Patrick Cantlay Claims $15 Million FedEx Cup Victory
Patrick Cantlay produced yet another battling performance as he secured a one shot win and $15 million.
Patrick Cantlay Claims $15 million FedEx Cup Victory
Patrick Cantlay fought off the challenge of world number one, Jon Rahm, to secure golf’s richest prize at East Lake.
With the way that the Tour Championship is laid out, Cantlay had begun the tournament at 10-under-par, two shots clear of Tony Finau who started in second.
But, as is the case in golf, you still have to win, and with Cantlay starting just two shots clear of Rahm going into the final round, it wasn’t going to be easy.
Somehow, Cantlay held on, with a mixture of class and bottle over the remaining few holes giving him a one shot win over the Spaniard, and his third PGA Tour title in four months.
Rahm congratulates Cantlay on the 18th green. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
In what was a two-way tussle for the whole round, Cantlay extended his lead early on to three but, in what would be a common theme throughout, we saw a two-shot swing instantly, with Rahm’s birdie at the 5th being benefitted by his opponent’s bogey.
That advantage was soon back to two though with a birdie at the 6th returning Cantlay to where he started the day.
A bogey would close out his front nine, with the pair back to a one shot margin going into the back nine. It remained that way until a stunning approach from Cantlay at the 16th seemed to give him breathing space.
Once again, that advantage was cut in half, with the American completely flying the 17th green and his chip barely reaching the putting surface. Doing well to salvage the situation, Cantlay would have a single stroke advantage playing the last.
With a $10 million difference between the first and second prize, it was pivotal to get a good drive away at the par-5 18th, and that was exactly what Cantlay did, booming his tee shot 361-yards!
His opponent wasn’t out of it though, and Cantlay’s heart must have been in his mouth as he saw Rahm’s towering second shot head straight for the flag, narrowly missing the hole for an albatross.
Taking dead aim. @JonRahmPGA went flag hunting. pic.twitter.com/n3rG4gMweW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 5, 2021
Cantlay didn’t seem phased though, producing a moment of magic himself with a 215-yard iron shot finishing just outside 10-feet. With Rahm failing to convert his eagle attempt, the stage was set for the 29-year-old.
Duly rolling his putt up to gimme range, Cantlay tapped in for birdie and a $15 million pay check.
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