The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Cantlay holds off Rahm to capture FedEx Cup
Patrick Cantlay delivered the goods again, this time with a 6-iron instead of a putter. “Patty Ice” was just a clutch with a $15 million shot that allowed him to hold off Jon Rahm and win the FedEx Cup.
ATLANTA >> Patrick Cantlay was on the verge of losing his two-shot lead on one hole, with nothing less than the FedEx Cup, the $15 million prize and his newfound reputation as “Patty Ice” on the line.
He was clutch as ever in his biggest moment Sept. 5 in the Tour Championship.
Cantlay made a nervy 6-foot bogey putt on the 17th hole to stay one shot ahead of Jon Rahm going to the par-5 18th hole at East Lake. Then, he hit his longest drive of the week — 361 yards down the middle — with Rahm already in the fairway.
The final 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.
Cantlay outlasted Bryson DeChambeau in a six-hole playoff at the BMW Championship. One week later, he held off the No. 1 player in the world with his oneshot victory over Rahm in the Tour Championship.
The nickname only surfaced last week, and it’s starting to stick.
“To me, it just means cool under pressure, and I think that suits my personality really well,” said Cantlay, who never changed his expression until a big smile when he tapped in for birdie and a 1-under 69, waving his cap to thousands of fans around the green.
It seems to suit his game, too.
Rahm couldn’t get enough putts to fall. The U.S. Open champion stayed close all day, and his shot into the 18th was equally special. It landed right
next to the hole on its second bounce, rolling through to light rough just off the green.
Cantlay expected him to chip in for eagle “because that’s what he does.” Rahm narrowly missed and shot 68, allowing Cantlay a safe two-putt for the win.
The victory was worth $15 million — $14 million in cash, $1 million deferred — for the 29-year-old Californian whose rise in golf was slowed by a back injury that kept him out for three years and nearly ended his career.
Now he has stamped himself among the elite in golf, boosted by the FedEx Cup postseason.
“It’s fantastic,” Cantlay said. “It’s such a great honor because it’s all year. I played really consistent all year and caught fire at the end. There’s a lot of satisfaction considering all the work I’m put in my whole life.”
Rahm, who started the tournament four shots behind and went into the final day two back, never caught Cantlay. He never let him breathe easy, either.