Patrick Cantlay Has a Solution for One of Ryder Cup's Biggest Controversies

One of the key questions coming into this Ryder Cup appears to have been answered.

Patrick Cantlay is wearing a hat.

At the last Ryder Cup, in Rome, the Californian was at the center of a discussion about whether Ryder Cup players should be paid—an issue resolved last December when the PGA of America announced that U.S. players would receive $500,000 for participating, with $300,000 of that earmarked for charity.

But two years ago that stipend wasn't in place, and multiple reports stated that Cantlay was playing at Marco Simone without a hat as a protest over the lack of compensation.

The report said there was a fracture among team players over the issue and that both Cantlay and his close friend Xander Schauffele were leading the protest, but later Schauffele’s father Stefan told Sports Illustrated the report was not true and put the hat issue down to Cantlay trying to avoid tan lines in advance of his imminent wedding.

Cantlay said in 2023 that the team hats didn’t fit (he also didn’t wear one in official team photos in Rome), and in a press conference Tuesday he stuck to that.

“Like I've said a million times, the hat didn't fit last year,” Cantlay said, “and this year we worked with them to make sure we had one, and we got one, so we're good.”

The Americans lost in Rome but “Hatgate” was the story of Saturday’s play, with some teammates rallying around him and playing to the partisan European crowd by waving their own hats. It was one of the stranger storylines to emerge in any Ryder Cup.

But the money issue is now settled, and Cantlay said he will earmark his charity money for his foundation. He also declined to bite Tuesday on a question about whether he enjoyed the “heel” role in Rome.

“When I play these team events, I feel like, first and foremost, I'm representing my country and my teammates, and the best way I can help is to go out and win points for them. So if I go out and win points and put points on the board, then I've done my job,” he said. “Everything else is just noise to me.”

He also declined to directly answer a question about a narrative around whether the Ryder Cup means more to the Europeans, who will not receive any stipend this week.

“This week we're playing for something bigger than ourselves. We're playing for our team. We're playing for our country,” Cantlay said. “The little part I can play by putting as many points on the board as possible, that's where 100 percent of my focus is.”

It appears that focus will include playing in a hat.