Ryder Cup money 💰

We were told Patrick Cantlay wasn’t wearing a hat out of protest for not getting paid to play in the Ryder Cup.

We were then told, by Cantlay himself, that the story — or, post — was “completely false.”

“The hat doesn’t fit,” he said. “It didn't fit at Whistling Straits, and didn't fit this week. Everyone knows that.”

But a report published earlier this week by the The Times of London suggests — regardless of any hats — that conversations over whether players should be compensated to play in the Ryder Cup were very much alive in the leadup to Rome.

Stefan Schauffele — Xander’s outspoken father, swing coach, and agent — told The Times that his son and Patrick Cantlay asked for multiple amendments to the “player participation and benefit agreement” ahead of the event. Team USA enacted one such change — blocking Netflix camera crews from filming inside the locker room, a situation that the players “did not stand to directly benefit from financially,” The Times wrote.

Details of the other requests are less clear, but appear to have been tied to Ryder Cup compensation as well.

“They are using players’ intellectual properties to make money and the American players don’t get paid,” Stefan said. “I think we have to have a meaningful conversation about it.”

Other reports surfaced Monday, citing similar conversations with Papa Schauffele.

“Imagine if the winners got $2 million and the losers get nothing,” Stefan said, standing around the putting green on Sunday at Marco Simone. “How good of a competition would we have now?”

In the aftermath of the US' seventh consecutive Ryder Cup loss in Europe, we still don't know if things were as rosy inside the locker room as its players and captain endlessly described them to be. We’ll probably never really know.

But we do know, for sure, that the topic of money in the Ryder Cup isn’t going away. Likely, it’ll be the center of conversation at Bethpage two years from now.

That should please Stefan Schauffele, who told The Times that getting players paid for the Ryder Cup is “a long game” effort. It should also please the Europeans, as it stands to be one more distraction in New York for a soul-searching American team.

Golf heads to Mississippi

Fanatics rejoice! The Sanderson Farms Championship is upon us.

The Jackson, Mississippi event is the second leg of PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall series and features rookie Ludvig Åberg, fresh off his Ryder Cup debut/victory. At 10-1 odds of winning, Åberg is the favorite heading into Thursday (though plenty of experts expect a hangover from Rome).

“Obviously, last week was a lot,” Åberg said. “But I was committed to this event. I feel like I wanted to honor that commitment and come and play.”

Other favorites include Eric Cole (20-1), Stephan Jaeger (22-1), Keith Mitchell (22-1), and Emiliano Grillo (25-1). Defending champ Mackenzie Hughes is 45-1.

According to the golf analytics site RickRunGood, the Country Club of Jackson — host of the Sanderson Farms — is perhaps “the flattest and straightest golf course” players will face all year. Its length (almost 7,300 yards), unpredictable Bermuda rough, and potential for stiff winds are the course’s biggest defenses.

More players in this week’s field with past success in Jackson, according to RickRunGood, include Garrick Higgo (35-1), S.H. Kim (30-1), Hayden Buckley (50-1), and Nick Hardy (60-1).

You can stream the event starting on Thursday at 8:30 am ET on ESPN+. Golf Channel coverage runs Thursday-Sunday from 4-7pm ET.

Of note: At stake this weekend is the Sanderson Farms rooster trophy, perhaps the most coveted piece of hardware on the PGA Tour.

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More news

Lost a bit in Ryder Cup madness, Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim led South Korea to an Asian Games gold medal in golf, exempting the duo from 21 months of mandatory military service. (USA Today)

Lexi Thompson received a sponsor’s invite to play in next week’s Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas. Thompson will become the 7th woman to tee it up in a PGA Tour event. (ESPN)

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, LIV Golf chairman and head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is playing the Pro-Am at this week’s DP World Tour event in Scotland. Originally, he was listed on the tee-sheet under the pseudonym “Andrew Waterman.” (The Scotsman)

Alan Shipnuck released an excerpt from his new book “LIV and Let Die” on Wednesday, including some fun quotes from Brooks Koepka about not giving a f*ck and securing $130 million. (Fire Pit Collective)

More good content

🇮🇹 This piece from CBS’ Kyle Porter is the best thing I read all week from the Ryder Cup, and does such a good job of describing the differences between the US and European sides. (CBS)

⛳️ I should probably dedicate a whole newsletter to “strokes-gained” and what it means, but here’s a 2.5 minute video that does a nice job of explaining the almighty stat. (@SashoMacKenzie)

🎧 Team USA standout Max Homa joins No Laying Up to debrief and talk about his literal knee-knocker on Sunday to keep the Americans’ hopes alive. (No Laying Up)

And finally…

A parting image from Rome.

That’s all for today! Thanks so much for reading y’all and as a programming alert, our next newsletter will be delivered Monday morning to recap the Sanderson Farms. I’m heading to Pittsburg for a member-guest tournament, so all my energy will be focused on contributing at least one or two good shots this weekend.

Also, a special shoutout to Lucas A., who won our Ryder Cup giveaway! I really, really appreciate everyone who spread the word about Quick Nine over the past week. It helps a ton, and we’ll be sure to do more promos like that one in the the future!

Alright. Have a great week and talk soon!

- Nick B. 🏌️‍♂️