Patrick Cantlay

Patrick Cantlay (born March 17, 1992 in Long Beach, USA) is an American professional golfer. He had a successful amateur career and was number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 55 weeks. As a professional, he has won eight times on the PGA Tour as well as the 2021 FedEx Cup. He is a member of the 2022 class of the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.

Cantlay was born in Long Beach, California, the son of Steve and Colleen (Naylan) Cantlay. He has one sister, Caroline, and two brothers, Nick and Jack Cantlay. He attended Servite High School, where he won the California State High School Championship in golf as a senior.

National Player of the Year

In his first year at UCLA, Cantlay won four tournaments and also won the Haskins Award in 2011 as the most outstanding collegiate golfer. He was also named the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year.

Cantlay also won the Phil Mickelson Award as the GCAA National Freshman of the Year and was Pac-10 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. At the end of the 2011 season, he also won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the top-ranked amateur in the world. This award earned him an invitation to the 2012 Open Championship.

Qualified for US Open 2011

Cantlay qualified for the 2011 US Open via sectional qualifying, and was one of three amateurs to make it, along with Russell Henley and Brad Benjamin. His back nine 30 was the best of the tournament and he finished in a tie for 21st place.

The following week, on June 24, Cantlay shot the lowest round in PGA Tour history by an amateur when he shot a course-record 60 at the Travellers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn.

20th place at AT&T National

The following week, he finished as the low amateur at the AT&T National, finishing in a tie for 20th place. The following week, Cantlay won the Southern California Amateur at San Gabriel Country Club.

On August 6, Cantlay lost to Ethan Tracy in the Western Amateur finals at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Illinois. On August 28, he lost to Kelly Kraft in the U.S. Amateur final at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin.

Best Amateur

Reaching the final earned him a spot in the 2012 Masters Tournament, where he finished tied for 47th, becoming the best amateur.

On March 23, 2011, he became the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He holds the record with 54 consecutive weeks at No. 1, for a total of 55 weeks in first place, also tying a record that Jon Rahm snatched from him in 2016. Cantlay represented the United States at the 2011 Walker Cup, where he posted a 2-1-1 record.

Forgoing final college years

In June 2012, Cantlay decided to forgo his final two years of college to turn pro. That decision meant losing his spot at the 2012 Open Championship.

He made his professional debut at the 2012 Travelers Championship, where he missed the cut. Before the Travelers, Cantlay announced he would sign with Mark Steinberg and Excel Sports Management Group, the same management as Tiger Woods.

No. 1 in the world amateur rankings

Cantlay was the number one amateur in the world before turning professional, holding the top spot for a record 55 weeks. At the time, he also ranked 415th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

He earned his first professional paycheck at AT&T National, finishing in a tie for 66th place. The following week, he finished 38th at the Greenbrier Classic.

First professional win in 2013

Cantlay earned his first professional victory at the 2013 Colombia Championship, a Web.com Tour event. He played in the Web.com Tour Finals and finished 11th to earn his PGA Tour card for 2014. In the 2013/14 season, he played only five events due to a back injury and received a medical extension for eleven events.

The following season, at the end of 2014, he played in only one tournament, but not at all in 2015 or 2016.

In February 2016, his caddie Chris Roth was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Newport Beach, California, while Roth and Cantlay were out on the town. Roth had been a high school teammate of Cantlay's and had caddied for him during his amateur and professional careers.

Qualifying for PGA Tour

In his second start of the 2017 season, Cantlay regained his PGA Tour card with a second-place finish at the Valspar Championship. He finished third at the Heritage, 10th at the Northern Trust, 13th at the Dell Technologies Championship and 9th at the BMW Championship, qualifying for the Tour Championship.

In his second start of the 2018 season, on Nov. 5, 2017, Cantlay won his first PGA Tour title at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on the second extra hole of a three-man playoff. It was the second straight year his second start of the season secured his Tour card for the following season.

Title defense narrowly missed

On Nov. 4, 2018, Cantlay narrowly missed defending his title at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He finished second by one stroke behind champion Bryson DeChambeau.

In 2019, he finished third at the PGA Championship behind winner Brooks Koepka. Two weeks later, he won the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, a result that propelled him into the top-10 in the world for the first time.

Second PGA title

Cantlay shot a final round of 64 to finish four strokes behind 54-hole leader Martin Kaymer and win his second PGA Tour title.

In October 2019, Cantlay again narrowly missed winning the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He lost a playoff to Kevin Na on the second playoff hole. In December, Cantlay played on the U.S. team in the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The U.S. team won 16-14, with Cantlay going 3-2-0 and winning his singles match Sunday against Joaquin Niemann.

Tournament affected by pandemic

In October 2020, Cantlay won the Zozo Championship at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. The event is normally held in Japan, but was moved to California in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At The American Express in January 2021, Cantlay made half the number; and then fired twenty birdies over the weekend, including 61 in an 11-under-par final round, to post a 22-under total and lead the clubhouse. He was eventually edged out by a single stroke by Kim Si-Woo.

Season bonus earned

In June, Cantlay won the Memorial Tournament for the second time. He beat Collin Morikawa in a deciding game. On Aug. 29, 2021, Cantlay won the BMW Championship on the sixth hole of a sudden-death playoff against Bryson DeChambeau.

The following week, Cantlay won the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 5, 2021. That victory earned him the FedEx Cup and a $15,000,000 season bonus. He was named PGA Tour Player of the Year.

Another win at BMW Championship.

In September 2021, Cantlay played on the U.S. team at the 2021 Ryder Cup; he won three and tied one of the four matches he played. In August 2022, Cantlay successfully defended his title in the BMW Championship.

Cantlay qualified for the U.S. team at the 2022 Presidents Cup; he won three and lost one of the four matches he played.

[Source: Wikipedia]

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