Patrick Cantlay gives the ‘perfect answer’ on becoming a smarter player - “I've been working with a stats team”

Patrick Cantlay provided an interesting answer on his journey towards becoming a smarter player during his recent pre-tournament press conference at The Players Championship. The American professional golfer revealed his dependence on a dedicated statistics team and how he uses data to shape his strategy for each event.

When the moderator inquired about his approach to becoming a smarter player, Cantlay disclosed that while it's uncertain if it's the smartest method, utilizing databases for decision-making has provided him with the greatest chances for success in recent years.

Patrick Cantlay said:

“I'm not sure I have the perfect answer. But I've been working with a stats team for a number of years, and so the way I think about it, the more decisions I can make that are reinforced by the stats, as long as I feel comfortable with the shot, I'm just gaining incrementally every time I make those decisions.”

He further elaborated:

“I'm not sure if that's the smart way to go about it or not all the time, but trying to make the most data-based decisions over and over and over again to give myself the best opportunity to succeed, that's really how I think about it.”

Moreover, the eight-time PGA Tour champion also admitted that sometimes diverging from his plans becomes the core of his weekly game strategy. For the uninitiated, Patrick Cantlay is currently at the TPC Sawgrass for the upcoming Players Championship, scheduled to take place from March 14 to 17.

Which golfers are participating in the Players Championship other than Patrick Cantlay?

This year, The Players Championship boasts a formidable lineup with some of the most prominent names in the field including Patrick Cantlay. Notably, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy are set to compete in the tournament.

Additionally, an impressive contingent of 46 players from the top 50 in the world rankings will be among the 144-player field.

Here are the names of golfers participating in the upcoming Players Championship:

Ludvig Åberg
Tyson Alexander
Byeong Hun An
Aaron Baddeley
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Akshay Bhatia
Alexander Björk
Zac Blair
Keegan Bradley
Joseph Bramlett
Hayden Buckley
Sam Burns
Patrick Cantlay
Wyndham Clark
Eric Cole
Corey Conners
Joel Dahmen
Cam Davis
Jason Day
Thomas Detry
Tyler Duncan
Nick Dunlap
Nico Echavarria
Austin Eckroat
Harris English
Tony Finau
Matt Fitzpatrick
Tommy Fleetwood
Rickie Fowler
Ryan Fox
Doug Ghim
Lucas Glover
Ben Griffin
Emiliano Grillo
Chesson Hadley
Adam Hadwin
Harry Hall
Nick Hardy
Brian Harman
Russell Henley
Garrick Higgo
Ryo Hisatsune
Lee Hodges
Charley Hoffman
Tom Hoge
Nicolai Højgaard
Max Homa
Billy Horschel
Beau Hossler
Viktor Hovland
Mark Hubbard
Mackenzie Hughes
Sungjae Im
Stephan Jaeger
Chan Kim
Michael Kim
S.H. Kim
Si Woo Kim
Tom Kim
Chris Kirk
Kurt Kitayama
Jake Knapp
Ben Kohles
Matt Kuchar
Martin Laird
Nate Lashley
K.H. Lee
Min Woo Lee
David Lipsky
Luke List
Justin Lower
Shane Lowry
Robert MacIntyre
Peter Malnati
Ben Martin
Hideki Matsuyama
Denny McCarthy
Rory McIlroy
Maverick McNealy
Troy Merritt
Keith Mitchell
Francesco Molinari
Taylor Montgomery
Ryan Moore
Taylor Moore
Collin Morikawa
Grayson Murray
Matt NeSmith
Alex Noren
Vincent Norrman
Andrew Novak
C.T. Pan
Matthieu Pavon
Taylor Pendrith
J.T. Poston
Seamus Power
Andrew Putnam
Aaron Rai
Chad Ramey
Chez Reavie
Davis Riley
Patrick Rodgers
Justin Rose
Sam Ryder
Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
Adam Schenk
Matti Schmid
Adam Scott
Robby Shelton
Greyson Sigg
Ben Silverman
Webb Simpson
David Skinns
Alex Smalley
J.J. Spaun
Jordan Spieth
Scott Stallings
Jimmy Stanger
Sam Stevens
Sepp Straka
Kevin Streelman
Steve Stricker
Justin Suh
Adam Svensson
Callum Tarren
Ben Taylor
Nick Taylor
Sahith Theegala
Justin Thomas
Davis Thompson
Brendon Todd
Sami Valimaki
Erik van Rooyen
Camilo Villegas
Matt Wallace
Gary Woodland
Brandon Wu
Dylan Wu
Cameron Young
Carson Young
Kevin Yu
Carl Yuan
Will Zalatoris