ROME — Saturday was an up-and-down day for both teams at the Ryder Cup. Not the morning the U.S. team wanted—or needed—but some impressive signs of grit during the afternoon session leaves the American, trailing Europe 10½-5½, with a small chance to make an enormous comeback.
Yet the best place to start recapping Day 2 at Marco Simone is with what happened off the golf course. About halfway through the day, a report circulated on social media that Patrick Cantlay believes players participating in the Ryder Cup should get paid and was refusing to wear a team hat as a subtle form of protest.
It was a story that became known as Hat Gate, and after his round, Cantlay flatly denied the hat portion of the story (“the hat doesn’t fit” was his explanation for not wearing one) and when asked if players should get paid, responded:
“It’s not about that. It’s just about Team USA and representing our country. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
