The first round of the 2025 PGA Championship was a snoozefest. Neither of the favorites performed exceptionally on Thursday. The top of the leaderboard was a contest of “Who’s that?” between the fans. It seemed like the leaderboard was of a PGA Tour alternate event that usually features a weaker field. As Dan Rapaport described it, it was a “Random Player Generator” at the top of the leaderboard. The lack of popularity of the names at the top of the table made the contest at Quail Hollow mind-numbing. And when Rapaport was speaking about the lack of excitement, he targeted one golfer who had endured a stinker in the first 18.

Patrick Cantlay started the round on the back nine, where he struggled immensely. While managing a par on the 10th hole, the 33-year-old followed it up with a bogey and a double bogey. That score stayed with him all through the remaining holes as every birdie he scored after that was cancelled out by a bogey. Fans and Rapaport were disappointed with his performance and resorted to name-calling on social media. When GOLF.com uploaded a picture of a turtle at Quail Hollow, fans compared the reptile to Cantlay for the latter’s excruciatingly slow pace of play. In the latest episode of Dan on Golf, the host and golf expert also agreed with someone who renamed the PGA Tour pro to “Patrick Cantplay in the majors”.

Rapaport mentioned how he was persuaded by one of his associates to support Cantlay at Quail Hollow. He admitted to following the Long Beach local along with Rory McIlroy. And while McIlroy also disappointed in the first round, tying with Cantlay on strokes, it was the latter who took the heat from the journalist. “I’m off this guy. I’m quitting him,” confessed Rapaport as he couldn’t continue pretending to care. That’s when he mentioned the “Patrick Cantplay” moniker for him while not disagreeing with what the fan had to say.

“The delta between his play on the PGA Tour and his play in the majors is much,” he said, acknowledging the fact that Cantlay is great in non-major events and the Ryder Cup. The Californian’s record in PGA Tour events outside the majors is certainly outstanding. He has 3 missed cuts in the last 50 events he has played, along with 17 top-10 finishes. On two occasions, Cantlay has also finished as a runner-up. Although both those excellent finishes came in the 2022-23 season. The 8-time PGA Tour winner also has an outstanding record in the 2023 Ryder Cup, where the only time he lost was in foursomes. He won the four-ball and singles contests for Team U.S.

Continuing to speak about Cantlay, Alan Shipnuck also joined the conversation as he mentioned how Cantlay must be thinking, “Why can’t I do that in the majors?” He compared the 33-year-old to Joaquin Niemann, who has also failed to perform in the majors. However, what the Chilean has on his side is the popularity of LIV Golf. Niemann has been one of the most consistent performers in the Saudi-based league this season, bagging three wins in seven tournaments so far. But when it comes to Cantlay, Shipnuck mentions how he “is a good anti-hero,” as he “adds a little bit of spice” to the field. The analyst believes that he has picked up this persona because of his pace of play issue and his revolt against not getting paid at the 2023 Ryder Cup.

“The PGA Tour is a bunch of nice guys,” Alan said as the group discussed how Cantlay’s attitude hangs on a thread and the fact that he could tip over to being a “villain” on the Tour. Despite all that, Rapaport still believes that Niemann has a stronger narrative because “he has been the best player on LIV Golf.”

While Patrick Cantlay’s struggles continue, why does he not get as much attention as Joaquin Niemann on the course? Despite his incredible consistency, the 2-time BMW Championship winner’s lack of success might give us a clue.

Why is Patrick Cantlay less popular than Joaquin Niemann?

As mentioned, Joaquin Niemann has had an outstanding season so far. He won at LIV Golf Adelaide, Singapore, and Mexico City to dominate the individual leaderboard for the season. Niemann also sits comfortably atop the player rankings as he is on the path to becoming the Player of the Year in the PIF-funded promotion.

Yes, Patrick Cantlay has also been quite consistent on the PGA Tour. However, he has not won consistently enough to be considered a favorite in a major. Cantlay’s last win came in the 2021-22 season, where he captured the BMW Championship. He had also won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans earlier that year. However, since then, the Long Beach citizen has failed to lift a title. His best performance was a playoff loss to Lucas Glover in the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Joaquin Niemann has received more support for a major win than Patrick “Cantplay.”

What do you think of the moniker fans have for him—“Patrick Can’t Play?” Do you think it’s deserved? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.