THE RYDER CUP

September 26, 2023

Patrick Cantlay

Marco Simone

U.S. Team

Press Conference

TOM CARLISLE: Joined here in the interview room at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.

Welcome to Rome and your first Ryder Cup on European soil. You've seen the back nine. How much are you looking forward to this week now that you've seen some of the golf course?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, should be great. Seems like it's in great condition. Guys have to learn the golf course the next few days, and we'll get after it starting Friday.

Q. Can you tell me something good Xander's personality that is different from your personality that you like and maybe that helps with chemistry?

PATRICK CANTLAY: He's very positive (laughter).

Q. That's a contrast?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yes.

Q. Does it play out --

PATRICK CANTLAY: All day, yeah. He's just great to be out there with. Any situation that we're in, he seems like he feels comfortable, so I'm not worried about him or feel like I could ever do anything wrong out there. We play a lot of golf, you know, at home, and then practise rounds out on tour. So it's just like another day in the office for us.

Q. With your strong performance from your debut Ryder Cup, what can you bring from that week to this week?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Hopefully it's possible to carry momentum two years out. Obviously I haven't played one before, but it will be a much different feel this week being a road game. I haven't played a road game since Royal Melbourne Presidents Cup. I'm sure this will be an even more raucous version of that.

Q. You and Xander have actually had a lot of experience in the difficult format of foursomes. I wonder how long it took to get used to it, and how much do you actually work on it here? Are you actually going out there and plotting out who is hitting a drive and who is hitting a second shot and things like that to get ready?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, well, we started playing well in foursomes in Australia. We lost both of our best-ball matches that week and won both of our foursomes that week. We played in that afternoon where J.T. made that putt with Tiger, and we played I think in a match or two in front of them. And those two matches, we won on the 18th hole as well and flipped kind of how that whole week was going.

And then as far as what holes we played on, we really trust the stats guys, so I just asked them when we showed up this week, I asked Ken Jee from Scouts and said, you know, what holes am I playing this week? He told me I was on the odds so I'm on the odds.

Q. We all operate under the assumption that you and Xander are locked in together. Do you wonder what it would be like to step out a little bit? Is there any chance that that could happen for you?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I played a four-ball match with J.T. in Whistling Straits. Whatever the captain decides, I'm more than happy to do what he says.

Q. It's pretty rare that you get into a golf tournament where fans are openly cheering against you. How are you able to deal with that in Australia? Athletes deal with turning negativity into fuel all the time. How will you do that this week?

PATRICK CANTLAY: I like it. It's a great change and change of pace from the normal tournaments that we play. I think it's definitely the idea to turn it into fuel and, you know, try and internalise it and frame it in a way that helps you and propels you forward, as opposed to getting in your way.

Q. I was going to ask pretty much the same question. With your pace of play, do you think the crowd might bring it on a bit, and how will you react to that?

PATRICK CANTLAY: It would be great. I don't mind. Any of that stuff I think is just in this format, really, makes it what it is. I mean, you want people to care and try get under your skin in this tournament, so I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Can you play better?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, that's the idea.

Q. Do you know why you're on the odds and Xander isn't on the odds?

PATRICK CANTLAY: No.

Q. That kind of information for a person like you doesn't interest you?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Not really. I mean, it's nice to talk to the guys about, you know, their whole -- the stat guys about the model that they made and what kind of biases they put into the model or inputs they put into the model to spit out the numbers; but if they tell me I'm on the odds, I'm on the odds.

Q. Going back to your first answer about Xander being the yang to your yin and him being super positive, that makes me feel you're a grumpy kind of guy. Is that fair enough?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Did you just get that notion right now?

Q. I'm a mind reader.

PATRICK CANTLAY: Most people would be grumpy around Xander. He is like Tony Robbins out there. He is impressively positive. I think the nice way to say it is I'm a realist.

Q. You said playing with Xander could make this feel like a regular day at the office, but obviously the preparation for a team event is so different and the demands on your guys' time are different. Do you try to make it as normal as possible or accept it's not going to be? How does that affect your prep?

PATRICK CANTLAY: A little of both. I would say the team and Captain Johnson have been great about trying to make sure all the guys can go through their normal routines this week. And obviously with this week being a team, I would say every guy is a little more flexible to do things to have it all be cohesive with the team. It's just a nice blend and compromise. It shouldn't be a problem.

Q. On a basic level, do you like this tournament, and if you do, what do you like most about it?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Well, I've only played the one. Be a good question if hopefully I can make enough teams ten, 12 years down the road. I do; I like the change of play. I like the match play. Seems like we're going to play less and less match play going forward, which is a bummer. So part of what's exciting and being able to qualify for these teams is being able to play match play because it's very exciting.

The other thing about this tournament is when I'm watching a golf tournament, there might be one or two guys I'm pulling for on the back nine, and they might not have a chance on the last three or four holes, so the golf tournament is not as exciting for me to watch.

So what's really cool about this tournament is everyone knows who they are rooting for the whole time. Doesn't matter if it's not your favourite player; if he's on your team when you're watching, you're as pumped up as you can be about it.

So that tournament brings us out the most and I think that's what makes it so fun to watch and play.

Q. A lot of talk already, the rough looked pretty tough in places. Can you talk about that? And I'm hearing stories about the greens being quite slow. Have you noticed that? Do you think it will have any effect on gearing the course to suit their style? How will it affect you guys?

PATRICK CANTLAY: I don't think it will make much difference. It's definitely the best course I've ever played in Italy, hands down. But I don't think the setup will change too much. It's in really good shape. The greens are really good. We've just got to get comfortable, learn the golf course and we should be good to go.

Q. How is the rough?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, the rough is tough. Try not to hit it in there.

Q. For clarification, how many courses have you played in Italy?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Just the one (laughter).

Q. What's your earliest Ryder Cup memory off TV?

PATRICK CANTLAY: I don't know if I have one. I don't know if I have any early Ryder Cup memories.

Q. You have four players on the team, and pretty much all the captains have experienced playing and losing in Europe. Have they shared any experiences, can they say anything that can help, or is it something just have to figure out on our own?

PATRICK CANTLAY: The assistant captains as far as like they have played in a bunch? Yeah, you pick up little nuggets here and there. I've spent a lot of time with Fred Couples in a lot of the team events, and he's walked most if not all of the matches with me. I like leaning on him. He's played a ton of them, and he's got great Raymond Floyd stories and great stories from all the events he's played.

Q. Obviously J.T. wasn't in great form this year, so there was some question about him being picked, but then there's his Ryder Cup record. What makes him so good in this arena?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, he is not afraid of the moment he's in, and he loves match play. His record speaks for itself. He's been the best Ryder Cup player probably in the last decade. I think any time you have a chance to have that guy on your team, you want him.

Q. Regarding the first tee jitters, what do you remember about your first go-around? What do you tell the first-timers who haven't experienced it?

PATRICK CANTLAY: It's great. It gets you amped up and ready to go, and you definitely feel awake no matter how early it is.

Q. Just going back to Augusta, obviously Brooks made his comments about the pace of play, and now you're in a team room together. Do you guys sit down and have a chat at any point? What's the relationship, or is there any hangover around that kind of situation?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Not from my part at all. I think looking back at his comments, it was in general about it being slow.

So no, not a big deal at all, and I'm his biggest fan this week.

Q. You talked about going to the Presidents Cup in Royal Melbourne, but I agree everyone would learn you more in defeat, so going back to Aberdeen, the Walker Cup in 2011, is there anything you can glean from that week, even though it's been a long time, about managing expectations as a favourite or anything to remember from that week?

PATRICK CANTLAY: No. I'd say I like recalling the Presidents Cup in Melbourne and I like recalling Whistling Straits a little more than Aberdeen.

Q. What prevented you from attending the pre-event visit with the team?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I had a personal -- personal matter, conflict on the schedule. And yeah, we went out last night, even though we travelled and got here in the morning on the red-eye, Xander and I took a cart and went and saw the front nine. Not too different than any other week when you haven't seen a golf course, and given that we have an extra day this week, it starts on Friday, we should be good to go.

Q. What is it about this event that brings out more of a fiery side?

PATRICK CANTLAY: I think just the overall feeling from everyone, playing for something bigger than yourself, playing for your country and the guys on the team and knowing that they are all right there behind you. I mean, that -- if that doesn't get you fired up more than a normal week, I don't know what would. I mean, it's a pretty special event. It only happens every couple years. And so I know emotions run high in this thing, and I'm no different.

TOM CARLISLE: Thank you, everyone. Patrick, thanks for your time. Have a great week.