Sports and injuries. The two share a very peculiar relationship and sometimes, one can’t unfortunately exist without the other. Well, Patrick Cantlay would agree, seeing as how his recent announcement went ahead to surprise everyone in the community.

The golfer shared a tweet on his X handle just hours ago while alluding to an injury he received while training for the John Deere Classic. Cantlay also announced his intention to pull out of the event while indicating a hopeful return to the game later in the upcoming tournaments; “We are optimistic about a speedy return to competition. Thanks to the fans in the Quad Cities for your support and hope to see you next year!” The athlete, consequently, withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Russell Knox in the field.

The athlete was the highest-ranked golfer in the field at the 2024 John Deere Classic before pulling out of it. Now, his withdrawal has turned the attention back to the likes of Sepp Straka and Jordan Spieth, the former of whom is placed at No. 24 on the OWGR and is the defending champion of the event, while the latter at No. 32. Regardless, his injury and subsequent pulling out did go ahead and create a buzz in the community.

Netizens urge Patrick Cantlay to recover from his injury

The John Deere Classic will be held at the TPC Deere Run which boasts three par-5s, four par-3s, and eleven par-4s. Moreover, the par-4 15th hole, also known as ‘The Coaltown’, is the toughest hole on the back nine and had halted Straka’s birdie run on the final day of play at the 2023 edition of the event. A fan, meanwhile, referred to the challenging layout while recounting Michael Kim’s win at the tournament in 2018. He had carded a total of 30 birdies and 3 bogeys over the four days of play. They commented, “Everyone knows how intense JDC training is. How do you think Mike Kim won here? Only the warriors get it done. Godspeed Pat, we’ll miss u,” while another reacted, “I call in sick to meetings I don’t want to go to either, no harm no foul brother.”

Before his WD, Cantlay had entered this week as the tournament’s favorite with odds of 9-1, followed by Spieth at 18-1. Moreover, his recent performance on the greens left many amazed as well. The 8-time PGA Tour champ has a total of 4 top-10 finishes in 2024, with the last two of the same coming off the Travelers Championship at T5 and the U.S. Open at T3. Many of his fans were disappointed to see him pull out of the event at TPC Deere Run as they reacted,“oh no, Pat sorry to hear was looking forward to you teeing it up this week! rest up n’ recover quick,” and “Recover and come out fightin’!”

However, not every fan expressed concern for the golfer. Some took to issuing a jab at him as well. Back at the 2023 Masters tournament, Patrick Cantlay was accused of playing too slowly which, as a result, held up the pace of play for the remaining golfers. Even Brooks Koepka had expressed his frustration during the same while mentioning, “The group in front of us was brutally slow,” not to mention Viktor Hovland, the PGA Tour Pro’s playing partner. The Norwegian had sent a strong message to the 32-year-old back then due to his slow pace. A couple of followers responded, “Yes, the golf fans of the quad cities are distraught they can’t see you take 6 hrs to play nine holes. I don’t think the game of golf will recover from this,” and “Welp… the good news is the pace of play will be 28% faster now!”

Even if a couple of users on X take turns teasing the golfer, his fans would surely want him to recover and come out guns blazing in the next tourney. They would especially want Patrick Cantlay to redeem himself at the upcoming major championship at Royal Troon.