Rory McIlroy admits he's struggling to bury the hatchet with US rival Joe LaCava following the pair's Ryder Cup bust-up.
McIlroy fell out with the American caddie after taking exception to LaCava's behaviour on the 18th green on Saturday evening. The Northern Irishman then hurled a foul-mouthed rant in LaCava's direction in the Marco Simone car park, as fellow US caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay tried to intervene. The world No.2, who has now been nicknamed 'Rocky McIlroy' by his team-mates, had to be bundled into a car by Shane Lowry and driven off.
McIlroy and LaCava have swapped friendlier texts since. But the European talisman admits he's still seething about what happened.
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He said: "We haven't seen each other face-to-face, but we've text, and everything will be fine. But it's a point of contention and it still hurts, but time is a great healer and we'll all move on.
"I text Bones. He was the first American I saw after I got out of the locker room, so he was the one that took the brunt of it.
โ"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I text Bones this morning and apologised for that. It was directed at Joe but said at Bones. But Joe wasn't there. I was pretty angry. I didn't agree with what happened on 18. We talked about it as a team. We felt like it was disrespectful, and it wasn't just disrespectful to Fitz (Matt Fitzpatrick) and I. It was disrespectful to the whole team."
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In terms of the golf, McIlroy led Europe glory and swiftly set his sights on winning the next one in America in 2025. Luke Donald's golfing gladiators trounced Team USA 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 to win back the trophy at Marco Simone Golf Club.
Tommy Fleetwood secured the winning point, while McIlroy claimed a personal best of four points from five to leave the US in ruins in the Italian capital. Europe have now won the last seven on home soil, while America's 30-year wait to triumph away from home goes on.
McIlroy admitted his row with LaCava the night before had even fuelled Europe's determination to take down Zach Johnson's men. And the Northern Irishman warned his rivals Europe wouldn't be giving up the trophy when the Ryder Cup takes place in New York in two years time.
McIlory said: "I needed that (the row with LaCava) to fuel me. I felt like I used it to my advantage. I feel the whole team came out with a different level of focus and determination. It lit a fire under the bellies of the whole team. I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup. And that's what we're going to do at Bethpage Black."
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Donald broke down in tears and described the win as the greatest moment of his career. He said: "We've had 12 legends and gladiators – and I couldn't be prouder to be their captain. Not many people gave us a chance after Whistling Straits. But we made history in historic Rome. I can't even speak. This is the best. This is why the Ryder Cup is so special."
US captain Zach Johnson blamed himself for the crushing loss and said: "The defeat is on me. I made some poor decisions and I will reflect. But Team USA will be better off at some point. We will use this as motivation."
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