Patrick Cantlay Goes Wire-to-Wire to Win 2021 FedEx Cup

Patrick Cantlay Wins the 2021 Tour Championship and FedEx Cup

 

 

After nearly a year's worth of tournaments, in a season dubbed early on as "the Super Season", the 2020-2021 PGA Tour season has come to an end. The winner of the 2021 FedEx Cup Playoffs and FedEx Cup Champion is Patrick Cantlay, who finished the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club with a score of 21-under and a single shot ahead of Jon Rahm. 

This is Cantlay's sixth career PGA Tour win and without a doubt his most important. He takes home a check for $15 million and fully exempt status on the PGA Tour until 2026.

RAHMBO VS PATTY ICE: CANTLAY DELIVERS YET AGAIN

It was the fight that many of us predicted it would come down to and the one we all wanted to see. 

 

In one corner, Jon "Rahmbo" Rahm, the number 1 ranked golfer in the world who was coming off a great playoffs thus far and major win this year. In the other corner, Patrick "Patty Ice" Cantlay, who was riding a huge wave of momentum after his epic playoff win against Bryson DeChambeau last week at the BMW Championship. 

 

The two were paired together again on Sunday, with Rahm starting his final round two shots behind Cantlay, with a several shot buffer between them and the rest of the field. The stage was set, with $10 million on the line between them and the chance to have their name engraved in history on the FedEx Cup. 

 

As the final round began, it was Cantlay who struck first, making birdie at the par 3 2nd hole after placing his 205-yard tee shot to just six feet, then sinking the putt. Rahm hoped to close the gap between Cantlay and himself quickly however. And he did just that on the 5th hole, making a clutch 11-foot birdie putt while Cantlay bogeyed after finding trouble off the tee.

But not to be deterred by the two shot swing, Cantlay, calm and collected as we saw him all week, responded with a birdie on the par 5 6th hole, while Rahm parred after finding the rough with his tee shot needing to chip out. The lead remained at two shots, until the par 3 9th hole, where Cantlay found trouble after landing his tee shot short right, then facing a tough chip over the bunker. He would two-putt for a bogey, dropping his lead down to a single stroke over Rahm. 

Things would remain this way until the par 4 16th hole, where Cantlay again was able to rely on his clutch approaches and putting to secure another birdie, while Rahm two-putted for par. 

Cantlay had remained focused and "in the zone" as he described it, virtually since last week. But perhaps his biggest test came on the par 4 17th hole. With victory just two holes away, Cantlay, in a brief lapse of judgement, landed his tee shot in the right rough after hitting a tree. Hitting out of the thick Bermuda rough, his second shot went wayward, landing in the spectator area to the right of the green. Things got worse though, as Cantlay's greenside chip landed short and remained in the rough. Another chip later and he was left with a 6-foot putt for bogey, while Rahm was on the green in two, with a 13-foot birdie putt. 

 

This was the deciding moment of the tournament. If Rahm makes the putt and Cantlay misses, Rahm is up by one heading into the final hole. If both miss, they are all square heading into the 18th. But, as we saw countless times last week, when the pressure is on, Cantlay performs. Rahm missed his birdie putt and Cantlay was able to sink his bogey putt; a huge confidence boost for Cantlay. 

With the FedEx Cup just a single hole away, the two teed off at the par 5 18th, both finding the fairway, with Cantlay just ahead of Rahm. In fact, this was the only time that Cantlay out-drove Rahm all week. This worked out to Cantlay's advantage, as he could watch Rahm's second shot an act accordingly. Rahm went for the green in two; a must given the situation and nearly holed out for an albatross as his ball skidded across the green before landing just at the edge of the greenside rough behind the hole. 

 

Not to be outdone, Cantlay too decided to go for the green, landing his ball to 11-feet, the closest anyone was all day. This essentially sealed the deal for Cantlay, as he now forced Rahm to hole his greenside chip. Rahm, the fighter that he is, nearly did so. The two birdied the hole as Cantlay was left with a two-putt to win and did just that. 

 

Again, fans were treated to a real spectacle of golf in Patrick Cantlay. His seemingly effortless ability to play in the moment and not let one shot effect another is truly amazing. As we've seen so many times in the past, final round leaders often make mistakes, big ones in some cases that can lose them the tournament. But this did not happen to Cantlay at all. Two of the three times he made a bogey on Sunday, he followed it up with a birdie. He has shown the world his incredible resilience and fight, even when facing trouble. That's something that you can't teach and can only learn through experience. 

 

And if you know Cantlay's story, you know exactly what he's been through, both on and off the course.

Credit must be given to Jon Rahm as well. He fought all week to create an advantage over Cantlay, but was unable to, despite great effort. For the week, he and Kevin Na shared the low score at 14-under. Rahm caps off a great season for himself as well, that also had its ups and downs. He will no doubt win a FedEx Cup at some point in his career.

And wouldn't it be something if Rahm and Cantlay were paired up against each other in Ryder Cup singles in a few weeks? One can only hope.

GOOD FINISHES ALL AROUND FOR TOP 30

Rounding out the top 5 behind Cantlay and Rahm are Kevin Na (3), Justin Thomas (4), Xander Schauffele (T5) and Viktor Hovland (T5). Their efforts do not go unrewarded however, as they each take home prize money in excess of $1 million.

 

Kevin Na put together an incredible set of four rounds and managed to not card a single bogey all week. Quite an impressive feat and one that has never been done at the Tour Championship before.

Its easy to forget that the Tour Championship is not like any other tournament on tour. Many golfers consider the fact that they are playing the Tour Championship an accomplishment in itself, given the work required to get to that stage of the playoffs and the quality of players that do and do not get into it.

 

 

A SEASON TO REMEMBER

The "Super Season" definitely lived up to its name. 

 

In total, the 2020-2021 PGA Tour season consisted of 50 events with 43 different winners, 6 majors, a total of different 641 players competing, over 1.3 million strokes, and a total of 58,000 miles traveled. 

The length of the season also allowed for some incredible records to be broken. Just this week, Sungjae Im holed his 497th and final birdie of the season. With this number, he sets a new record for most birdies in a single season. Im played a large portion of the tour events this year, allowing him to rack up the birdies each week. It will be quite some time before that record is broken.

HOW DID OUR PICKS FINISH?

This week was probably our most successful set of picks ever.

 

1) Jon Rahm: 2nd at 20-under

2) Patrick Cantlay: WINNER at 21-under

3) Abraham Ancer: T9 at 10-under

Although not favored outright to win, Cantlay did have the numerical advantage heading into the week. Congratulations again to him for an impressive finish and playoffs. Rahm should be congratulated as well, for an incredible performance this week and playing so well when it mattered most. Ancer will be happy with his result and consider it a great way to end off his season.

***

And that caps off an incredible PGA Tour season, what a season it's been. Our coverage now heads across the pond to the European Tour next week for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club. 

 

 

Stay tuned for our preview of the tournament and our picks.

 

 

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews 

Cantlay Defeats DeChambeau in Epic 6-Hole Playoff to Win 2021 BMW Championship

 

Patrick Cantlay Defeats Bryson DeChambeau in Epic 6-Hole Playoff to Win 2021 BMW Championship 

(image: Darron Cummings/AP)

 

It was a final round for the history books this year at Caves Valley Golf Club, but at the end of it, Patrick Cantlay emerged victorious. The Long Beach native defeated Bryson DeChambeau in an epic six hole playoff to capture his fifth career PGA Tour win and third this season. The two finished their final rounds at 27-under par and three shots clear of Sungjae Im, a new tournament record.

 

With this win, Cantlay rises to 1st place in the FedEx Cup Rankings, with a clear (and numerical) advantage heading into the Tour Championship. He also clinches the final spot on the US Ryder Cup team and receives a cheque for $1.7 million.

 

 

TENSIONS RISE AT THE 14TH HOLE

Cantlay and DeChambeau were neck and neck throughout their finals rounds. The two had already separated themselves from the rest of the field and you could not help but feel that one of them was going to win.

On the par 4 14th hole, however, things started to heat up. As DeChambeau stood in the fairway, ready to take his second shot, he paused suddenly, turning to Cantlay and asking him to stop walking. Cantlay, who apparently had been walking, just caught the view of DeChambeau as he was in his shot routine. 

 

This was something quite unusual, as noted by commentators Paul Azinger and Dan Hicks, who questioned whether calling out Cantlay was worse, in terms of concentration-breaking, than the act of walking itself. Sure enough, DeChambeau landed his second shot far from the hole, leaving him a tricky birdie putt. Cantlay seized the opportunity, landing his second shot on the green, then sinking a 21-footer for birdie and a co-lead. 

This sparked what would turn out to be one of the best ends of a tournament I've ever witnessed. It appeared things had gotten personal for Cantlay, you couldn't tell it though, through his calm, focused demeanor.

 

On the par 5 16th hole, Cantlay found trouble off the tee, landing into deep rough, then laying up again into the rough. He managed to sink an 8-foot putt to save par. DeChambeau, after a monster drive and approach, two-putted for a birdie and one-shot lead at this point. 

On the par 3 17th hole, again Cantlay struggled. His first shot found the water short of the green, but he was able to hit a remarkable drop shot to just 8-feet, then sank the bogey putt, his first clutch putt of many more to come. DeChambeau had the upper hand though, keeping his tee shot dry, but in the rough just short of the hill. Forced to chip, something he had avoided all day, DeChambeau landed his shot on the fringe, but still short of the hole. A two-putt later and he too made bogey. 

DeChambeau, with his distance off the tee, had a clear advantage with his approach on the par 4 18th hole. Left with only 150 yards, DeChambeau stiffed his wedge shot to just 12 feet. At this point, things were looking good for him, but what he did not account for was just how clutch Cantlay could be when it mattered most. After finding the round with his tee shot, Cantlay found himself on the 18th green with a 21-foot putt for birdie, one he needed to make to have any chance. In as calm as he was all day, Cantlay assessed the line and sank the putt, putting the pressure on DeChambeau for the first time. But, in a lapse of judgement, DeChambeau missed the putt to win, to everyone's shock. It was a similar putt to the one he missed during his second round to shoot 59. 

Yet again, another playoff was required to decide a tournament. Little did we know though that a battle was about to begin: on one side, the long-driving, overpowering DeChambeau, on the other side, a laser-focused, clutch-putting Cantlay. On the line, not only a win, but 1st place in the FedEx Cup rankings and an advantage at winning $15 million.

 

 

A PLAYOFF LIKE NO OTHER

The stage had been set, two different players with two polar opposite approaches on the game, set to battle it out. Back to the 18th tee box the two of them went. Both Cantlay and DeChambeau found the fairway, with DeChambeau ahead by a considerable amount; something we saw all day. But Cantley's approach found the deep rough, while DeChambeau was 17-foot from the green. Again advantage DeChambeau, but Cantlay was not out just yet. He chipped on and nearly holed out, his ball coming to rest five feet from the hole. He sunk the par putt and the pressure was back on DeChambeau. But yet again, DeChambeau missed the putt to win and parred. 

Once again the two returned to the 18th tee box. Once again, they were in the fairway and DeChambeau ahead. Determined not to let off, DeChambeau again stiffed his approach shot, this time to six feet. Surely this was game over for Cantlay, who landed short but on the green, with a large mound separating him and the hole. Cantlay hit his birdie putt but could not land it within DeChambeau. Not deterred by this though, Cantlay again sank a massive 7 foot putt for par. Yet again, the pressure was back on DeChambeau, who... yet again missed his birdie putt for the win. 

 

At this point, it was hard to believe what was going on. 

To the par 3 17th hole, for what was the third playoff hole at this point, the two went. In a rare moment of consistency between the two players, both Cantlay and DeChambeau landed about 20 feet from the hole and two putted for par.

 

The playoff continued and returned to the 18th hole, where this time DeChambeau found trouble off the tee, landing his tee shot into a creek that ran along side the hole. But a good wedge from DeChambeau left him five foot for a par, which he sank. Cantlay found the fairway and two putted for par as well.

The playoff had now entered its fifth hole, played again on the 17th. Again DeChambeau hit a beautiful tee shot to about 6 feet, but not to be outdone, Cantlay followed with a tee shot to two feet, both excellent shots considering what was on the line. Both made their birdie putts and the playoff continued again.

At this point, many were questioning what would give out first: Cantlay's amazing clutch-putting or DeChambeau's accuracy off the tee. For the fourth but final time, the two returned to the 18th tee and found the fairway. This time though, DeChambeau hit his approach shot to about eight feet, but faced a difficult downhill putt. Cantlay landed his approach shot to about 17 feet, but despite the further distance, had the easier putt. In what was perhaps his most impressive putt all day, Cantlay sank his birdie putt with authority, putting DeChambeau in that all too familiar pressure putt situation. Unfortunately for DeChambeau, he missed his putt to extend the playoff, handing Cantlay a well deserved victory. 

 

This playoff was the epitome of the golf phrase we've all heard: "drive for show, putt for dough" and boy was that true for Cantlay today. 

 

It's hard to explain just how clutch Cantlay's putting was. I think I speak for most people when I say that this was the absolute best playoff I have ever seen in all my years watching and covering the PGA Tour. It was unprecedented. Cantlay was downed many times, but not out. I have never seen so many clutch putts and in such pressure situations. If he missed any one of his putts, DeChambeau would have won.

 

For those who could not watch the playoff live, I highly recommend checking out video of the playoff holes. The PGA Tour's TOURCast web-app is a great way to see this too and offers clips and shot paths of each hole.

THE TOP 30: WHO'S IN, WHO'S OUT

With the conclusion of the BMW Championship, the Top 30 in the FedEx Cup rankings and thus the field for the Tour Championship, has been set.

Erik van Rooyen gets into Top 30, finishing in 27th place from a 45th place start. He shot a 65 during his Sunday round that included a clutch birdie at the 18th, which likely got him in, and finished solo third.

Sergio Garcia also gets in, moving up 16 places from 44th to 28th, after a T6 finish. Garcia's final round featured a few bogeys, but these were negated by some excellent bunker shots. 

K.H. Lee went on a birdie streak during his final round, making birdies on the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th holes. Unfortunately, he found water on the 18th hole and bogeyed, resulting in him finishing one place short of the Top 30, at 31st.

Notable players out of the Top 30 include Webb Simpson, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and Phil Mickelson.

For a full list of who in the field next week, check out the PGA Tour website HERE.

HOW DID OUR PICKS FINISH?

1) Jon Rahm: T9 at 18-under, 4th

2) Justin Thomas: T22 at 14-under, 6th

3) Louis Oosthuizen: T38 at 10-under, 14th

 

Not bad overall, all three will be playing next week and have a chance to win the FedEx Cup. 

 

***

 

This concludes our coverage of what was hands down the most exciting tournament of the year. Our coverage continues next week with the final FedEx Cup playoff event and final tournament of the year: the prestigious Tour Championship. 

 

Stay tuned for our preview of the tournament later this week!

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

Oosthuizen Surges Into the Weekend at Royal St. Georges

 

Momentum. Momentum. Momentum.

That's what Louis Oosthuizen has been riding for what seems like the entire year. The South African and 2010 Open Champion currently leads the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. Georges Golf Club with an impressive score of 11-under par (64,65) and a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa. In fact, Oosthuizen's score is more than impressive, it's record-breaking. His total of 129 is the lowest 36-hole score ever recorded at an Open Championship.

 

Going into the tournament, Oosthuizen was a favourite amongst many, including us here at TGR. His string of major performances this year, including top-2 finishes at both the US Open and PGA Championship, led many to think that his time has finally come for another major win.

And he is certainly on his way to doing so. After a bogey-free opening round of 64, Oosthuizen followed up with a 5-under 65 today, in a round that included a bogey at the par 3 16th hole and an eagle at the par 5, 14th hole. His putting was solid and driving was very accurate, particularly during his second round; attributes that will reward you especially on a links course.

Royal St. Georges played uncharacteristically benign during the first two rounds. Today's round in particular featured lower winds speeds and slightly slower greens. Oosthuizen was not the only player taking advantage of these conditions. The low score of the day was a 6-under par, shot by Collin Morikawa, Emiliano Grillo and Jon Rahm. The cut has also been set at 1-over par. Conditions are forecasted to worsen on the weekend however, with wind speeds predicted to be in the 15-30 mph range. This will make for some interesting rounds of golf. 

Finally, we mentioned that Oosthuizen was our top pick this week, but let's see how the rest of our picks are doing so far:

 

1) Louis Oosthuizen: Leader at 11-under
2) Paul Casey: T7 at 5-under
3) Ian Poulter: T31 at 2-under

Not bad at all. Casey is also continuing his streak of great golf and was able to make moves when he needed to, including a nice string of birdies on the 7th, 8th and 9th holes during his second round today. Given the weather forecast and uncertainty over the weekend, he is definitely still in contention. Poulter opened with a 72 on Thursday but followed it up with an aggressive 4-under 66 today. He also had a birdie steak on holes 7-9 and has shown he can score low at Royal St. Georges. He will be looking to make a big move on Saturday to put himself in a good spot for the final round. 

Two rounds down at the 2021 Open Championship, but things are only getting started. The weekend rounds are always filled with tension and excitement. 

Stay tuned for our next post on Sunday/Monday to see who has won,

-Nick

Toronto Golf Reviews

Louis Oosthuizen leads the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. Georges (Image: Boston Globe)

Thorbjorn Olesen Wins the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

A breezy cloudy fall afternoon on the Old Course at St Andrews, there's no better place to finish a round, let alone win a tournament. That's just what Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen did earlier today, winning the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with a score of 18-under and a two shot lead over Brooks Koepka and Chris Stroud. This is Thorbjorn's third European Tour victory, his first since the 2014 ISPS Handa Perth International. It also makes him the youngest Dane to win three times on the European Tour.

At the start of his round, things weren't looking promising for Olesen. He double bogeyed the second then bogeyed the third at the Old Course. He fought back though with back-to-back birdies on the next two holes. At this point, the top of the leaderboard was full of players, every update had a new person tied for first or second. Olesen wouldn't make any more birdies until the 15th hole but that was more than enough to secure his victory. Ironically enough, Olesen does have some history with the name Alfred Dunhill. In 2010, he finished second at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

St. Andrews was in pristine conditions as always and at times had to rely on the elements to make it tough. Good score were found here on the weekend though, mostly on Saturday. The scoring average today was probably right around 70, which may seem high. The low score of the day was a 6-under 65 shot by Chris Wood.

Newly turned pros Paul Dunne and Jimmy Mullen didn't score the best weekend, but still finished very well considering it's their professional debut. Dunne finished at 12-under T19 and Mullen at 10-under (T30). It may be too early to say, but I think we'll be seeing a lot more of these two in upcoming European Tour events.

Finally, here's how our picks did:

1) Tommy Fleetwood: T13 at 13-under
2) Graeme McDowell: T19 at 12-under
3) Danny Willett: T52 at 5-under


Tommy Fleetwood slipped under the radar this weekend and scored himself a nice T13 finish. Earlier today, GMac was T2 at one point after shooting a 31 on the front nine. Unfortunately he bogeyed the last three of four holes. It's still one of GMac better finishes though this year. Better luck next week to Danny Willett too.

And there you have it, sadly another edition of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has come and gone. Join us for more European Tour coverage next week at the British Masters from Woburn Golf Club.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Thorbjorn Olesen Wins the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Jason Day Wins the 2015 BMW Championship, Becomes World Number One

It may have been pretty clear from the start, but Jason Day dominated the entire field this week for an easy victory at the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club. He finished off with a score of 22-under thanks to a pair of 69's over the weekend, a six shot lead over rookie Daniel Berger.  With it, he maintains his top spot on the FedEx Cup Rankings and also ousts Rory McIlroy to become the World Number One golfer on the World Golf Rankings, the youngest Australian to do so in history.

This is Day's second playoff win this year, and fifth PGA win of the year (including a major)! His streak kicked off near the end of July with his win at the Canadian Open. As of now, he's won four of his last six tournaments he's played in, a feat which has only been done by the likes of Tiger Woods, Nick Price, Vijay Singh, and a few more.

I've been saying this for years, but for most of Jason's career he's had great finishes but barely any wins. You could always count on him to have a great finish, especially in majors where we calculated that he had a 50% chance of finishing in the top 10 of any major he played. His win at the Farmers Insurance Open in February was his first in four year, and only his second of his PGA career. Many have called him the best player to not win a major or the best player who hasn't won a lot of tournaments, but he silenced them all these last couple of months. And considering his past and how golf has helped him get through it, there's no one more deserving of this success.

Like we said in our previous post, it's going to be hard to decide who the player of the year is. Is it Jordan Spieth, who won two majors, and nearly could have had them all? Or is it Jason Day, who's last couple of months has been career defining, full of broken records? Both are equally deserving, but who will it be?

Lastly, our picks finished pretty well too:

1) Louis Oosthuizen: T19 at 10-under
2) Rory McIlroy: T4 at 14-under
3) Justin Rose: T13 at 11-under

Funny enough, it was Rory who just a year ago was having a winning streak like Jason Day.

Next week is the final tournament of the playoffs and the season, the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. Up for grabs is the FedEx Cup and over $10 million. Only the top 30 as of this week are invited, making it one of the most action-packed tournaments of the year. Be sure to check out our picks for it.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Jason Day: World Number One

Jason Day Holds Steady Going Into Weekend at BMW Championship

Two rounds have been played at the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club, although with the current scoreline, you'd think four have been played...

That's right, the current leading score is an 18-under, which is held by none other than Jason Day. The Australian shot an impressive 61/63 on his opening rounds and was actually on 59 watch most of the time. With that, he tied the PGA Tour record for lowest 36-hole score. In fact, due to the weather delay, Day had to finish his opening round yesterday morning. On his final hole, he had a 44-yard pitch shot, which he needed to hole to shoot that 59. It would have been the first 59 shot since Jim Furyk's 59 two years ago at this event.

Day's second round yesterday included seven birdies, an eagle, and a bogey; good enough to earn him a five shot lead over Daniel Berger and Brenden Todd. At this rate, Day's on track to win his second playoff event of the year. If he does (or finishes a solo second), he'll surpass Rory McIlroy as World Number One on the WGC rankings and may even beat out Jordan Spieth for PGA Tour Player of the Year (keep in mind that Spieth won two majors this year).

Weather conditions at Conway Farms were not the best and did result in the suspension of the opening round as we said. They didn't seem to affect the players too much though, as low scores were shot all around. Traditionally, players seem to always score low at Conway Farms (see Furyk's 59 in 2013) and the score average this year seems to be around the high 60's .

In other news, a unique streak is on the line for Hunter Mahan this week. He is the only player to play in every Tour Championship event (since it's inception in 2007). Mahan sits at T29 as of now and is projected to finish at 52nd on the FedEx Cup Rankings. He likely won't make it into the Tour Championship this year (keep in mind that only the Top 30 make it), unless he can do something big.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Louis Oosthuizen: T34 at 5-under
2) Rory McIlroy: T9 at 9-under
3) Justin Rose: T12 at 8-under


Pretty good results so far!

The third round is set to start later today. Be sure to check it out!


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Jason Day is playing some of the best golf of his career at the moment