took accountability for what went down, admitting his mistake in the post-match press conference. He explained how Greg Bodine and others had previously entered his line, which was the reason Rose got frustrated later on. “I was waiting to putt, the boys were obviously working on their read, going through their calculations and bits and pieces, so I waited a few seconds and then felt like they came up again.”

He then acknowledged that things could have been handled in a better way if he had changed his wording. “Maybe I didn’t say it as politely as I could have said it in the moment, but by no means was there any disrespect. If you want me to say ‘excuse me, please,’ then my bad.”

Later on, US Captain Keegan Bradley also addressed the situation, emphasizing that the incident was “disrespectful.”

“…But Justin Rose told me after on the green that they had talked it out. I talked to Bryson.”

His response came after he downplayed the crowd‘s behavior towards the Europeans over the last two days.

As the tournament approaches its end, tensions are running high, especially on the US’s side. It will be interesting to see what comes during the Sunday singles.