30 September 2023 , 08:00
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Matt Fitzpatrick has an awkward meeting with Patrick Cantlay to look forward to at the Ryder Cup after slamming his “ridiculous” pace of play.
The duo have been named in both the Europe and USA teams respectively for the match in Rome this weekend. Cantlay will be hoping to play a pivotal role for the US as they attempt to retain the trophy.
However, he might have to take Fitzpatrick’s complaints on board yet again. The 29-year-old previously took aim at his opposite number during April’s RBC Heritage for his pedestrian pace and was left frustrated that penalties were not given out.
"It's like hitting your head against a brick wall," he said. "No one ever gets penalised. I think the last person to get penalised was the young lad [Guan Tianlang] at The Masters in 2013. I think that tells you enough about where people are at with this. It's ridiculous really.
"I think it's a real issue, way more needs to be done. The thing is I really like referees over here, they are great people, but I did not see a single ref all day. There were a few shots we were waiting and I don't understand where they are all hiding. It does become frustrating when you are waiting so long."
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Fitzpatrick was not the only star with complaints. Brooks Koepka, who has also been named in the Ryder Cup team, took aim at his teammate at the Masters for his “brutally slow” play.
Cantlay responded to both Fitzpatrick and Koepka’s claims as he attempted to defend himself ahead of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. "I'm definitely slower than average, have been my whole career," he admitted.
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"I definitely take my time. Like I said, being on the PAC [PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council] has been interesting because the times that it's taken to play rounds has been pretty much the same for the last 10 or even longer years.
"So, trying to speed it up, I'd be curious to know how they'd want to do that. I played the last two tournaments, and my group hasn't been warned at all. So, we've been in position the entire time.
"I don't know how you would want even the groups that I've been in to play faster when our groups are in position and can't go faster because the group in front of us is right in front of us. I haven't had anybody come up to me or talk to me. But I'd be perfectly happy to talk to them about it."
He also suggested that due to the prize money on offer, he was well within his rights to take a little bit more time to get his shot right. Cantlay added: "We're playing for a couple million - you know, $3.6m (£2.9m).
“If you're going to spend an extra minute to make sure you put yourself in the right spot, we're going to do it. That's just the nature of our game and our sport."