Patrick Cantlay withdraws from John Deere Classic with late injury, putting British Open status in doubt

Patrick Cantlay’s status for Royal Troon is suddenly in doubt.

Cantlay withdrew from the John Deere Classic on Monday morning, which he later revealed on social media was due to an injury he sustained while training. Though he didn’t get into specifics of what that injury is, the timing isn’t great.

Cantlay was set to make his debut at the John Deere Classic this week. He was instead replaced in the field at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, by Russell Knox.

Cantlay has won eight times on the PGA Tour in his career, though he’s not won since the 2022 BMW Championship. He has four top-10 finishes this season, including back-to-back runs where he finished T3 at the U.S. Open and T5 at the Travelers Championship. He’s missed the cut just once in 15 starts this season, and entered the week at No. 8 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

While the injury sounds minor, Cantlay likely now won’t get to play until the British Open kicks off at Royal Troon on July 18. He’s not listed in the field at the Genesis Scottish Open next week, and he didn’t play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week. That will leave three full weeks off, which isn’t always a great strategy heading into a major championship. With this week now free, however, Cantlay should have ample time to recover.

Jordan Spieth is among the biggest names in the field this week in the Quad Cities. He’s competing in the event for the first time since he won the tournament, which is hosted each year by reigning Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, in 2015. The top two players on the leaderboard after play ends on Sunday who are not already exempt will earn spots in the British Open.