"Patrick Cantlay should be nailed with a huge fine" - 25-time winner blasts Genesis Open leader for 'breaking' a PGA Tour rule 

Patrick Cantlay leads the Genesis Invitational after the first 54 holes, with a score of 14 under. However, his performance has not been without flaws, at least in the opinion of 25-time winner Tony Johnstone.

Tony Johnstone expressed on X (formerly Twitter) that Patrick Cantlay had not acted within the rules while executing two of his shots. Johnstone posted:

"Back to back shots and Cantlay hits a ball-spotter and then spectators around the green. Would a shout of ‘fore’ be out of the question?"

A fan commented on the post:

"But then they might scatter and the ball wouldn't rebound back onto the green."

Johnstone subsequently responded to the above comment, stating:

"Correct. Should be nailed with a huge fine."

These posts by Tony Johnstone were prompted by two moments where Patrick Cantlay executed a shot surrounded by spectators and did not yell "fore" after hitting the ball next to a huge crowd.

Shouting "fore" after hitting the ball is one of the most deeply ingrained unwritten rules in golf. So much so that it is considered part of the etiquette of the sport. It's a warning call to prevent those present on the course from being accidentally hit by the ball.

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Who is Tony Johnstone?

Tony Johnstone, 67, is a former professional golfer from Zimbabwe. He began his career in 1979 and played primarily on the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. During his professional career, he achieved 25 victories and a world ranking of 22nd in 1994.

Six of his professional victories came on the European Tour. His first victory came at the 1984 Portuguese Open and the last one at the 2001 Qatar Masters.

As for the Majors, Johnstone participated in 20 editions with only 5 cuts made. His best performance in these tournaments was finishing T34 in The Open Championship in 1992.

After retiring from the Open category, Johnstone played some tournaments in the European Senior Tour. He had two victories on the circuit, the 2008 Jersey Seniors Classic and the 2009 Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters.

In 2013, Johnstone was called by his compatriot Nick Price to be his vice captain in the Presidents Cup held at Muirfield. There, the American team defeated the International team by 18.5 to 15.5.

Johnstone has also developed a career in golf television broadcasting as a commentator. He currently works for Sky Sports.