Check out some of the biggest celebrities to show their support at the Ryder Cup over the years.
The excitement of team golf events like the Ryder Cup is undeniable.
Every other year the anticipation builds as the best men’s players from the United States square off in three days of action-packed matches against the best players from all over Europe on some of the best golf courses all over the world.
The biennial competition even has a celebrity following.
From some of the greatest athletes of all time to award-winning actors and even a few U.S. politicians, check out the celebrity fans who have shown their support for the red, white and blue at the Ryder Cup over the years.
“I told Wyndham when we were going to the first tee today that we were going to use all the energy out there as fuel, and we did.”
ROME – Hats off to Patrick Cantlay.
He breathed some much-needed life into the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club by holing a hat trick of putts on the final three holes to flip his fourballs match and give the U.S. a glimmer of hope that they could mount a comeback in Sunday singles and retain the Cup.
It was as cold-blooded as Ian Poulter going into Poulter-geist mode late on Saturday in 2012 and inspiring the Europeans to one of the great comebacks at Medinah.
But that only scratches the surface of Cantlay’s day. While he was busy taking on Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the morning, Sky Sports’s Jamie Weir posted on social media that among other things, Cantlay was behind a rift in the U.S. locker room and he “believes players should be paid to participate in the Ryder Cup, and is demonstrating his frustration at not being paid by refusing to wear a team cap.” He credited unnamed sources.
Cantlay wears a hat on the PGA Tour and is paid handsomely to do so, previously by the investment bank Goldman Sachs and currently by DeWalt, the tool maker. When asked about why he wasn’t wearing a hat this week, Cantlay explained, “The hat doesn’t fit. It didn’t fit at Whistling Straits, and didn’t fit this week. Everyone knows that.”
That may be and plenty of golfers, including Rory McIlroy, have gone hatless in the Ryder Cup before. Still I tend to agree with ESPN’s Michael Collins, who tweeted that Cantlay saying he can’t find a hat that fits – despite the players being measured several months ahead of time for team uniforms – “is like a fat guy in Whole Foods saying, I can’t find the vegetables.”
But to think Cantlay doesn’t want to win the Ryder Cup is ludicrous. This is the guy who told his teammates at Whistling Straits, let’s step on their neck and score 20 points.
In any event, word spread quickly in the grandstands, and fans began taunting Cantlay, who was paired with American Wyndham Clark in a fourballs match against McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick. At the sixth green, fans shouted at Cantlay, “Show me the money,” and by the 16th they were waving their hats at the hatless wonder.
Spectators shake their hats and caps at Patrick Cantlay of Team United States (not pictured) on the 10th hole during the Saturday afternoon fourball matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 30, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
“I’ve never had so many standing ovations going to tee boxes and greens. I thought it was fantastic,” Cantlay said. “You know, I told Wyndham when we were going to the first tee today that we were going to use all the energy out there as fuel, and we did.”
“Y’all just don’t quit, do ya,” American Brian Harman said as Cantlay was bombarded with Hat-Gate questions during a press conference afterward. “We love each other, man. It’s been the most fun getting to hang out with these boys. Whatever happens tomorrow, I mean, love you boys.”
“Love you too, Harm,” Cantlay said.
“Think you’re putting too much into the hat,” Clark said.
“They said it on Twitter, though, so it has to be,” Harman quipped.
“If it’s on Twitter, it’s true. Verified,” Cantlay added.
Caddie, Joe LaCava waves his hat as he celebrates with Patrick Cantlay of Team United States on the 18th green during the Saturday afternoon fourball matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 30, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
But the hat-waving had one more unforeseen consequence on Saturday. Cantlay’s caddie, veteran Joe LaCava, who has worked for Fred Couples and Tiger Woods during a distinguished 30+-year career, had heard enough during the day and waved his hat around in celebration on the 18th green. It bothered McIlroy, who was lining up a putt to try to tie the match. Tensions flared. Things escalated quickly from getting chippy to getting personal and those words spilled over from the golf course to the parking lot with McIlroy needing to be restrained by Shane Lowry and helped into his courtesy car back to the team hotel. The Ryder Cup finally got interesting – all because of Cantlay playing without a hat.
“He might come out with a hat tomorrow with a big ol’ middle finger on it for all we know,” NBC’s Paul Azinger.
If all the Americans don’t come out Sunday and play hatless in unity with Cantlay, then what are we even doing here?
Set your alarms because you won’t want to miss these final matches.
Set your alarms, folks. You don’t want to miss these final 12 matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
European captain Luke Donald and American captain Zach Johnson announced their picks for the 12 Sunday singles matches and a handful are appointment television, no matter the time.
Team Europe holds a 10½-5½ lead after the first four sessions, but the momentum appears to have swung back toward the U.S. after the Americans claimed Saturday fourballs, 3-1. The Europeans need four points to win the Cup, while the U.S. needs at least 8½ to retain.
Check out who’s playing who in the final 12 singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
The final match of Saturday afternoon’s fourballs session got a bit heated on No. 18 after Patrick Cantlay drained what would become a match-winning birdie putt thanks to a few misses from Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick.
After European fans had been waving their hats in Cantlay’s direction all afternoon after reports surfaced that he’s not wearing a hat this week because he’s not being paid to be there, members of Team USA put their hats in the air when the putt dropped. Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava, and Wyndham Clark’s caddie also put their hats in the air. Shane Lowry and LaCava later shared some words with each other.
McIlroy was caught on video in the parking lot yelling at Jim “Bones” MacKay about the situation.
After winning the Saturday afternoon fourballs 3-1, the U.S. trails 10 ½ to 5 ½ and will need to erase the largest deficit in Ryder Cup history if it is going to retain the Cup.
But we’re saying there’s a chance, especially after Patrick Cantlay birdied the final two holes, including a 30-foot birdie putt at 18, to flip his match.
“Hopefully have a ray of light and we can build on this session and try and pull off a big victory tomorrow,” Cantlay said.
Two years ago, the U.S. led 11-5 at Whistling Straits before cruising to a 19-9 victory. No team has rallied from more than a 10-6 deficit, but the U.S. only needs to reach 14 points to retain the Cup. In both 1999 and 2012, the winning side earned 8 ½ points in Sunday singles.
The U.S. showed some life winning the first two matches, but the Euros bounced back to win the third match and inch closer to extending the U.S. losing streak on European soil, which dates to 1993. It looked as if it would be a split of the session. That is until Cantlay’s heroics.
“Feels like we have momentum and we go kind of into the locker room laughing a little bit which just feels good,” Max Homa said.
Fans at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club heard the rumors, too, and started to taunt Cantlay all Saturday afternoon, waving their hats at him whenever he was on a green or tee box.
Cantlay was paired with Wyndham Clark during the last fourballs session of the competition, taking on Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick in the final match of the day.
After burying a short birdie effort on the par-3 17th to tie up the match, Cantlay raced his green-side chip 43 feet by the hole at the par-5 closer.
But his nickname isn’t “Patty Ice” for nothing.
Cantlay buried the putt and claimed the American’s third match win of the session. After the putt went in, members of Team USA (as well as a few caddies) took their hats off and started waving them to Cantlay, and some waved them at the crowd.
Joe LaCava, Cantlay’s caddie, also got in on the action. LaCava exchanged words with Shane Lowry, who was watching the match from off the green, and they didn’t seem to be pleasantries. (The tweet says Rory, but it was Lowry.)
A bit of drama on the 18th green.
Rory was upset with Cantlay's caddie for waving his hat before he putted. (via NBC) pic.twitter.com/Qw6kaRehDg
Since 2014,Ralph Lauren has been the official uniform provider for the U.S. Ryder Cup Team as well as the caddies, spouses and partners.
This tradition has been continued at the highly anticipated 2023 Ryder Cup at the picturesque Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy. Spectators and attendees can purchase RL items in the merchandise tent to show their support for the U.S. Ryder Cup Team.
Focusing on performance fabrics, each piece is designed to move. Ralph Lauren has added subtle Ryder Cup specific touches to collars, trims, zippers and more.
Golfweek’s Averee Dovsek had a chance to see the collection first hand and gave fans at home the full rundown.
If you couldn’t make it to Rome to catch all the live action, you can shop the Ryder Cup collection at home at ralphlauren.com.
The U.S. traded acrimony for apathy, delivering a performance more befitting of a buddies’ trip to Myrtle Beach.
ROME — Not every American will be disappointed if Europe’s Ryder Cup rout short-circuits the importance of the final day’s singles matches. Certainly not devotees of Taylor Swift, now all but guaranteed that Sunday sports will again be dominated by their idol’s appearance at an NFL game. For that, they ought to thank the formidable performances of Europe’s players and captain, Luke Donald. But this is the most lop-sided contest in Rome since the Christians were drawn at home to the lions at the Colosseum, so the aftermath will almost certainly see less credit for Europe than criticism of the U.S.
The last two U.S. teams that competed over here were balkanized with internal strife. Scotland in 2014 was a week-long squabble between skipper Tom Watson and Phredo Mickelson, his “I’m smart!” detractor. That led to the “task force,” an exercise in shifting responsibility masquerading as group therapy. By Paris in 2018, Jordan Spieth had had enough of Patrick Reed (let he who hasn’t cast the first stone), so Reed aired his grievances about his former partner to the media before Europe had finished its first magnum of celebratory champagne.
In Rome, the U.S. team has traded acrimony for apathy, delivering a performance more befitting the last morning of a buddies’ trip to Myrtle Beach, without the redeeming excuse of thundering hangovers that would at least suggest fun was had along the way. But fun is in woefully short supply for Zach Johnson’s team.
That can be attributed in part to the unspecified illness that has impacted the U.S. team room, but missing fairways and putts aren’t symptoms of any infection. Sniffles won’t explain how Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg could play the first three holes of alternate shot on Saturday morning in 1-over-par, and win all of them. Mystery bugs can’t account for the U.S. team needing 11 matches before it managed to record an outright victory.
Like many European captains before him, Donald used the ghost of Seve Ballesteros as inspiration this week, but the secret to his success was best summarized by Lucius Seneca, a philosopher who lived across town a couple of millennia ago: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Team Europe captain Luke Donald leaves a team photo prior to a practice round of the Ryder Cup golf competition at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
Donald handled the preparation part himself. The opportunity? Well, that was gifted to him.
Because he replaced the deposed Henrik Stenson as Europe’s captain, Donald had five months fewer to prepare than his counterpart, not an insignificant period of time in a two-year Cup cycle. But he polished the template that guided his predecessors. Messaging was flawless, social media image-making was luminous, unity was air-tight, statistics were plain common sense, pairings were savvy. And like a lot of his forebears in the role, he got some help from the opposition.
Johnson is passionate about both the Ryder Cup and his patriotism. So too are his vice captains. The problem is that the same sentiment isn’t universal in the team room. To be clear, all 12 American players are not apathetic about being here. Most of them care. Most of them care a great deal. But apathy is a deadly contagion in team environments, and it only takes one case. Especially when the going is tough.
Every aspect of Team USA’s preparation and performance was repurposed by Europe to boost their confidence. Like when the U.S. showed up three shy of a full squad on their reconnaissance trip earlier this month, though Spieth had a perfectly valid excuse. Or when nine of the team didn’t compete for a month before coming to Rome. Even the LIV guy checked that box, and they’re supposedly the ones who want to spend more time at home. Or when rumors circulated that every prospective member of Johnson’s squad had signed the agreement stipulating their obligations for the week months ago, except for two, who only recently inked the paper. Or when they heard that some on the U.S. team are skipping group dinners to rest. Or knowing that some Americans are upset about not being paid to play, as though patriotism is just another commercial transaction.
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People relentlessly focused on money will always find it difficult to reconcile themselves to giving their time to an unpaid cause, no matter how distinguished, even if only for a few days. The dispiriting impact of the cash arms race in professional golf isn’t only evident in the veterans who are absent this week.
“A noble man compares and estimates himself by an idea that is higher than himself; and a mean man, by one lower than himself,” wrote the ancient Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius. “The one produces aspiration; the other ambition, which is the way in which a vulgar man aspires.”
Captain Johnson ought to have painted that on the wall of his team room. The mountain facing the U.S. on Sunday is practically insurmountable, made no easier by the perception that not everyone in the line-up shares an equal passion for the challenge. You know who does? You know who isn’t apathetic? Keegan Bradley. But he’s not in the boys club, so he’s watching from his couch in Florida.
“That doesn’t even register to a low level of Jon anger on the golf course.”
Jon Rahm couldn’t avoid Brooks Koepka’s contentious comments Friday night at the Ryder Cup. Rahm would’ve rather that his friends not send him text messages regarding Koepka’s remarks that Rahm acted “like a child” during their afternoon fourball match, but the Spaniard seemed to take it all in stride.
Rahm hit a sign with his club out of frustration on Friday after leaving a 10-foot putt short on the 17th hole to possibly tie the match.
“That doesn’t even register to a low level of Jon anger on the golf course,” said Rahm on Saturday after another foursomes victory alongside Tyrrell Hatton.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m very happy with who I am, and I needed to do that at that moment to let off some steam and play the hole I wanted to do. And clearly it worked out, played two great shots and got a little lucky on the putt. I needed to do what I needed to do to perform under those circumstances.”
Koepka had this to say to the press on Friday after Rahm made two eagles over the last three holes to tie the match: “I mean, I think me and Scottie birdied, what did we say, 14, we birdied 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and then lost by two. So yeah. I mean, I want to hit a board and pout just like Jon Rahm did. But, you know, it is what it is. Act like a child. But we’re adults. We move on.”
Jon Rahm of Team Europe reacts alongside Brooks Koepka of Team United States on the second green during the Friday afternoon fourball matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 29, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Koepka’s comments seemingly backfired as he and Sheffler suffered the worst loss in Ryder Cup history on Saturday morning after Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg crushed the American heavyweights, 9 and 7.
After Rahm and Hatton won their Saturday morning foursomes match, the Spaniard addressed Koepka’s comments for the first time.
“I mean, I’m not going to stand here and say I’m a, you know, perfect example on what to do on a golf course,” said Rahm. “I don’t think either of us two are (laughter). But I play and compete.”
Hatton, who is also known for having a short fuse, added: “I’m just sitting here watching the TV.”
Team Europe extended its lead on Saturday morning and will look to seemingly close out the Cup in the afternoon.
Team Europe is in the driver’s seat with the car in cruise control and the GPS set for the trophy presentation.
The hosts of the 2023 Ryder Cup hold a commanding 9½-2½ lead over the Americans entering Saturday afternoon’s fourballs session at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome in Italy. The Europeans claimed the morning foursomes session, 3-1, to extend their lead to a near insurmountable number.
The only player who won’t play today will be Rickie Fowler, whereas all 12 European players will see action as they look to put the competition out of reach.
Check out the four matches and pairings, as well as the eight players who will ride the pine pony for the second session of matches at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
