Saturday saw a lot of Ryder Cup drama swirling around Patrick Cantlay and a hat.
Patrick Cantlay joins Steve Stricker blasting ‘false media’ amid Ryder Cup pay-to-play controversy
Cantlay and Stricker made it publicly known that the Ryder Cup rumor that surrounded Team USA was a false narrative.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
SkySports reporter Jamie Weir posted on social media that Cantlay wasn’t wearing a hat in protest for players not being paid to play in the Ryder Cup. That rumor exploded throughout the golf world, pushing the narrative that Team USA’s locker room chemistry was fractured.
By the end of Cantlay’s round, it had escalated, causing drama on the 18th hole. Following the end of play Saturday, the entire American squad waved hats to the crowd in jest.
Once the dust settled, assistant captain Steve Stricker called out Weir online.
“False, @jamiewcweir! Get your facts straight! Never has this there been a team so together,” Stricker wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The media asked the eight-time PGA Tour winner about “hat-gate” after his match on Saturday, but Cantlay refused to reveal his thoughts on being paid to play in the Ryder Cup.
He did however state that the hat had nothing to do with it. Sunday, a few players joined Cantlay in ditching the hat as a show of support.
After he defeated Justin Rose on Sunday 2 & 1, he shut down the rumors emphatically on air with NBC.
“Dealing with some weird, completely false media stories from one person. The crowd took it and ran with it. That’s alright. I had fun with them today. It’s totally false. It couldn’t be further from the truth. There hasn’t been one word of that all week. The U.S. Team has been close all week.”
The European fans had fun with Cantlay all day, but did used it as fuel.
“That’s what this event is about. You’ve got to embrace the crowd, and, you know, I’m happy to be out there today,” Cantlay said.
He was so clutch for Team USA on Saturday and Sunday. They desperately needed the two points Cantlay put on the board. Despite the rumors surrounding him, he was a bright light for the Americans.
Interestingly, Cantlay will get married to his fiance in Italy to cap off the Ryder Cup week Monday.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
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