Rory McIlroy is already anticipating the tension at Bethpage next week as he predicts a rematch of the Ryder Cup bust-up in Rome.
The Northern Irishman was at the center of the theatrics during the Europeans’ victory in 2023 when he had to be held back by teammate Shane Lowry in an explosive car park row.
And the reigning Masters champion is already predicting fireworks when the two sides clash in the Battle of Bethpage next week.
Luke Donald’s team will look to retain the Ryder Cup when they face off against Keegan Bradley’s roster in the Big Apple, where the infamous New York fans are expected to bring a raucous atmosphere.
But McIlroy believes the New York natives won’t be the only ones fueling the tempestuous environment as he claimed it is ‘inevitable’ that players’ tensions will also boil over.
‘I think it’s inevitable something is going to happen in New York,’ the five-time major winner told The Guardian, while insisting it is not premeditated.
Rory McIlroy has predicted that a rematch of the Ryder Cup bust-up in Rome in ‘inevitable’
McIlroy launched into a livid rant in the car park at Marco Simeone following the second day
‘It might not involve me but it is inevitable that something will happen, whether like in Rome last time or something else.
‘I just think when you go into that environment and you are there for five or six days and the crowd are on you for eight hours, so many days in a row … it is inevitable it will get to someone or get to us as a group at some point. We are just going to have to do a really good job of managing that, having each other’s backs and protecting each other.’
The wives and girlfriends of Team Europe’s stars have already been warned to steer clear of Bethpage Black in anticipation of the fiery – and likely abusive – reception they’ll receive from the home fans.
The New York crowds have developed a reputation for their strong support and the fact they are not afraid to heckle rival stars.
Ahead of the tournament’s start, former European star Andrew Coltart has issued a warning to the glamorous WAGs who are planning to attend.
Speaking about his own experience back in 1999, he said: ‘My wife wasn’t getting abused because she was back home as she’d just given birth the week before to our first child.
‘But some of the other wives and girlfriends had been getting abuse from the crowd. It was just normal derogatory things that, unfortunately, you would expect from a group of blokes that probably had too much to drink.’
Off the back of Europe’s dominant performance in Rome two years ago, it can be expected that the Bethpage crowds will be fired up for Team USA.
McIlroy is pictured with wife Erica Stoll on the Spanish Steps ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup
Team Europe’s Ryder Cup WAGs have been warned to stay away from Bethpage
Coltart continued: ‘So for Bethpage Black, I offered up the suggestion that it might not be a great idea to go out there and they can watch it from a room where it’s safe and secure.
‘Now I know that’s not what they want, they’ll want to be there with their man or their son to give them support.
‘But it potentially can be an atmosphere they will never ever be used to and it could be quite upsetting and challenging for them.
‘As a player you deal with these things, but nobody wants their wife or partner to be abused and there’s no way the crowd control and the stewards are going to be able to stop that.’
During the last battle for the cup, McIlroy had to be bundled into a car after tensions exploded on the second day of the tournament at Marco Simone in Rome, Italy.
Europe’s talisman and his teammates were left incensed when Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava celebrated in front of the Northern Irishman as he prepared for a crucial putt to save the final match of a tumultuous day.
And in astonishing scenes as tensions spilled over onto the car park, a raging McIlroy could be heard shouting ‘This can’t happen, this can’t happen – it’s a f*****g disgrace,’ with a security guard forced to step in before teammate Shane Lowry guided him to a waiting BMW 4×4.
The first flashpoint was triggered on the 18th. Fans at a raucous Marco Simone had spent the round taunting Cantlay by waving their hats in the air after an earlier report claimed he was not wearing a cap as a form of protest against not being paid for competing in the tournament – something he later denied.
McIlroy’s car park outburst came after a tense exchange with Joe LaCava on the final hole
The Northern Irishman had argued with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie LaCava on the 18th
And when Cantlay sank a stunning 30-footer to put the US on the brink of winning his match with Wyndham Clark against McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick he responded by mimicking taking off a hat – while bag man LaCava joyously twirled his in McIlroy’s line of vision.
McIlroy made his feelings clear before LaCava went back to argue the point as McIlroy weighed up the key shot. Both Lowry and Justin Rose, who had gathered to watch, also spoke to LaCava and – when subsequently McIlroy and Fitzpatrick missed their shots – made their way onto the green to reinforce the point as the row continued up the tunnel to the clubhouse.
Tempers appeared to cool but around 20 minutes later a video clip emerged of a further confrontation on the car park. McIlroy, still in his playing gear, could be seen angrily pointing his finger and shouting at someone off shot, believed to be LaCava.
Another US caddie, Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay appeared to be trying to ease the situation before a security guard attempted to step in. Irishman Lowry then intervened and led a still-seething McIlroy to the vehicle.
