LOS ANGELES — Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele first competed by playing cards on the long flight to Australia for the Presidents Cup.
They became partners in team events, roommates on the road, close friends who take vacations together with their wives, and they’ve played more practice rounds of golf together than they can count.
Sunday at Riviera Country Club will have some familiarity to it, with one exception: They have never competed against each other with $4 million on the line.
Cantlay was solid as ever Saturday in the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational until a soft bogey toward the end of the round that effectively cut his lead in half. He was leading by four shots most of the back nine until his mistake on the par-5 17th and strong finishes by Schauffele and Will Zalatoris.
Cantlay settled for a 1-under-par 70, giving him a two-shot lead at 14-under 199 through 54 holes over Schauffele and Zalatoris, who each birdied the 16th and 17th holes on the way to a 65 in both cases.