Patrick Cantlay joins the ranks of golf’s elite with FedEx Cup title

Patrick Cantlay continues his ascent to the top of the golf world by holding off Jon Rahm and winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup

Patrick Cantlay was supposed to be here. He was supposed to be taking his place among the best golfers on the planet. It just took longer than expected.

A decade ago, Cantlay was the can’t-miss kid. He was the No. 1 ranked amateur for a record 55 weeks. He swept the collegiate golf awards while still a freshman at UCLA. He shot 60 in a PGA Tour event while still a teenager, the lowest ever by an amateur.

But, often in golf, things don’t always come easy, and it wasn’t for Cantlay. He endured years of injuries to his back that delayed his progression. He witnessed his friend, teammate, and caddie Chris Roth killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2016. In the meantime, players like Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were establishing themselves on the PGA Tour. Cantlay was once better than all of them, only to see them pass him by.

His win on Sunday at the Tour Championship at East Lake completed his decade-long ascent to the place he was always meant to be. Cantlay starred down World No. 1 Jon Rahm for the final 54 holes, finishing a shot ahead at 21-under to pick up his fourth PGA Tour victory this season, the FedEx Cup trophy, and the $15 million top prize.

Cantlay’s name isn’t usually mentioned when discussing the best players on tour right now. Perhaps it’s his demeanor: stoic and businesslike. But when a tournament is on the line, Cantlay is usually at his best, and he showed it in all four of his wins in 2021.

It began at the Zozo Championship last October when he made nine birdies in the final round to surge past Thomas and Rahm. He beat Collin Morikawa in a playoff at the Memorial. Last week, he prevailed over Bryson DeChambeau on the sixth extra hole at the BMW Championship.

Then, on Sunday, with Rahm threatening to take the trophy away from him, Cantlay did it again. Stepping to the tee on the par-five 18th with a one-shot lead, he unleashed a 361-yard drive down the middle of the fairway, hit his approach to 11 feet, and had a tidy two-putt for birdie to hold off Rahm and pick up the title.

Cantlay in some prestigious company with fourth win this season

Cantlay is the seventh player to win four times in the last decade, joining Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy. All those players have been No. 1 in the world and have won major championships.

When will it be Cantlay’s turn? He hasn’t won a major yet but is sure to be among the favorites in 2022. Earlier this week, he was asked about how he’s perceived by golf fans and whether it bothers him that he’s not appreciated more.

“Winning is important to me and playing well is really important to me. I think with that, if I can be myself, I think people will gravitate towards you if you are being yourself, even if it’s different,” he said.

“So I think I don’t get too caught up in under-appreciated or unsung or things like that. I don’t think it helps…I’m just going to be myself and people may like me and people may not like me and I hope more people like me than not, but I’m still going to be myself.”

After what he showed the last two weeks, Cantlay will never get overlooked again. He’s right where he was meant to be.