ATLANTA – Patrick Cantlay was on the verge of losing his two-shot lead on one hole, with nothing less than the FedEx Cup, its $15 million prize and his newfound reputation as “Patty Ice” on the line.
He was clutch as ever in his biggest moment Sunday in the Tour Championship.
Cantlay made a nervy six-foot bogey putt on the 17th hole to stay one shot ahead of Jon Rahm going to the par-5 18th at East Lake Golf Club, then hit his longest drive of the tournament – 361 yards down the middle – with Rahm already in the fairway. Cantlay’s next shot was a 6-iron from 218 yards to 12 feet – the closest of anyone all day – that all but clinched the one-shot victory, the FedEx Cup and perhaps even PGA Tour player of the year.
“It was the best shot I hit all week,” Cantlay said.
The 29-year-old from California outlasted big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau in a six-hole playoff at the BMW Championship to secure the No. 1 seed for the 30-man finale. One week later, he held off the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking with his one-shot victory over Rahm in the Tour Championship.