15-07-2025
PGA Tour ace's dad appalled by McIlroy behaviour and incident with Lowry's wife
The drama that occurred at the 2023 edition of the Ryder Cup has left Xander Schauffele's father, Stefan, on a mission to boycott the event later this year
Xander Schauffele's father, Stefan, revealed he's set to boycott the Ryder Cup this year after witnessing the drama involving Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry at previous events. The 2023 edition of the competition had its fair share of chaos, but Team Europe ended up capturing victory over Team USA with a final score of 16 1/2 – 11 1/2, their first Ryder Cup win since 2018.
McIlroy had a well-documented feud with Patrick Cantlay's caddie, Joe LaCava, in Rome that was sparked on the green.
The caddie waved his cap in celebration before the Northern Irishman, who was partnered with Matt Fitzpatrick, was able to hole a putt in an eventual afternoon defeat to Cantlay and Wyndham Clark.
Infuriating McIlroy with his antics, the long-time caddie was also slow to move when instructed to get out of the way by the 36-year-old when attempting to line up a shot.
A confrontation between the two began on the green, and even after the day of action, as the five-time major winner was still incensed when coming across several Team USA caddies outside the clubhouse.
A fuming McIlroy was caught on camera aggressively pointing at someone, with many believing it to be at LaCava. Continuing to shout in front of Jim 'Bones' Mackay, the caddie of Justin Thomas, the golfer had to be held back by Lowry, who urged his compatriot into a car, putting an end to the wild scenes.
McIlroy's actions, as well as the insults hurled at Lowry's wife by fans at the 2021 Ryder Cup in Wisconsin, have left Schauffele Sr disillusioned with the competition, which returns in September.
Speaking to the Times, he said: "Do I miss the PGA Tour? No. I'm not going to the Ryder Cup either. I'm afraid of what's going to happen in New York.
"I was there [at Whistling Straits] when they called Shane Lowry's wife a w**** in front of him. I couldn't believe my ears. Then I saw what happened in Rome.
"That was utterly disgusting claiming this money bullshit and Rory [McIlroy] behaved disgustingly in my opinion [when he confronted Cantlay's caddie, Joe LaCava, in the car park]."
"It's only going to get worse," the PGA Tour star's father said. "It's ruined my appetite for the Ryder Cup. It becomes unwatchable." McIlroy has since spoken out about the controversy in a behind-the-scenes documentary 'Una Famiglia'.
"It turned from a match we thought we were going to win into a dog fight," he admitted last year. "Patrick's caddie, Joe, stood there a little bit longer than he should have. I was trying to read my putt and he was in the way.
"I asked him to move and he didn't take too kindly to that." McIlroy then had his say on the post-match scenes as he added: "The fun and games sort of happened after that. As soon as I saw anyone with an American jersey on I went at them."
