‘Horrendous Pairing’: Infamous Patrick Cantlay-Rory McIlroy Rivalry Becomes Fans’ Laughing Stock After a Massive Twist

Rory McIlroy‘s four birdies and three bogeys land him in an interesting spot, albeit not the one he desired. He currently finds himself in a T2 position, tied alongside Matthieu Pavon and Patrick Cantlay. As for the pairings for the upcoming rounds—yes, you guessed it: for the final round, Cantlay and McIlroy are scheduled to tee off together at 2:10 PM ET. But what is so special about the pairing?

The two PGA Tour pros have not been on the best of terms since the Ryder Cup in 2023. During that event, McIlroy criticized Cantlay, calling him a “d*ck.” The tension continued beyond that incident. Two months later, McIlroy discussed their relationship in an interview with the Irish Independent, stating, “My relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently.” It’s clear that on many issues, these two pros do not see eye to eye.

Fast forward to the present. Recently, @flushingitgolf shared a post on X with the caption, “Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay have a frosty relationship, and just a few weeks ago Rory even called him a dick in an interview. Tomorrow they will play together in the penultimate US Open group. You can’t make it up.” Highlighting the decision to pair them together is a bold move, and it will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay have a frosty relationship and just a few weeks ago Rory even called him a dick in an interview. Tomorrow they will play together in the penultimate US Open group. You can’t make it up 😅 pic.twitter.com/p3oqdrCCHy

If it were just about the incident from the Ryder Cup, things might not have been as hyped. However, recently, when Rory McIlroy attempted to rejoin the PGA Tour policy board position as Player Director after resigning in November last year, some voted against the Irishman. Among those who voted against him were Patrick Cantlay, Tiger Woods, and others. Although the final round has not yet begun, fans have plenty to discuss upon seeing this pairing.

During Masters this year, the slow play was an enemy for McIlroy. Expressing his take on the matter, he said, “It was stop and start, hard to get into a rhythm with the conditions and obviously how slow the play was as well.” Taking to this, one fan commented, “Patrick will play extra slow and really get in Rory’s head. Rory’s chances to win tomorrow just fell to zero.” Noting that the Irishman hates slow golf, and being aware of the situation, Cantlay might take advantage of that.

Joe LaCava, who was Patrick Cantlay’s caddie during the Ryder Cup, was the first to witness the incident. Reflecting on this, a fan commented, “Joe is looking forward to it.” Since then, LaCava has seen every development in their feud and seems to somewhat enjoy it. The upcoming pairing is likely to be thrilling for him, as he might witness McIlroy and Cantlay face off once again. Expressing both concern and their own sentiments, a fan commented, “Horrendous paring for Rory tomorrow. The worst one he could have gotten.” Supposedly alluding to the Ryder Cup incident.