REVEALED: The REAL reason US Ryder Cup star Patrick Cantlay was the only member of his team who refused to wear a cap… and it’s to do with his wedding in Rome today!

Xander Schauffele’s father has claimed the reason Patrick Cantlay didn’t wear a cap at the 2023 Ryder Cup was because he didn’t want to ruin his wedding photos with a golfer’s tan.

It came after Cantlay became the subject of severe abuse during the tournament amid the hat-gate scandal, with Sky Sports claiming he had chosen not to wear a cap during the tournament in protest over a lack of pay.

Players will not receive compensation for their appearances at a Ryder Cup, with those reports also claiming that Cantlay was at the center of a rift in the US team’s locker room, sitting in a separate part of the room with teammate and friend Schauffele.

European fans at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club poked fun at the 31-year-old, who is getting married on Monday, as they doffed their hats to him as he walked down the fairway, jokingly waving them in the air.

The incident sparked a reaction from many American players, who, when Cantlay and Wyndham Clark defeated Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick in Saturday’s fourballs, raised their caps at Cantlay and waved sarcastically at them in response.

Cantlay is getting married to his partner Nikki Guidish (left) on Monday, but did not want to get a tan on his head as a golfer by wearing a cap

It was claimed he refused to wear a hat at the Ryder Cup in protest over a lack of pay, with his caddy Joe LeCava (left) involved in a feud with Rory McIlroy

The former FedEx Cup champion, who is set to marry Nikki Guidish on Monday, vehemently denied rumors that he was not wearing a cap in protest.

“It’s completely untrue – it couldn’t be further from the truth,” Cantlay told NBC on Sunday. ‘Not a word was said about that all week. The American team has been close all week. They’re just outright lies.’

And the real reason for his decision not to wear a cap has now been revealed, as Mail Sport understands. Schauffele’s father reveals that Cantlay, who has won eight times on the PGA Tour in his career, didn’t want to wear a hat because he didn’t want his wedding photos to be ruined by the classic golfer’s tan line across his face.

Europe would eventually claim a 16.5-11.5 win at the tournament, but the affair took an edge after the incident, which saw Cantlay’s caddy Joe LeCava infuriate Rory McIlroy on the 18th green after standing in front of McIlroy while attempting to putt , also waving his cap.

That then led to an altercation in the parking lot after game day, with Rory McIlroy seen in a video clashing with Justin Thomas’ caddy Jim “Bones” Mackay after he collided with LaCava on the 18th green.

After Sunday’s defeat to Europe, Cantlay answered questions about the hat-gate incident, claiming he did not really “know the genesis of the events that had taken place.”

Fans took off their caps and waved them at Cantlay, taking plenty of abuse from the American on court

But Cantlay has strongly denied claims he was protesting a lack of pay

“Of course, yesterday afternoon on the golf course I didn’t really realize what was happening,” he said.

“I didn’t find out until after the game was over, and it was obviously quite a scene out there in the dark when the game was over.

‘As I said in the media yesterday, I didn’t see the incident on the green with Rory (McIlroy) and Joe (LeCava). I was in a completely different head space than when I watched that.

He added: “And yeah, I mean it’s been a crazy 24 hours. I mean, last night I was just trying to give the guys some momentum, and luckily Wyndham and I were able to close out that game and try to set a new tone for today. But like I said, it was a steep climb.”