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Patrick Cantlay placed third in the RBC Heritage after a stunning performance. Cantlay was excellent over the weekend and especially on Sunday, but did he play too slow? It's possible that Jordan Spieth and winner Matt Fitzpatrick thought so.
On his third shot at the 14th hole, Cantlay took a long time. He initially chipped his second shot way beyond the hole and his ball rolled down onto the wooden sleepers, wedging between the bulkhead and the edge of the green.
He and his caddie then deliberated for about three full minutes about whether or not he should try and play the shot or take a drop on the par-three hole.
He eventually decided to play it and the world number four golfer was somehow able to knock the ball to within five feet of the hole. However, according to Golf Magic, neither Fitzpatrick nor Spieth were pleased with Cantlay's pace of play at the RBC Heritage.
Per Golf Channel, LPGA Tour legend Dottie Pepper said:
"Both Fitzpatrick and Spieth were pretty upset at the 14th about the time it took to make a decision to play the shot, but it's part of being a professional — do what you can to get back in the moment."
That one shot that he missed by bogeying that hole ended up being incredibly costly. At the end of the day, Cantlay finished one shot behind Fitzpatrick and Spieth, who went to the playoffs for the victory.
Patrick Cantlay often slows down tournaments
This is not the first time Patrick Cantlay's pace of play has been called into question. At the latest Masters, the golfer said he felt like the game was slow-moving and that everyone had had issues (via Yahoo! Sports):
“I mean, we finished the first hole and the group in front of us was on the second tee when we walked up to the second tee. We waited all day on pretty much every shot. We waited in 15 fairway, we waited in 18 fairway. I imagine it was slow for everyone.”
However, the runner-up finisher Brooks Koepka blamed Cantlay for being slow:
“The group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon [Rahm] went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”
Patrick Cantlay is becoming known for his slow pace of play, but he felt it was justified at the Masters:
“When you play a golf course like Augusta National where all the hole locations are on lots of slope and the greens are really fast, it’s going to take longer and longer to hole out."
He continued:
"I think that may have been what attributed to some of the slow play on Sunday, and then also when the wind is gusting and the wind is blowing maybe inconsistently, that’s when guys will take a long time, too. I think it’s just the nature of playing professional golf, where every shot matters so much.”
While taking one's time can be beneficial, it has often frustrated those who play with Cantlay.
