Justin Rose sends message to Bryson DeChambeau after Ryder Cup row

Justin Rose was keen to put his Ryder Cup altercation with Bryson DeChambeau in the past (Picture: Getty)

Justin Rose moved to put his row with Bryson DeChambeau to bed after a highly charged day of action at the 45th Ryder Cup, insisting there was no ‘disrespect’ or ‘intent’ in what he said to the American.

The 45-year-old, featuring in his seventh Ryder Cup for Team Europe, put on a masterclass alongside Tommy Fleetwood as they defeated Scottie Scheffler and DeChambeau 3&2 in an absorbing fourballs contest on Saturday.

But tempers boiled over on the 15th green as Rose took umbrage with DeChambeau – and his caddie Greg Bodine – seemingly getting in his way and obstructing his view while lining up a vital putt.

A visibly frustrated Rose made his feelings clear, directing Bodine to move off the green, before exchanging some choice words with DeChambeau once the latter had holed his own putt.

And the bad blood continued as the two teams headed towards the 16th tee box, with Fleetwood and his caddie, Ian Finnis, attempting to control and calm the situation before Europe increased their commanding lead.

It was just one of a number of unsavoury incidents across a day of high drama and controversy, in which Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were both left upset following abuse from a rowdy New York crowd at Bethpage Black.

‘I want to say, all the Ryder Cups I’ve done back to 1999, this is the worst crowd behaviour I’ve seen,’ US golf commentator and ex-professional Jay Townsend said.

Rose put on a show alongside Fleetwood in New York (Picture: Getty)

But speaking after his win alongside Fleetwood, Rose was keen to put his disagreement on the 15th green in the past, saying: ‘It was a shame that the match got to that point because it was actually a really, really great match.

‘I was waiting to putt and the boys [DeChambeau and Bodine] were obviously working on their read, going through a lot of their calculations and bits and pieces. 

‘I waited for 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.

Tempers boiled over on the 15th green (Picture: Getty)

‘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.

I don’t think we should dwell on that and I said to the boys that if you want me to say, “Excuse me, please,” then yeah, my bad.

Europe are on the cusp of a famous victory after taking a commanding lead (Picture: Getty)

Asked whether the incident had been ‘put to bed’, Rose replied: ‘Listen, I hope so. I spoke to the boys. It should be [put to bed] in my opinion. There was no intent behind it whatsoever.

‘Especially Scottie. I admire him more than anyone else out on Tour – the way he goes about his business, the way he goes about his life and there’s huge respect all around.

‘It was something that was taken in a way and it wasn’t intended in a way, but obviously it was a big putt, big moment. I’m trying to control my environment as well in that scenario.

Fleetwood acted as a peacemaker during the row (Picture: Getty)

‘We’re all competitors so I think that’s all within the framework of what we’ve got to do out here, but, yeah, happy days all round.’

The former US Open champion added: ‘It was an amazing match.

‘We obviously got off to a great start, the quality of golf was exceptional, Tommy played incredible in the middle of the back nine and it was an epic match to be a part of.’

McIlroy was especially upset with the New York crowd (Picture: Getty)

Fleetwood echoed Rose’s remarks over the pair’s altercation with DeChambeau and stressed that what happened on the 15th green was not ‘that big a deal’.

‘Look, I guess it’s part of it. Like Justin said, it’s one moment out of two days of a lot of golf and a lot of great golf,’ he said.

‘Justin might have complimented me a little bit, but he played on his own today.

‘You’re out there and whatever… it happens. I don’t think it’s that big a deal.

‘But I really enjoyed being a part of that match, even though I didn’t contribute that much. Just watching Justin there and being by his side was amazing.

‘Another point and every single point is huge. That’s what you look at, you’re looking at the points on the board, and so far we’ve got some blue and we want to keep that going.’

Europe stand on the cusp of a comprehensive win in New York, with the visitors leading 11.5-4.5 and requiring just 2.5 points to retain their title on the final day.

The seven-point lead is Europe’s largest since entering singles play in 1979.

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