Brandt Snedeker suggests what Patrick Cantlay could do at a major tournament soon after being stunned by him

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Patrick Cantlay failed to build on his stellar Ryder Cup record at Bethpage Black.

The American was 5-2-1 entering the event, but Patrick Cantlay lost three matches in New York to go 1-3-1. 

Cantlay started the tournament well. He won Team USA’s only point on Friday morning alongside Xander Schauffele and took a half-point against Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the afternoon. 

But Cantlay went winless from there and lost a crucial singles match against Ludvig Aberg, which could have turned the Ryder Cup on its head should America have secured that point. 

Despite his poor performance in New York, Cantlay entered the tournament on fine form. He was in contention when Tommy Fleetwood won the Tour Championship, ultimately finishing T2. 

And Team USA vice captain, Brandt Snedeker, predicted big things for Cantlay’s future after what he saw from him at Bethpage Black. 

Brandt Snedeker says Patrick Cantlay could win a major championship by 10 strokes

Despite Cantlay’s Ryder Cup controversies in recent seasons, he has been a key piece of Team USA in the last three events. Cantlay is a leader in the team room and typically brings his best golf to team events. 

But while he has eight wins on the PGA Tour, Cantlay is yet to get over the hump and take a victory at a major championship. That’s despite him finishing T3 at both the US Open and PGA Championship, and in the top-10 at every major over his career. 

Snedeker said that if he can bring his form from team events into his individual play, Cantlay could not only win at a major, but also dominate. 

Speaking on the Fore Play podcast, he explained: “I walked with Patrick for five matches. The level of golf he played was phenomenal. The quality of ball striking I saw from him was unlike anything I’ve seen. It seems like he does that in every team competition.

“I keep pushing him to pull a little bit out in the major, and you’re going to win by 10. It’s not even going to be close because of the quality of golf I saw him have.”

Cantlay’s putter caught fire on Friday afternoon as he gained +1.2 strokes on the greens, but aside from that, it was a difficult weekend for the American.

At no point was he the best Team USA player during an event, and on Saturday afternoon and Sunday, he performed the second-worst in strokes gained.

So despite Snedeker’s encouragement, there’s still work to do if Cantlay wants to win a major, let alone by 10 strokes.

Patrick Cantlay needs to address key weaknesses before winning a major

Cantlay was one of the best iron players on the PGA Tour last season. He gained 0.77 strokes on approach this season to continually keep himself in position around the course.

But until he can bring his performance in other areas to the same level, he’s going to struggle to compete for trophies consistently.

Around the green, he averaged just +0.07 in strokes gained across the 2025 season, his worst performance since 2014.

Cantlay leans heavily on his irons, and he finds the green consistently. But when he doesn’t hit the green on approach, he can’t consistently scramble, which is difficult to overcome when you’re battling with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler for the biggest prizes in the sport.