USA team room ‘fractured’ with one Ryder Cup star ‘refusing’ to wear team cap | Golf | Sport
Team USA are reportedly locked in an internal dispute during the Ryder Cup, with Patrick Cantlay questioning why players are not being paid to represent their nation in Rome. The team is ‘split’ on the matter and his conduct has caused a significant ‘rift’, leaving captain Zach Johnson with an almighty task of trying to reunite the group before matters go from bad to worse on the course.
Team USA have endured a miserable start to the Ryder Cup, failing to win a single match on Day 1 and concluding action trailing 6 1/2 – 1 1/2. Several stars have underperformed and tempers started to flare on Friday afternoon, with Brooks Koepka labelling Jon Rahm a ‘child’ towards the end of play.
Though the issues are not purely performance-based, it has emerged. According to Sky Sports, the US team room has been described as ‘fractured’ by sources due to a divide caused by Cantlay.
The 31-year-old has made it no secret behind the scenes that he believes all players participating in the Ryder Cup should be paid. As a result, Cantlay has attempted to make a stand by refusing to wear the team cap during Saturday’s foursomes.
In contrast, he was willing to wear the team cap at the Presidents Cup last year as he was paid to participate in the competition. Team USA are divided on the matter and consequently, Cantlay is said to be sitting in a different area of the team dressing room along with close friend Xander Schauffele.
The pair were also reportedly the duo who came forward to prevent Netflix from filming in the team room as part of their coverage of the Ryder Cup.
Express Sport have approached Cantlay for comment.
Stars from Team USA have not confirmed the reports about Cantlay, though Johnson did claim that an ‘illness’ was potentially to blame for his team underperforming so markedly on Day 1. He said: “We’ve got some congestion and some signs [of illness]. Things like that are unfortunate, sometimes the energy is a little low. But the ability and desire to go out and play is still there. Every one of them wants to play every match.”
“It kind of has, if I’m being honest. It’s spread through my team.” It remains to be seen whether Team USA are able to bounce back over the weekend or if Cantlay’s reported disruption is too significant for the team to unite.