{"id":105557,"date":"2025-08-29T14:25:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/105557\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T14:25:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:25:13","slug":"phil-mickelson-pans-u-s-ryder-cup-hopeful-over-slow-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/105557\/","title":{"rendered":"Phil Mickelson pans U.S. Ryder Cup hopeful over slow play"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phil Mickelson won\u2019t be involved in the 2025 Ryder Cup in an official capacity for the U.S. team. But the six-time major champion<\/a> couldn\u2019t help but get himself in the Ryder Cup mix this week. How? By panning a top U.S. Ryder Cup hopeful and PGA Tour pro over his slow play.<\/p>\n

The incident happened at the 2025 Tour Championship<\/a>, where a video of Patrick Cantlay<\/a> taking a long, long time to hit a shot at East Lake drew Mickelson\u2019s ire.<\/p>\n

Patrick Cantlay\u2019s slow play bothers Phil<\/p>\n

Cantlay had a great week at the Tour Championship, contending for the title until the end. But a 71 in the final round cost him a shot at the win, and he could only watch as Tommy Fleetwood<\/a> took home the FedEx Cup title and its $10 million winner\u2019s prize.<\/p>\n

Still, Cantlay finished T2 for his best result of the 2025 season<\/a>. But it wasn\u2019t Cantlay\u2019s fine play that caught the attention of viewers watching at home and Mickelson alike.<\/p>\n

It was his glacial pace.<\/p>\n


\n \"LIV <\/a><\/p>\n

Phil Mickelson claims PGA Tour fans more \u2018stressed\u2019 than LIV\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n Kevin Cunningham <\/a><\/p>\n

Cantlay has long been one of the slowest players on the PGA Tour. But a specific aspect of his pace caused controversy at the Tour Championship: his foot waggles.<\/p>\n

Before every shot, Cantlay sets up to the ball and then alternatively shuffles both feet and waggles his club. But he doesn\u2019t do it just a few times. He sometimes waggles dozens of times before a shot, reminiscent of Sergio Garcia<\/a> early in career.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s safe to say Mickelson is not a fan. When Phil saw a video of one of Cantlay\u2019s slower shots from East Lake on social media, he decided to chime in.<\/p>\n

In a reply to a post complaining about Cantlay\u2019s slow play that featured the now-deleted video, Mickelson took Cantlay to task. He wrote that Cantlay shuffled his feet \u201c26 times\u201d in the video, then joked a person would need to be in \u201cpeak physical condition\u201d to handle such excessive movement on every shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe shuffled his right foot 26 times. 26 TIMES before he hit it. 26 x 36 other shots is 936 foot shuffles. That\u2019s more calf raises than I\u2019ll ever do. You also must be in peak physical condition to do this daily so let\u2019s stop all the hate and appreciate that golfers are athletes,\u201d Mickelson wrote.<\/p>\n

He shuffled his right foot 26 times. 26 TIMES before he hit it. 26 x 36 other shots is 936 foot shuffles. That\u2019s more calf raises than I\u2019ll ever do. You also must be in peak physical condition to do this daily so let\u2019s stop all the hate and appreciate that golfers are athletes https:\/\/t.co\/s7QyyiwbQI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

American fans famously pilloried Garcia at the 2002 U.S. Open for his own waggling issue. Ironically, that Open was played at Bethpage Black<\/a>, where Mickelson finished runner-up to Tiger Woods<\/a> and where the 2025 Ryder Cup will be played. Cantlay is hoping to be a part of that team.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Mickelson and Cantlay have been on the same U.S. team in the past. Cantlay played in his first Ryder Cup in 2021, where he went 3-0-1 to help the Americans secure the victory. Mickelson was one of U.S. captain Steve Stricker\u2019s vice captains that week at Whistling Straits.<\/p>\n

Mickelson, Cantlay and the 2025 Ryder Cup<\/p>\n

But Mickelson and Cantlay are in very different situations when it comes to the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup.<\/p>\n

When New York\u2019s Bethpage Black was first announced as the host for the Ryder Cup years ago, many predicted Mickelson would captain the U.S. team. But the fallout from Mickelson\u2019s involvement with LIV Golf ended any hope for that outcome.<\/p>\n


\n \"Sam <\/a><\/p>\n

Ryder Cup captain\u2019s picks tiers: Who should be in? Who needs help?<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n Josh Schrock <\/a><\/p>\n

Instead, Mickelson has become something of a pariah and likely won\u2019t be at Bethpage at all during Ryder Cup week.<\/p>\n

Instead, 39-year-old Keegan Bradley will captain the U.S. team in late September. Cantlay failed to automatically qualify for the U.S. team, so he will have to depend on receiving a captain\u2019s pick from Bradley<\/a> to play on the team.<\/p>\n

Bradley is expected to announce his six captain\u2019s picks for the U.S. team on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

“><\/p>\n