Team USA Star Patrick Cantlay Marries Nikki Guidish Day After Ryder Cup Defeat

Patrick Cantlay was one of 12 Team USA players left to reflect on what might have been after Team Europe beat them in the Ryder Cup by 16.5 points to 11.5 points at Marco Simone near Rome.

However, while that loss would have undoubtedly been disappointing for the 31-year-old, his stay in the Italian capital was never destined to end on a low note. That’s because the day after the defeat, he married fiancée Nikki Guidish at the St Regis Hotel in the city.

Following the wedding, doctor of pharmacy Guidish posted images of the occasion on her Instagram page with a message reading: “Yesterday was a dream” and thanking the wedding planner and photographer before praising the venue.

Among those responding to the message were two of Cantlay’s Ryder Cup teammates, Justin Thomas and Max Homa. Thomas wrote: “The best night!” while Homa responded with: “Congrats!!!”

There were also messages from Brooks Koepka’s wife Jena Sims, who wrote: “This is perfection. Congratulations you two!” and LPGA Tour star Jessica Korda, who wrote: “The perfect vision of a beautiful bride. So much fun celebrating you and Patty.”

Before his big day, Cantlay had been at the centre of a controversy during the match over a report alleging that he was leading a split in a 'fractured' US team concerning the lack of payment for players. 

The report also stated he didn't wear a team cap as a means of "demonstrating his frustration". Following his Sunday singles win over Justin Rose, Cantlay dismissed the report as “complete lies” and “totally unfounded” but, in his post-match press conference, the subject of his hat-free appearance was raised again. 

However, this time it was in the context of his wedding, with one journalist asking him if he didn’t wear a hat because he didn’t want to get a tan line on his head before his nuptials.

Cantlay didn’t directly answer that question, but did reveal his wedding was imminent, saying: “Well, I am getting married tomorrow, yes. I'm very excited about that,” which drew a round of applause from the others in the room.

Cantlay and Guidish have generally kept their personal lives to themselves, but they were seen together as far back as the 2021 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.