After Bryson DeChambeau’s pairing troubles, the spotlight now once again turns to Patrick Cantlay — this time for a controversy that refuses to die: the Ryder Cup “hat-gate.”

During the 2023 Ryder Cup, Cantlay was one of the few U.S. players who chose not to wear a hat, sparking rumors that he was protesting the lack of compensation. His supposed remark, “I’ll wear a hat when I’m paid to be here like he is,” still lingers in fans’ minds. Although Cantlay has repeatedly denied those claims and explained it was a fit issue, many remain unconvinced.

Fast forward to 2025: Cantlay showed up to his pre-tournament press conference wearing a USA hat. When asked if it carried a message, he doubled down on his explanation.

“No, not at all. 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.”

The quote, shared by Underdog Golf on X, reignited the debate. Fans immediately called him a liar, accusing him of changing his stance after the PGA of America introduced new player stipends for the Ryder Cup.

Even, during the Presidents Cup, Cantlay was featured with the complete attire, including a hat. He had again explained that “The hat doesn’t fit” as the reason behind the Ryder Cup controversy. Cantlay did not even want to consider it as a controversy, as he had once expressed.

But, now with him wearing the cap in the practice rounds of Bethpage, fans are starting to make a connection and do not believe him for a second.

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Fans and Patrick Cantlay find no agreement with the hat-gate controversy

After the post went live with a golfer wearing a USA hat, the fans started to call out the $500,000 as the reason behind his wearing the hat.

One fan wrote, “Came with a check inside.” Since 1999, the golfer had been paid $200,000, but that was strictly for charity. However, when Cantlay’s quotes came out, asking for compensation and refusing to wear hats in protest, the situation changed. The fans are now mocking his move after he changed his stance soon after the paycheck was increased with the players’ share.

More joined writing, “Almost as if $200,000 made the hat fit,” and “The hat had 500k in it this year, so it fit.” Despite the golfer saying a fitment issue, the fans are mocking him for his new paycheck. The PGA of America announced that it would pay Team USA players a sum of $500,000 for representing the United States at the Ryder Cup. Out of the total, $300,000 is allocated to charity, while the remaining $200,000 serves as a stipend for the players.

Another fan in anger wrote, “Bull***it, he’s getting paid to wear it this year, he’s a f***ing mercenary.” The fan declined his claim, calling him a mercenary. Interesting, unlike Patrick Reed, who opposed the payment for Ryder Cup participation, Cantlay has never spoken about it. However, Cantlay did admit recently that he would be donating his stipend to charity along with Scottie Scheffler and Keegan Bradley. “One of the great things about these team events for me is there’s always such a big charitable component to it, so I’m going to donate the money,” Cantlay said during the press conference.

Further, another fan wrote, “@TheRealPJClark– is it really that hard to get a hat fit?” Questioning if it is tough to get a cap that fits well. Even for that question, the fan tagged Fried Egg Podcast panelist, PJ Clark, to share his thoughts on it.

Well, this is something that will always be a topic of discussion, considering having pointers on both sides. But as fans, it ultimately comes down to what they believe is true for the golfer. What do you think about Cantlay? Is it really a fitment issue or a paycheck issue? Let us know in the comments below.