Matt Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth “upset” with Patrick Cantlay’s pace of play
Matt Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth were said to be “pretty upset” with Patrick Cantlay’s pace of play in the final round of the RBC Heritage, according to CBS Sports on-course commentator Dottie Pepper.
The LPGA Tour legend informed viewers by the green on the par-5 15th hole that both Fitzpatrick and Spieth were particularly irate with how long it took Cantlay to play his third shot at the par-3 14th.
Cantlay chipped his second shot way past the hole and his ball trundled down onto the wooden sleepers.
The ball was wedged between the bulkhead and the edge of the green.
Cantlay then deliberated for close to three minutes whether to play the shot or take a drop alongside his caddie Matt Minister.
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The World No.4 eventually stepped in to play the shot, and to his credit, played a miraculous chip shot to five feet.
But in the eyes of Fitzpatrick and Spieth, who were playing alongside Cantlay in the final group of the day, the whole process took far too long.
Cantlay would bin the putt for bogey.
It would end up proving a costly shot as he ultimately missed out on the playoff by one.
Here’s what Pepper had to say:
Eye-opening comment from Dottie Pepper saying Spieth and Fitzpatrick were upset with Cantlay’s slow play. #PGATour pic.twitter.com/aUwrhhZUx7
— Jason Krump (@JasonKrump) April 16, 2023
Fitzpatrick went on to defeat Spieth with a birdie at the third extra hole.
The final group went round in a staggering 5 hours and 15 minutes.
Earlier in the round, Fitzpatrick’s caddie Billy Foster was seen exasperated by Cantlay’s pace of play as he stepped in to play his tee shot on the 16th.
Billy Foster’s reaction 🤣
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) April 16, 2023
Sky Sports Golf’s Andrew Coltart also blasted Cantlay for his pace of play as early as the par-5 2nd in the final round.
This all came a week after Cantlay was ripped by thousands of golf fans on social media for his pace of play in the final round of The Masters.
LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka labelled Cantlay’s pairing as “brutally slow”.
Cantlay claimed it “was slow for everyone”.
Even European Tour legend Colin Montgomerie got involved in the banter!
Article originally appeared on: Golfmagic.com
I am getting fat going to the fridge every time Cantlay’s turn to putt.
They were almost 3 holes behind the next group, yet there is nobody saying anything during the tournament?? What are they afraid of? that they may hurt his feelings?
That’s the problem with the Tour. Because both the leaders were in the same group, the Tour did not want to call any penalties on them for slow play based on one player in their group who was causing it.
No, they weren’t.
Spieth doesn’t have the moral high ground. His delay a few years ago at the Open when his drive landed in a different time zone result in a delay that completely iced Matt Kucher.
Is it possible to only put him on the clock.
Doesn’t the PGA have a slow play policy? In all the years I have been watching pro golfers, both live and on tv, I have only seen 1 golfer – a young Chinese playing in his first tournament – get penalized for slow play. Cantlay’s response “that play was slow for everyone” shows you the attitude of this dude. They know the PGA does not have the balls to call the penalty – so get rid of the rule/guideline. I sure would not want to be in his pairing either.