Patrick Cantlay did not make the cut for Keegan Bradley’s initial Ryder Cup team, but his inclusion as a captain’s pick brought plenty of attention to his return to Bethpage Black.
Cantlay had been a central figure at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Marco Simone, where reports surfaced suggesting he was upset over the lack of payment for players. Sky Sports even reported that he had stopped wearing a Team USA hat in protest.
The 33-year-old explained it was just an issue with finding one that fit, but by then, European fans had already cast him as the tournament villain.
The situation was not helped when news broke ahead of the 2025 event that American players would receive $500,000 each, with $200,000 going directly to them and the remainder allocated to charity.
How Patrick Cantlay really behaved in the team room during the 2025 Ryder Cup
One storyline that followed Cantlay from Rome into New York was how his actions had been portrayed by the media. It did not go unnoticed that he chose to wear a cap this time around, with some suggesting it was a quiet response to the backlash from the previous Ryder Cup.
Still, captain Bradley showed no hesitation in backing him. Cantlay ended up playing all five sessions alongside Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau.
It was not the result Team USA were after, but speaking on Monday Q Info, former PGA Tour player Jamie Lovemark, who assisted vice-captain Brandt Snedeker during the event, spoke highly of what he saw from Cantlay throughout the week.
“I was with Sneds and mostly with Patrick Cantlay the entire week. And Pat, I can’t describe to you what a warrior Patrick is.
“He played five matches, no complaining. He’s tired, it’s brutal out there, the team are doing bad. But he was like: ‘Whatever it takes to win. I’ll play with whoever, whatever ball to play with.’”
“He played five matches, no complaining. He’s tired, it’s brutal out there, the team’s doing bad, but he was like, ‘whatever it takes to win, I’ll play with whoever, whatever ball to play with’. As part of the team I guess, I was just so proud of him for being so tough and being such a great team member. Whatever it takes, doesn’t matter, I’ll play with anybody, any time. That was cool to see.”
The mood in the US team room after their loss at Bethpage
The 2025 Ryder Cup was a strange event for the Americans. Europe looked in full control after the opening two days, but Bradley’s team very nearly pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in the event’s history.
As it happened, Cantlay was the only American to lose his singles match on Sunday. That result made Team USA the first home side to lose since 2012.
Even with that, Lovemark said there was still a sense of pride within the team when speaking about how players felt after Sunday’s play.
“As you can imagine, mixed emotions. Everyone was proud of how hard they fought, they came up just short. It was tough. Everyone was proud of themselves, the way they fought.
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“It was a really tall task to come back from that deficit. They were happy, they were positive. Keegan gave a great speech at the end. He thanked everybody and he was so great all week. It was inspiring, motivational. He was all hands on deck for everyone.”
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