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The Ryder Cup has featured its fair share of heartwarming moments, but at the end of the day, it is still an intense rivalry.
It feels like there is more fist-pumping during these three days of golf than in the entirety of the golf season.
And sometimes, golfers get a little carried away with their emotions. Here are some of the most heated moments in the history of the tournament.
Hats Off
Arguably the most intense moment in Ryder Cup history, with tensions flaring well after play, occurred in the most recent tournament.
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Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, and Justin Leonard are parts of some of the most intense moments in Ryder Cup history. (Getty Images)
First, we need to rewind to earlier Saturday in 2023, when Patrick Cantlay was not wearing a hat because, he claimed, it didn’t fit well on him. The speculation, though, was that he was not being paid to wear the sponsor-less hat, or play, and it was a sign of protest. Ironically, USA players are getting paid this year, while Europeans are not, perhaps providing some motivation for the team from overseas.
Back to the golf. With that speculation floating around Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Cantlay was mocked by the European fans who waved their hats throughout the entire round. Well, the hatless Cantlay drained a 43-foot birdie putt on 18 to clinch at least half a point. His teammates responded by returning the hat waves, as did Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava.
LaCava, however, may have taken it a bit too far by waving his hat right in front of Rory McIlroy, who had a chance to tie the match. That prompted a conversation between McIlroy and LaCava before the putt, with LaCava telling Shane Lowry off the green to “shut the f— up.”
All parties appeared to be civil upon the end of play, but McIlroy, still hot about the incident, actually had to be held back by Shane Lowry while taking his frustrations out on Jim “Bones” McKay.
18 Holes of Fire
For a guy who once called the Ryder Cup an “exhibition” that he probably wouldn’t even fist-pump for, McIlroy sure is on this list a lot.
But while he is a key part in maybe the biggest temper-flaring moment in the tournament’s history, he also played a major factor in maybe the most intense 18 holes ever.
With Europe needing a comeback at Hazeltine in 2016, they sent McIlroy out first to go against Patrick Reed, who wanted all the smoke.
Team USA’s Patrick Reed and Team Europe’s Rory McIlroy shake hands on the green during the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. (Robert Beck/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
While McIlroy would shush the crowd, Reed would bow down to them, celebrating like every short putt was a touchdown in the Super Bowl. The two even paid respect to one another when McIlroy drained a 45-footer and emphatically screamed, and Reed responded by making his birdie and wagging his finger. The duo fist-bumped and patted one another on the back.
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McIlroy admitted in a 2025 Ryder Cup feature that they both wasted a ton of energy on the front nine, but the match still went the full 18. When Reed’s match-winning putt dropped, he made up for that lack of energy and went absolutely berserk.
If you ever want to know about the fire that could occur at the Ryder Cup, feel free to watch this match online.
Premature Celebration
The United States was in the midst of completing the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history in 1999 at Brookline.
Trailing 10-6 entering Sunday singles, no team had ever made up even a two-point deficit on the final day to win the Cup. Ben Crenshaw famously held up his finger on Saturday night, saying he had a “good feeling” about Sunday.
And understandably so. Team USA won each of the first seven singles matches to suddenly lead, 13-10. Europe earned two points, but Jim Furyk beat Sergio Garcia to take a 14-12 lead.
Needing a half-point to win the Ryder Cup, Justin Leonard drained a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, causing absolute madness on the green. Players, wives, and apparently cameramen stormed the green, all while Jose Maria Olazabal still had a putt to keep the match tied. The cameramen apparently stepped in Olazabal’s line, affecting his putt. Olazabal missed, clinching the U.S. their half-point.
Fans storm the 18th fairway following the last twosome at the 33rd Ryder Cup in Brookline, Massachusetts on Sept. 26, 1999. (Bill Greene/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
A headline in the London Evening Standard read, “How to win a Cup but lose all dignity.” Olazabal called the green ruckus “an ugly picture to see,” and Europe vice-captain Sam Torrance said Team USA should have been “ashamed.”
Europe would get its revenge by winning each of the next three Ryder Cups, with the latter two each by nine points.
Watchful Eyes
Seve Ballesteros and Paul Azinger had a dispute at the 1989 Ryder Cup, but tensions continued two years later at Kiawah Island.
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Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal were paired up against Azinger and Chip Beck. The Spaniards caught the Americans changing which type of ball they were using depending on the wind, which is against the rules. The Americans denied it at first, but admitted it after it was revealed they would not be penalized, since the Spaniards confronted them too late.
The Americans were confronted on the 10th hole, and it became the main source of many calls by Europeans that claimed gamesmanship by Team USA in future years.
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