The two veterans sitting at the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard with 5 under 65 are two former rivals. Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay are the only pair from Pinehurst No. 2 who made bogey-free rounds and are now sharing a lead after the conclusion of round one. Presumably, with the composure the two pros have displayed, they might even go on to share the lead after the second round ends.

If that does happen, on the moving day, McIlroy and Cantlay will be paired together for the U.S. Open. But given the tumultuous history the two share, being each other’s playing partner may affect the two golfers’ game and, in turn, become a risk factor for the U.S. Open.

What has been Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay’s relationship like? 

Let’s roll the time back to September 2023 at the Saturday four-ball session of the Ryder Cup in Marco Simone, Italy. Patrick Cantlay was being booed for his hatless head, which quickly became cheers as he carded three incredible continuous putts against Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick. In a fist of celebration, Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, waved his hat to the crowd and got into a mini-altercation with McIlroy as it blocked his line of putting.

If you remember, this dispute was dragged out to the parking lot, and there, McIlroy addressed LaCava and said, “Joe LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger, and now he’s caddying for that d*ck.” Yes, this unsavory word was used for Cantlay. But things didn’t stop there. Two months after the scuffle, McIlroy gave an interview to the Irish Independent.

Going over the heated argument, the Northern Irishman revealed his dynamics with world no. 8. McIlroy said, “My relationship with Cantlay is average at best. We don’t have a ton in common and see the world quite differently.” It was apparent that, on many topics, the two pros might not see eye to eye.

Eventually, the Ryder Cup dust was buried, and the two went on to their own paths. But the relationship between the two has been tainted. This once again affected McIlroy, as he was denied permission to re-enter the PGA Tour Policy Board.

Was Patrick Cantlay behind McIlroy’s policy board rejection?

A few days after the Ryder Cup drama, in November, Rory McIlroy resigned from his PGA Tour policy board position as Player Director. The 4-time major winner cited that his personal and professional life was getting hampered, and thus he wanted to give things more time. After his exit from the board, McIlroy was replaced by Jordan Spieth through unanimous voting.

Five months after his resignation, McIlroy was asked by Webb Simpson to replace him, as he was planning to resign. However, it was not as easy as other player directors would have liked to agree over McIlroy’s inclusion too. Which they didn’t. After the rejection from the Policy Board, the Northern Irishman explained what went wrong and said, “It got pretty complicated and pretty messy. I think with the way it happened, it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before.”

Now, McIlroy didn’t disclose any names, but he has had old wounds with Cantlay. This again indicates that McIlroy and Cantlay’s relationship has never been good. In the past months since the huge altercation between the two, McIlroy and Cantlay have never been seen exchanging words in a public setting.

It can be assumed that the two PGA Tour stars still avoid talking to each other, and a probable pairing on day three of the U.S. Open might make the situation more awkward for the fans and the golfers themselves. But this might only be a possibility if the two pros are tied for the same position by the end of 36 holes. Do you think McIlroy and Cantlay will be paired together during the weekend of U.S. Open? How will that turn out? Tell us in the comments.