Patrick Cantlay hat row rumbles on from Ryder Cup

The Patrick Cantlay Hat-Gate fiasco is back with a new report claiming he wants to be paid to play in the Ryder Cup.

When questioned by US television reporter Steve Sands why he wasn’t wearing a hat on the 1st tee before the Friday foursomes, Cantlay allegedly said, “I’ll wear a hat when I’m paid to be here like he is.”

Cantlay was motioning towards PGA of America executive Julius Mason, as the Fire Pit Collective reported, before he and Xander Schauffele began the first session at Marco Simone.

This comes after Sky Sports’s Jamie Weir reported Cantlay wasn’t wearing a hat in protest at not being paid to play for Team USA on the event’s second day. The American insisted that “the hat just doesn’t fit.”

Sands said to the Fire Pit Collective he couldn’t comment publicly, while Mason has since revealed he wasn’t aware of Cantlay’s chat with Sands.

Many spectators in Rome taunted the American during his Saturday afternoon fourball match, following Weir’s posts on X, by removing their hats.

Big. Time. Putt. 😤@Patrick_Cantlay | #GoUSA pic.twitter.com/GOLrpsT1Sd
— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 30, 2023

Cantlay and Wyndham Clark won this game against Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick. The aftermath spilled into a car park near the 18th green with McIlroy involved in a row with Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava.

The 2021 FedEx Cup champion had this to say when he was asked if players should be paid to play in the Ryder Cup in the post-match press conference:

“It’s not about that. It’s just about Team USA and representing our country – That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

“The hat doesn’t fit. It didn’t fit at Whistling Straits and didn’t fit this week. Everyone knows that.”

The hat-removal gesture from spectators continued into Sunday when Cantlay faced Europe’s Justin Rose in the singles.

Cantlay told Sands after beating the Englishman 2&1 that Weir’s other claim that there was division in the USA team room was “totally false.”

“It couldn’t be further from the truth. There hasn’t been one word of (division) all week. The US team has been close all week. It’s just outright lies.

“Not a shred of truth in the article that just one journalist wrote. It’s crazy that one journalist can put a tweet out there, totally unfounded, with complete lies,” he added.

What do you make of the Patrick Cantlay Ryder Cup debacle? Tell us on X!

Now read: A summary of Ryder Cup pay history

Now read: Huge fire breaks out at Marco Simone

Matt Chivers

Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.

Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.

Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.

Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spoken to the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Henrik Stenson, to name just a few.

Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.

What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.