Slow play has been golf’s most persistent pain point for decades. It continues to frustrate fans and pros alike. In response, the PGA Tour has tightened its pace-of-play policy in recent seasons. Rules officials can now issue warnings, put players “on the clock,” and levy penalties for repeated breaches. At the 2026 Tour Championship, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele became the latest targets of the PGA Tour’s pace-of-play crackdown.

A fan account called RORY FANS confirmed the news while trolling the two on X: “Cantlay and Schauffele have been warned. Taking 3 years.” It wasn’t immediately clear on which hole the duo were put on the clock. But playing in the group immediately behind them, Si Woo Kim and Rory McIlroy were seen waiting for a long time.

In footage shared by Duff Golf, McIlroy and his caddie, Harry Diamond, also appeared to be a bit frustrated while waiting. Si Woo Kim lightened the mood. The Ulsterman was chatting with Kim, and they were seen laughing. Si Woo eventually went back to reading his yardage book and taking a few practice swings. Fans on X also pointed out that McIlroy was annoyed that he had to wait. More so, because he is known to be one of the fastest players on the Tour and was seen mocking Cantlay at the 2025 Ryder Cup.

During the Friday afternoon Fourballs, McIlroy was paired with Shane Lowry while Cantlay teamed up with Sam Burns. While Cantlay was preparing to hit the tee shot, McIlroy started tapping his feet standing behind, seeming to mimic Cantlay’s pre-shot routine. The spectators could be heard laughing in the background.

This time at East Lake, McIlroy didn’t speak about slow play, but his views around pace of play is too well-known. Back in 2019, the Ulsterman said he wanted to see pros penalized with fewer warnings. Three years later, he let out his frustration by openly calling out the group playing ahead of him at the U.S. Open.

“The guys in front of us were playing so slow. They were like a hole or hole and a half behind the group in front of them,” he was quoted by Golf Channel as saying. “That was a little frustrating, too.”

At East Lake, Cantlay shot a Moving Day 68 and Schauffele carded a 67. Both are out of contention. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy fired a 63 and jumped 16 spots ahead to T7. He is five shots behind the leader, Viktor Hovland. This wasn’t the first time Schauffele and Cantlay were put on clock, however.

Xander Schauffele has faced a similar warning at the 2026 Players Championship. He and his playing partner, Ludvig Aberg, fell nearly two holes behind. Aberg later admitted that the warning made sense because of their slow play. Despite these warnings, Schauffele’s pace of play is not that bad.

Patrick Cantlay, on the other hand, has a completely different case.

The 34-year-old American professional is notorious for slow play and has faced considerable criticism for it. During the 2025 Tour Championship, Cantlay’s group (with Tommy Fleetwood) fell two holes behind on the front nine and received warnings from officials.

Butch Harmon singled out Cantlay’s pace on live TV and blamed the PGA Tour for not imposing harsher penalties. Cantlay has admitted that he is slower than average. Cantlay faced criticism at the 2023 Masters and again at the RBC Heritage. And this time, fans actually put him on the clock. Although the shot was challenging, Cantlay took nearly three minutes.

Despite all the criticism, the American professional defended his slow play during the 2023 Wells Fargo presser.

“When you get really tricky days and the greens are really fast and the hole locations are on lots of slope, it’s going to take a longer time to play,” Cantlay said.

He blamed the PGA Tour and clubs for setting difficult course conditions. He even said he doesn’t worry when someone unfairly criticizes him for slow play.

There are many other instances where playing partners or the group behind slow players complain about the issue. Take the example of Matt Fitzpatrick and Adrien Dumont de Chassart at the 2026 Valspar Championship. Fitzpatrick grew frustrated with Chassart’s slow play and sought help from officials. Similarly, Brooks Koepka complained about the group ahead (Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland) during the 2023 Masters.

Cantlay’s warning is the latest flashpoint in a debate the Tour has yet to resolve. While Schauffele’s occasional delays may be easier to overlook, Cantlay’s history continues to keep him under scrutiny. Unless the Tour’s pace-of-play rules lead to more consistent and meaningful penalties, the debate over how quickly players should compete is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.