Courageous Cantlay rams taunts down European throats

ROME : American Patrick Cantlay silenced the taunts of thousands of European fans to earn his side an emotion-charged point in their desperate battle to stay in the Ryder Cup on Saturday.

The 31-year-old was mocked relentlessly by the boisterous galleries at the Marco Simone course throughout his fourballs match alongside Wyndham Clark after reports surfaced that he refused to wear a team cap because of a pay dispute.

Home fans waved their caps in the air and sang "Hats off for the bank account" but Cantlay had the last laugh with an ice-cool birdie on the 18th green to secure a stormy victory over Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick.

Showing the fortitude that his team mates failed to muster in the opening two days, Cantlay kept a tight match alive at the 16th with a nerveless birdie, sank a 10-footer at the par-three 17th to level and sparked wild American celebrations with his putt at the last.

His team mates, caddies and vice captains celebrated his birdie putt by waving their caps at the European fans and emotions boiled over with McIlroy, who along with Fitzpatrick missed hole-saving putts, was involved in a row with Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava, accusing him of being in his line.

Cantlay denied the reports that he was demanding payment for Ryder Cup appearances and that there was a rift in the American team room, insisting his lack of headgear was because he couldn't find a comfortable one.

HOSTILE ATMOSPHERE

He admitted, however, that the hostile atmosphere had fired him up.

"The crowd was on me all day, I just used it as fuel. Hopefully, we can build a lot off this small amount of momentum we've got going," the world number five said.

"I told Wyndham we're going to use it all day. I have never had so many standing ovations