With a final-round 69, Patrick Cantlay held off Jon Rahm to claim victory at the TOUR Championship and win the 2021 FedExCup title with a 21-under par total.
Cantlay finished his final day at famed East Lake Golf Club with three bogeys against four birdies, including a final-hole birdie to clinch the $15 million title.
The 29-year-old Californian once again came through at the end, but this week it was with his longer clubs: Following a messy bogey on the 17th hole, Cantlay arrived at the 18th hole leading by just one shot and a bit shaken. But an absolutely perfect tee shot was chased by a laser beam of a 6-iron to 12 feet, leading to an easy two-putt birdie and victory. The two shots not only secured the season-ending title for Cantlay, it stamped his name among the game’s elite.
The win was Cantlay’s fourth of the season which should also lock up the PGA Tour’s 2021 MVP award (although there may be a legitimate argument for Rahm to share honors).
Rahm and Kevin Na tied for the low gross honors at 14-under 266 which comes with first-place world ranking points.
This week’s Winner’s Circle is powered by the Amazon Titleist Store.
Patrick Cantlay Pro-File
Full Name: Patrick Cantlay
Nationality: American
Height: 5′ 11″
Weight: 170 lb
Birthdate: March 17, 1992 (age 29)
Native: Long Beach, CA
Resides: No. Palm Beach, FL
College: UCLA
Turned Pro: 2012
PGA Tour Rookie Season: *2014, 2017
Best Ranking: No. 4 (8/29/21)
Primary Sponsor: Titleist
* Injured back in 2014 rookie season; out for three seasons. Returned in 2017.
TOUR Championship: Top 10
Pos-Player (Final Rd)
1. Patrick Cantlay -21 (-1)
2. Jon Rahm -20 (-2)
3. Kevin Na -16 (-3)
4. Justin Thomas -15 (E)
5. Xander Schauffele -14 (-6)
5. Viktor Hovland -14 (-5)
7. Bryson DeChambeau -13 (-4)
8. Dustin Johnson -11 (-3)
9. Billy Horschel -10 (E)
9. Abraham Ancer -10 (E)
Top-5 Gross Scores
Pos-Player (Final Rd)
1. Jon Rahm -14 (-2)
1. Kevin Na -14 (-3)
3. Xander Schauffele -12 (-6)
4. Patrick Cantlay -11 (-1)
4. Justin Thomas -11 (E)
Top-5 Check Cashers
Pos-Player (Money)
1. Patrick Cantlay ($15,000,000)
2. Jon Rahm ($5,000,000)
3. Kevin Na ($4,000,000)
4. Justin Thomas ($3,000,000)
5. Xander Schauffele ($2,200,000)
5. Viktor Hovland ($2,200,000)
Patrick Cantlay’s Winning Numbers
Topline Stats:
Driving: 306.3 yards (15th)
Fairways: 60.71% (34/56) (T10)
Greens: 76.39% (55/72) (T1)
Putts/GIR: 1.709 (13th)
Strokes Gained:
Off the Tee: 3.324 (3rd)
Approach the Green: 3.022 (5th)
Around the Green: 0.102 (14th)
Putting: -0.226 (14th)
Tee to Green: 6.452 (2nd)
Total: 6.225 (T4)
Cantlay’s 2021 PGA Tour Season
Starts: 24
Cuts Made: 19
Wins: 4 (ZOZO, Memorial, BMW, TOUR)
Additional Top 10: 3
Earnings: $7,638,805 (2nd)*
FedExCup Pts: 4,302 (1st)
World Rank Before/After: 4/4
*Tour Championship money does not count as official.
Cantlay’s Career Victories
PGA Tour: 6
2021 TOUR Championship
2021 BMW Championship
2021 The Memorial Tournament
2020 ZOZO Championship
2019 The Memorial Tournament
2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
WITB: Patrick Cantlay
Patrick Cantlay plays a full Titleist bag (driver, irons, wedges, putter) and Pro V1x golf ball.
Driver: Titleist TS3 (10.5˚)
Fairway: Titleist 915F (15˚)
Hybrid: Titleist 816H2 (21˚)
Irons: Titleist AP2 (4-9)
Wedges: Vokey SM7 (46˚, 54˚, 56˚)
Wedges: Vokey SM8 (61˚)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Hat: Titleist
Shoes: FootJoy DryJoys
Glove: Titleist Players
Source: National Club Golfer
3 Questions: Patrick Cantlay
1. The Pressure?
Q. How do you compare the pressure of trying to win a FedExCup versus anything in your career?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Felt like a huge win and it was. I played great today. It hasn’t even sunk in yet. I just kept telling myself to focus and lock in and I did a great job of that today.
2. Wire-to-Wire.. to-Wire?
Q. You didn’t just have the lead the last three days. You’ve had it since Sunday at Caves Valley at the BMW Championship. What was it like playing with a target on your back all week?
PATRICK CANTLAY: It was tough. It was definitely different than any other week. It was the longest lead I’ve ever held. But I just tried to stay, day after day in the present, and I did an amazing job of that this week because the last couple days I made some mistakes I don’t usually make. But I was able to really center myself and hit a lot of good shots when I needed to.
3. Sunday Redux?
Q. Today was similar to last Sunday. Last week it was Bryson, and today it was Jon Rahm. How much did last week prepare you and help you for the situation here at East Lake?
PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, I thought it felt very similar to where we had distanced ourselves from the field and it was like a one-on-one match play feel, and I think it will be great practice for The Ryder Cup.
Credits: Getty Images, PGA Tour Media, Fastscripts
