Putter waves off the shade from crowd as rowdy Bethpage awaits

Cantlay, known for his calm in good and bad moments alike, plans to play it cool in NY.

- By DouG FERGUSON

FORMER BRUIN Patrick Cantlay burnished his reputation as “Patty Ice,” a clutch putter impervious to the pressures of the moment, at the 2023 Ryder Cup.

(ANDREW MEDICHINI Associated Press)

Patrick Cantlay, often better at asking questionsthan giving answers, had one questionas he walked up the final hole at Marco Simone two years ago at the Ryder Cup.

Why is everyone waving their hats?

“I knew they were yelling at me,” Cantlay recalled ina recent interview. “I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I didn’t know anything about the false media story until I was finished playing. I had no idea what was happening. [just knewit was happening.”

The story to which he referred was a report based on anonymous sources by Sky Sports that Cantlay chose not to wear a hat during the Ryder Cup in Rome out of protest for not getting paid.

“That's the furthest thing fromthe truth,” Cantlay said that day.

Lost in the hat-waving was the performance. The former Servite High and UCLA star was the prime American target of heckling from fans at Marco Simone during the last fourballs match with Wyndham Clark against Europe’s beloved Rory Mcliroy and Matt Fitzpatrick.

The Americans were 1 down with three holes to play when Cantlay made a 10-foot putt on the 16th to stay alive, an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-three 17th to square the match and a 45-foot birdie putt on the 18th that won it.

It gave the Americans some hope — but only until Europe won another Ryder Cup — and burnished his reputation as “Patty Ice,” a clutch putter impervious to the moment, whether from pressure, criticism or noise. Alot ofnoise.