Patrick Cantlay infamously found himself embroiled in hat-gate during last month’s Ryder Cup after the American reportedly refused to wear in cap in protest over not being paid
Patrick Cantlay has been dropped by his lucrative hat sponsor Goldman Sachs, less than two months after reportedly refusing to wear a cap at the Ryder Cup in protest of not being paid to compete.
Cantlay proved to be the pantomime villain at the recent Ryder Cup battle in Rome, as the Europeans defeated the United States 16.5-11.5 at Marco Simone. It was a week to forget on and off the course for the Americans, after it was reported by Sky Sports that there had been a ‘split’ in the U.S. locker room led by Cantlay.
The former FedEx Cup winner was said to have been “fractured” when he left the away team camp because he was upset about not getting paid to represent his country and refused to wear a cap.
Just when it seemed that Cantlay’s scandals were settling, the American has found himself at the center of another headwear controversy after Goldman Sachs announced that they had dissolved their partnership with him. “We constantly evaluate the firm’s partnerships, and at this time, our logo will no longer appear on his [Cantlay] hat,” a bank spokesperson said in a statement to the New York Times.
Cantlay had been wearing a cap with the Goldman Sachs logo for three years; they had first dated in 2020. In the 154-year history of the banking company, the Ryder Cup star from Team USA turned out to be the first golfer to be sponsored by Goldman Sachs.
The eight-time PGA Tour winner’s relationship with Goldman Sachs ended, but it’s unclear if his drama during the Ryder Cup contributed to it. Although Cantlay and the American organization quickly downplayed any tensions within their Italian camp, the 31-year-old would not comment on the salary dispute.
When asked if he thought players ought to receive compensation to compete in the Ryder Cup while in Rome, he said, “That’s not the issue. “It’s all about Team USA and representing our country,” the world No. 5 responded, pressing further. “That’s all I have to say about that.”
Following his father Stefan’s contentious interview with The Times, Cantlay’s close friend and Ryder Cup partner Xander Schauffele became entangled in the pay dispute as well. Schauffele Sr. stated, “The PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe need to be more open and honest about how this money from the Ryder Cup is being distributed.
He went on, “They are making money off of players’ intellectual property, and American players don’t get paid.” More significantly, if all net proceeds from the Ryder Cup went to support widespread charitable causes, this would cease to be a problem.
In the interest of patriotism, American athletes are currently asked to provide pro-bono time donations so that these organizations can profit from the sales. Earlier this week, Cantlay and Schauffele both decided to end their careers after it was revealed they had withdrawn from the Hero World Challenge, which will host Tiger Woods’ comeback to the PGA Tour.
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