Patrick Cantlay’s Biggest Critic on Slowplay is His Ryder Cup Teammate This Week

Patrick Cantlay’s biggest critic regarding his slowplay is his teammate this week.  That’s right, Brook Koepka, who has been vocal about how much he hates slow play from the likes of guys in the past, is Patrick Cantlay’s partner in Rome this week.

In April at The Masters, Cantlay was the subject of criticism by many players due to his rather drawn-out process of hitting shots. On Sunday that weekend, his playing partner Viktor Hovland was seen pacing well ahead of him, making his way to the green before Cantlay had even hit his shot.

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But Hovland was not the only one to have comments or actions that portrayed a fed-up attitude with Cantlay’s slowplay. Brooks Koepka was one of the more vocal players regarding the issue.

Koepka, who was in the final pairing with eventual champion Jon Rahm, played behind Cantlay and Hovland on that Sunday in April. He said:

“Yeah, the group in front of us was brutally slow. Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”

This week, Cantlay and Koepka will be teammates, and the Long Beach, California native was asked whether there will be any tension between him and the 2023 PGA Champion due to the comments from April.

Cantlay said (via RTE):

“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.”

Prep work. @RyderCupUSA @rydercup pic.twitter.com/zQRoUFkou2

— Patrick Cantlay (@patrick_cantlay) September 26, 2023

Cantlay was also asked whether he expects to be harassed by the passionate European fans about the slowplay during the Ryder Cup this week:

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

Cover Image via Sportskeeda