Slow play has been golf’s most persistent pain point for decades. It continues to frustrate fans and professionals 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.”

Cantlay and Schauffele ended their Round 2 at a cumulative score of two-under 138 after 36 holes. The organizers paired them for the third round. They teed off at 12:19 p.m. ET on Saturday, and the group immediately behind them was Si Woo Kim and Rory McIlroy.

There are many 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.

However, neither any professional nor the PGA Tour has confirmed whether it was Kim or McIlroy who complained about Cantlay or Schauffele today.

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. There are many incidents to prove this. 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.

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.