The Ryder Cup begins Friday at Bethpage Black with pairings still to be announced there are a few major head to head matches we are most excited to see and some don’t involve golf
Rory McIlroy v. Joe LaCava
Following a heated parking lot confrontation during the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome involving Patrick Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, and Rory McIlroy, stemming from LaCava’s antics on the putting green, the two will meet again after some time apart. LaCava sparked controversy for celebrating in a way that interrupted European player Matthew Fitzpatrick as he prepared to putt.
“You know, they throw the names out there and chances are we’ll play Rory at some point because there’s four or five matches. Maybe it’ll happen. You know, we don’t need any of that aggravation. We just want good competition, both guys to play well,” LaCava told the Daily Mail.
The on-course incident escalated into a parking lot shouting match, with European player Shane Lowry pulling McIlroy away from the yelling and finger pointing.
Bryson DeChambeau v. Rory McIlroy
Bryson DeChambeau has been largely separated from head-to-head competition with McIlroy in recent years due to his move to LIV Golf. Still, in the few times they’ve competed together, both have been at the top of leaderboards. Most notably, at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, McIlroy missed a short putt that cost him the championship. The two were also paired in the final round of the 2025 Masters, where tensions were evident.
