The story of the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome came from Patrick Cantlay and his lack of a hat. A report from Sky Sports claimed that the American was not wearing a hat as a protest because the players were not paid. That led to fans waving their caps at Cantlay as he walked around the course on Saturday. Cantlay thought the hat drama was in the past when he said he would wear one, but the European Ryder Cup fans in New York thought differently.
“European chant on first tee ends with…'Cantlay’s got his hat on hip hip hip hooray, Cantlay’s got his hat on so he must be getting paid.' So we’re running that one back!” Brendan Porath of The Fried Egg posted on social media.
The American Ryder Cup players are getting paid more in 2025 than they did in 2023. Previously, they were given money to donate to charity. Now, they are given $300,000 for charity and a $200,000 stipend, which all 12 players said they would donate. Members of Team Europe are not paid for their appearance.
Cantlay has always denied that his bare head was a protest at the 2023 Ryder Cup. He claims he has a big head, and the team did not have a lid that fit him. He was hat-less in the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits as well.
European Ryder Cup fans take their songs from soccer fandom and bring them to golf. Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari have been the subjects of positive songs in the past. Just about every American has been put into a song that makes it clear which side the singers are on.
American fans do not have the musical history of the European fans, but they outnumber the Euros at Bethpage Black this week. The Ryder Cup runs from Friday to Sunday.
