McIlroy Thinks Cantlay Is A 'Di-k,' Villegas' Win In Bermuda Is The Golf Story Of The Year, Homa Stays Scorching Hot In South Africa
Rory McIlroy could only stay quiet for so long. He finally shared his full version of the story about the Patrick Cantlay and Joe LaCava drama that spilled over into the parking lot at the Ryder Cup. The beef appears to be squashed, but McIlroy has made it abundantly clear that he is not a fan of Cantlay.
While McIlroy's tell-all about the Ryder Cup deserves plenty of attention, what Camilo Villegas was able to accomplish in Bermuda this week on the PGA Tour should be tabbed as the golf story of 2023. Villegas functioning in life, let alone playing golf at the highest level after what he's been through in less than two years' time, is something most of us, especially parents, can't fathom.
On the lighter side of things, Max Homa capped off his safari-filled week in South Africa with a win on the DP World Tour as he's slowly put together one of the more consistent runs we've seen in quite a while.
We'll dive into it all and then some in Par Talk.
Rory McIlroy Didn't Like 'Di-k' Patrick Cantlay Even Before Ryder Cup Drama
You may be sick of reading and hearing about the Ryder Cup drama between Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, and Joe LaCava given the European beatdown of the Americans concluded nearly two months ago, but the golf world very rarely gets handed moments like this so we simply must milk it for everything that it's worth.
While there have been rumors and quick remarks made about what exactly transpired after LaCava, Cantlay's caddie, waved his hat near McIlroy during Saturday's action that nearly ended in a parking lot brawl in Rome, we had yet to receive the full story. Or, at least McIlroy's version of what exactly transpired.
McIlroy spilled the details during a sitdown with Irish Independent's Paul Kimmage, and the biggest takeaway from the 5,000+ word story is that Cantlay could be enemy No. 1 for Mr. McIlroy.
“My relationship with Cantlay is average at best,” McIlroy told Kimmage. “We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently."
Fair, we don't all have to get along, but then McIlroy went a bit more personal by insinuating Cantlay is such a di-k that he's made LaCava a bad guy as well.
"‘Joe LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger, and now he’s caddying for that di-k he’s turned into a …’ I still wasn’t in a great headspace."
Speaking of Tiger, McIlroy also shared that Woods had been trying to get in touch with him after witnessing the spat on TV and social media like the rest of the golf world.
McIlroy was so heated that he replied with a rather stern, and definitely short message to the greatest golfer to ever live, writing "It will be fine...long day...just want to go to bed."
During Sunday's singles matches it was reported that McIlroy and LaCava had made amends that morning, but McIlroy shot down that report immediately after winning his match over Sam Burns. Weeks later, McIlroy went on to explain that he didn't meet with LaCava before the match because he wanted to use it as motivation, which turned out to be a wise play.
The water was thrown under the bridge after the Europeans sealed their five-point win over the U.S.
“Things happen in the heat of the moment, tensions were high. Joe LaCava came into the European team room on the Sunday night and had a drink and a chat,” McIlroy told BBC...“And it’s all fine. We’re all friends now.”
Camilo Villegas' Win Is The Purest Representation Of Hope And Perseverance
Camilo Villegas isn't the first, nor will he be the last professional golfer to go from being a well-known player to one the majority of casual golf fans forget. While Villegas entered this week's Bermuda Championship fresh off of a T-2 finish the week before, the Colombian had not found the winner's circle in over nine years and had to battle on many occasions to even keep his Tour card.
None of those golf shots and many weeks cut short after missing the cut come close to what he and his family endured in the summer of 2020.
In late July of that year, Villegas' 22-month-old daughter, Mia, lost her battle with cancer. Weeks before her passing Villegas teed it up at TPC Sawgrass in a Korn Ferry event. Somehow, some way he managed to speak in front of a camera about his little one's fight for her life.
Just over five weeks after his incredibly emotional, raw comments about Mia the Villegas family had to say goodbye. A little over two years later, he's a winner again on the PGA Tour.
Forget that the Bermuda Championship is a Fall Event with a weaker field than the bigger events on Tour, the fact that this man continued to even play golf at this level grinding to keep his Tour card is beyond comprehension. Villegas is 41 years old, he could have easily said 'alright, I'm done' after having to go through the worst pain a parent can go through, instead he continued to remember Mia as motivation and continued to live out his dream.
After earning his two-shot victory in Bermuda, Villegas reflected on life both on and off the golf course while giving a special shoutout to his little one looking down on him.
Villegas has 'attitude' tattooed on one of his wrists, with 'positive energy' written on the other and he certainly had both of those things in spade this week.
Max Homa Turned Mr. Consistent
For the casual golf fan, Max Homa may still be looked at as a 'good, but not great player' given he's been self-admittedly horrible in major championships with just one Top 10 in 17 appearances. That criticism is fair, and he'd even tell you that, but we need to start talking about just how consistent this man has been not only in 2023 but over the past handful of years.
First and foremost, Homa was arguably the only American with a pulse in the Ryder Cup as he went 3-1-1 on the week. That caught the attention of all his naysayers, but so too should his win in this week's DP World Tour's Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.
While the tournament itself doesn't jump off the page, it adds a tally to an already wildly impressive list for the Californian.
Over his last 51 worldwide starts, Homa has found the winner's circle five times. Winning once every five weeks is not too shabby. Homa has also hit some large-stone golf shots over the past couple of seasons as well, most notably the shot from behind a tree to win the playoff at the 2021 Genesis Invitational.
CBS' Kyle Porter ran the numbers and confirmed that Homa is sort of a low-key assassin when the moments are the biggest.
Homa is up to No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking and while he's everyone's pick to have a breakout year in 2024, especially at major championships, it's hard not to jump on the very front row of the Homa hype train.
Follow Mark Harris on X @ItIsMarkHarris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com