Patrick Cantlay Addresses Ryder Cup Hat Controversy Amid Increased Player Payouts

Patrick Cantlay remained consistent in his explanation about the Ryder Cup headgear issue during a press conference held Tuesday at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.

Contrary to reports from 2023 suggesting Cantlay avoided wearing the official team hat in Rome as a protest over lack of compensation, Cantlay insisted, "Like I've said a million times, the hat didn't fit last year, and this year we worked with them to make sure we had one, and we got one, so we're good."

Despite chants from European fans mocking him with "Hats off for your bank account," Cantlay is recognized as a pivotal figure in the recent initiative to boost player earnings by the PGA of America.

While European team members receive no payment for participating in the Ryder Cup, U.S. players and captains had traditionally been awarded $200,000 for charity since 1999. However, the PGA of America has increased individual payouts to $500,000, dividing the sum into $300,000 for charity and a $200,000 personal stipend.

U.S. captain Keegan Bradley explained on Monday, "The PGA of America came to me, they wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into the present day. The charity dollars hadn't changed since 1999 and they asked me to sort of shepherd their way into making it into 2025."

Bradley, along with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, intends to donate their entire $500,000 allocations to charitable causes. Scheffler expressed, "We have something planned for the money that we'll be receiving. I think it's a really cool thing that the PGA of America has empowered us to do. I have a deep passion for the city of Dallas, I have a deep passion for the organizations that we support at home, and I'm excited to be able to take this money and be able to do some good in our local community."

Xander Schauffele, whose father publicly called for player compensation and accused the PGA of America of "strong-arm tactics" in 2023, is also donating his full stipend. Schauffele stated, "I think sort of being a product of the PGA Tour, if there's one thing besides competing at a high level that's taught me, it's to sort of have a positive impact on the areas that you're in, and I don't see why this would be any different. There's a lot of pride that comes into playing in one of these, and yes, we're happy to get paid for this, and yes, I plan on donating it. It's something that selfishly will make me feel good about what I do."

Cantlay himself confirmed that his stipend is going toward charitable organizations, including the First Responders Children's Foundation, St. Jude, and the SCPGA Junior Tour in California. "If I can give back to organizations that have helped make me who I am today, hopefully someone growing up in Southern California gets that opportunity and can follow their dreams as well," he remarked.

When questioned about the perception that European players show greater commitment to the Ryder Cup because they participate without pay—a viewpoint previously suggested by European captain Luke Donald—Cantlay dismissed it as distraction. "I think this event is very good at generating lots of noise, and that's not going to help any of us put points on the board," he stated. "I think we need to put 100 percent of our focus on playing the best golf we can and let the noise be exactly what it is, just noise."