Justin Rose insists his Ryder Cup spat with Bryson DeChambeau was borne out of a misunderstanding and that he and Tommy Fleetwood don’t hold any grudge against their American rivals.
Tensions flared towards the end of a highly-charged afternoon of fourballs when the atmosphere turned nasty at Bethpage Black.
On the 15th green, with the European pair three up on DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler, Rose took issue with DeChambeau and the American’s caddie, Greg Bodine, getting in his way as as he attempted to line up a crucial putt.
DeChambeau responded by holing his own putt and then appearing to have some words for Rose as they headed toward the 16th tee box. Emotions soon boiled over, with Fleetwood attempting to keep the peace and shoo DeChambeau away.
Before long, Scheffler‘s caddie Ted Scott clashed with European vice captain, Francesco Molinari. The argument eventually subsided and, a few minutes later, Rose led Europe to a three-and-two victory on a day when abuse from the stands routinely crossed the line.
After sealing victory on the 16th green, Rose explained what was behind the spat. The Englishman, 45, admitted he could have handled the situation better but believes his words were misinterpreted.
Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau clashed during their fourball match at the Ryder Cup
On the 15th green, Rose took issue with DeChambeau and his caddie getting in his way
‘It was a shame that the match got to that point because it was actually a really great match,’ Rose said.
‘I was waiting to putt, the boys (DeChambeau and Bodine) were obviously working on their read, going through a lot of their calculations and bits and pieces.
‘So I waited a few seconds and then I felt like they came up again and I questioned whether… I was like, “It’s my putt, right?” or however I said it.
‘Maybe I didn’t say it as politely as I could have said it in the moment, but by no means was there any disrespect or anything like that, but obviously it was taken the wrong way.’
The 45-year-old said he hopes that the hatchet has been buried with DeChambeau and Scheffler after they spoke following the end of the match.
‘It should be (settled) in my opinion – there was no intent behind it whatsoever,’ Rose said.
‘Especially Scottie. I admire him more than anybody else out on Tour – the way he goes about his business, the way he goes about his life. And obviously just huge respect all around.’
Rose added: ‘But obviously it was a big putt, big moment. I’m trying to control my environment as well in that scenario. We’re all competitors, right, so I think that’s all within the framework of what we’ve got to do out here.’
Scottie Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott clashed with European vice captain, Francesco Molinari
Rose said he hopes that the hatchet has been buried with DeChambeau and Scheffler
The Englishman, who has won two matches from two alongside Fleetwood at this year’s Ryder Cup, was determined not to ‘dwell’ on one flashpoint from an ‘epic’ match, adding: ‘I said to the boys, if you want me to say, “Excuse me, please,” then yeah, my bad.
‘But it was an amazing match honestly. I think we got off to a great start. The quality of golf was exceptional.’
Fleetwood echoed his teammates sentiments. ‘It’s one moment out of two days of a lot of golf and a lot of great golf,’ the Englishman said. ‘I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.’
Neither DeChambeau nor Scheffler addressed the argument immediately after the match but the world No 1 did pay tribute to their European rivals.
‘We were in a tough matchup today – those guys played great,’ Scheffler said. ‘They made a ton of putts and really tip of a cap to them. They played better than we did. Bryson did a great job battling all day.’
