Patrick Cantlay insists there isn’t “a shred of truth” in what SkySports journalist Jamie Weir wrote about his decision not to wear a Ryder Cup team hat.
For starters, Cantlay said, the hats didn’t fit. He called the report, now known as hat-gate, “totally false.”
Weir tweeted on Saturday that sources told him Cantlay’s hatless appearance was due to his belief that Ryder Cup players should be paid. He also said that Cantlay’s opinions had fractured the team room.
“It’s crazy that one journalist can put a tweet out there totally unfounded with complete lies,” Cantlay told the media after his 2-and-1 singles victory over Justin Rose. “The crowd ran with it, and I tried to have fun with them all day, smile.”
Cantlay said he took the crowds taunts and turned them into fuel.
“I did my best to embrace it,” he said.
European fans waved their hats at Cantlay on Saturday as he almost single-handedly gave the Americans something to smile about with a string of big-time putts to close out Saturday’s four-ball match. “Hats off to your bank account” and “Show me the money” were two favorite chants from the raucous crowd.
Got to admit this really did make me laugh walking down 16th hole #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/XixTdBRYP4
— Iona Stephen (@Iona_Stephen) September 30, 2023
Rory McIlroy, who still had a putt left on the 18th hole after another Cantlay make, took issue with Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava taking off his own hat and getting in the way on the green. McIlroy, who later had to be restrained in the parking lot Saturday night, said he still hasn’t talked to LaCava about the incident.
Cantlay, nicknamed “Patty Ice,” earned two points for Team USA in Rome and improved his singles record at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup to 4-0-0. He went 2-2-0 overall at the 2023 Ryder Cup, which the Europeans won the 2023 Ryder Cup 16 ½ to 11 ½.