TOUR CHAMP JUST CANT GET ENOUGH
Patrick puts agony behind him in FedEx Cup triumph
It makes me grateful to be in the position I’m in – it wasn’t always a sure thing PATRICK CANTLAY ON DARK DAYS AFTER LOSS OF HIS CADDIE
PATRICK CANTLAY has gone through the loss of his caddie in a road accident and a fractured spine to win the £11million FedEx Cup – and enter the Ryder Cup in the form of his life.
The world No.4 admitted his recent experiences had given him “great perspective”.
Cantlay, the former amateur world No.1, said: “For a long time, everything just went great.
“Growing up, I felt I got better and better in golf and life got better and better.
“But then it got as bad as it could have been.
“I felt as low as it could have been for a little while.
“Coming out on the other side of that, I feel like I am a better person having gone through those dark days.
“But it gives me great perspective and it makes me grateful to be in the position I’m in today because it wasn’t always a sure thing.
“I was close to going back to school and putting golf behind me.
“And so I’m just very grateful to be where I am and I’m so satisfied with all the hard work paying off.”
But Cantlay, who started on 10-under par at the Tour Championship, took more shots in Atlanta than world No.1 Jon Rahm.
And the American said: “I’m still not a fan of this format. I don’t think it’s a good format.”
Rahm added: “Patrick played great golf and he was four shots ahead of me.
“Even though I might have been the better man over the week, he earned it.
“He played amazing. That up-and-down after missing from 17, the second shot from 18 to almost make it is even more impressive.”
Rahm, the US Open champion, had 16 pars in the last round and also birdied the fifth hole.
He said: “That stretch of 10, 11, 12, I was in position to put on a little bit of pressure and I just didn’t.
“But at the same time, I shot my lowest score ever for four days on this golf course, which has usually been a challenge for me.”
Cantlay never trailed on Sunday but he also made it interesting. He was up by two strokes after a birdie on the 16th but he gave that back with his third bogey of the round on the next hole.
However, he also notched birdies on both par-five holes. Rahm was contending with a well-disciplined player in Cantlay.
The Spaniard added: “I think you can say he won this. He played amazing golf.”
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy has offered advice to tennis star Naomi Osaka as she continues to struggle with her mental health. The fourtime Major winner said: “There have certainly been times when I haven’t enjoyed the game as much as I would want to.
“But I’ve tried really hard and I spoke about this quite a lot in 2019 about separating who I am as a golfer and who I am as a person and trying to not let that define me.
“And it seems what Naomi is going through at the minute is that same thing, ‘How can I play tennis and enjoy it and not let the results define who I am’.
“I think that’s what she’s going through right now and I think everyone just needs to let her have time to figure that out.”