Patrick Cantlay has responded to a report that he is leading a split in a ‘fractured’ US Ryder Cup team, which supposedly includes refusing to wear a hat “demonstrating his frustration” that the team is not being paid for its appearance at Marco Simone.
However, according to the man himself, the reason he has been hat-free in the match has a far more innocent explanation.
Cantlay was imperious in the final three holes of his and Wyndham Clark’s Saturday afternoon fourball session against Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick, producing a hattrick of birdies to claim a full point for the US cause.
That was enough to hand Zach Johnson’s Team USA a 3-1 victory in the session and offer a glimmer of hope that it can claw back a seemingly forlorn position and retain the trophy in the Sunday singles. Meanwhile, it even led to onlooking members of the US team jokingly raising their hats to Cantlay in response to the controversy.
Members of the US Ryder Cup team responded to the controversy by joking raising their hats to Cantlay
(Image credit: Getty Images)
After Cantlay’s heroics, in a TV interview, he was asked why he’s not wearing a hat at the match, and he responded: “It just doesn’t fit. It’s as simple as that. I didn’t wear it at Whistling Straits because the hat just doesn’t fit so that’s really all it is.”
Patrick Cantlay settles “Hat Gate” once and for all.(via NBC) pic.twitter.com/2qBUcySIWBSeptember 30, 2023
Sky Sports had stated that, as well as not wearing a hat, Cantlay and his close friend Xander Schauffele have been sitting in a separate area of the US locker room with unhappiness at Netflix filming in the US team room for the upcoming Full Swing season 2.
The pair also weren’t on the US scouting trip to Marco Simone earlier in the month due to it clashing with Cantlay’s bachelor party, while Weir also stated that Cantlay had refused to attend the gala dinner earlier in the week.
However, those claims were dismissed as “unfounded” by Barstool Sports’ Dan Rapaport.
It was later reported that Cantlay’s agent told him the reason he wasn’t wearing a hat was because he couldn’t find a fit he was comfortable with, which…
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