Patrick Cantlay addresses Masters’ pace of play criticism: ‘We waited all day on pretty much every shot’

Eight-time PGA Tour winner Patrick Cantlay seemed unbothered by the criticism that followed his pace at the Masters over the weekend, saying Tuesday that he was also held up by the group playing ahead of him and Viktor Hovland. 

Brooks Koepka, who finished second at Augusta National on Sunday, seemingly called out Cantlay when he criticized the group ahead of him and eventual winner Jon Rahm. 

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

BROOKS KOEPKA RIPS ‘BRUTALLY SLOW’ PACE OF PLAY AT MASTERS FOLLOWING FINAL ROUND COLLAPSE

The group included Cantlay and Hovland. 

Fans took to social media to point out that the Norwegian golfer even seemed upset with Cantlay’s pace, sometimes playing ahead of him. 

But Cantlay said Tuesday ahead of the RBC Heritage that the day was slow for everyone on the course.  

“Yeah, 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, and we waited all day on pretty much every shot,” he told reporters at a press conference. 

“We waited in 15 fairway, we waited in 18 fairway. So, I imagine it was slow for everyone.”

Cantlay, who sits on the Player Advisory Council (PAC), also noted that the course at Augusta National, coupled with the conditions of the day, contributed to a slower round. 

“Yeah, one thing that’s interesting sitting on the PAC is you get all the numbers and the data, and rounds have taken about the same length of time for the last 10 or 20 years that they currently take. 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 just going to take longer and longer to hole out,” he said.

“So, 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 that’s just the nature of playing professional golf, where every shot matters so much.”