At the Genesis Invitational on Thursday, Patrick Cantlay took the lead in the first round, but one other professional wasn’t impressed by his lack of “fore” calls as play neared the finish.
Tony Johnstone, a former vice captain of the Presidents Cup, thinks Patrick Cantlay ought to receive a “huge fine” for neglecting to yell “fore” in the Genesis Invitational’s opening round.
With a seven-under-par 64 on the first round at Riviera Country Club, Cantlay impressed. He also took the lead. Johnstone, a six-time European champion, was not impressed with the American’s manners, though, as he disregarded an unwritten golf rule after missing two putts on the last hole.
On the par-4 18th hole, the former FedEx Cup champion mishit his tee shot, pulling it left and hitting one of the course ball-spotters. He then attempted to hit the green-side crowd with his second attempt, which went off target.
On the back of his mishandled tee shot, Cantlay did not call “fore,” and it seemed he did the same on his second try as well, until a late call was made by one of his teammates. Johnstone was not amused and chastised the tournament leader on X, the former Twitter. “Cantlay hits a ball-spotter and then onlookers surrounding the green in back-to-back shots.
Would it be inappropriate to yell “fore”? In a follow-up, he said, “[He] should be nailed with a huge fine.” Cantlay is a man who has been involved in controversy a lot lately because he played the villain in a pantomime during the Ryder Cup last autumn.
According to reports, the 38-year-old was upset that he wasn’t paid to play for his country, which led to tension in the Team USA locker room in Rome. A few weeks later, Cantlay’s name was in the news once more due to rumors that he was attempting to “take over” the PGA Tour’s Policy Board.
In this crucial period for the PGA Tour, which is still negotiating to end its ongoing dispute with LIV Golf with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), the world No. 5 is an active Player Director on the board. At the end of 2023, Cantlay addressed the allegations, downplaying his alleged coup.
He said to Golf.com in December of last year, “I just don’t think you can trust everything you read on the internet.” “It seems impossible for one player to gain control if you simply consider the available facts. I mean, it’s not like all the players could take over at once.
Since we only have half the seats on the board, a two-thirds majority is needed for any significant vote pertaining to any of the topics we have been discussing. Additionally, given that the Tour has been driving discussions since even before the framework agreement was announced, and that it has hired [the titan investment bank] Allen and Co., well, given those facts, it’s just not possible for that to be the case.
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