Patrick Cantlay off to good start at Northern Trust with Tiger Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava, on the bag

To look at Patrick Cantlay, you wouldn’t know if he shot 80 or 70.

Would have no idea if the tricky winds that whipped all about Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Thursday in the first round of the Northern Trust gave him fits.

No clue how he got along with his replacement caddie who goes by the name of Joe LaCava. Or whether the pressure of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and trying to make the Ryder Cup team was getting to him.

Cantlay isn’t a robot, by any means. He just doesn’t show a lot of emotion whether he’s having a good, bad, or indifferent day. Guy has the perfect face and demeanor for the poker table.

Truth be told, however, Cantlay had a very good day on the course with striking views of Lady Liberty and the Manhattan Skyline. Cantlay birdied one-third of his holes and shot a 3-under-par 68 to earn a spot on the first page of the leaderboard in the first of three postseason events.

His methodical work also bolstered his chances to win the FedEx Cup and its $15 million grand prize and did nothing to hurt his efforts to wear the red, white and blue in next month’s Ryder Cup.

“I thought I played really hard today. I don’t think it’s normal for it to be that windy that early, but it was soft. So if you hit good shots, you would be rewarded,” the four-time PGA Tour winner said. “Not perfect, but a really nice start.”

Harold Varner III said the same after he took the clubhouse lead with a 66. Also at 68 was Viktor Hovland.

Reigning British Open champion Collin Morikawa, who earned the pole position for the FedEx Cup Playoffs by winning the points race during the regular season, never found his rhythm nor his best form and shot 74.

Jordan Spieth, who was second in the standings heading into the playoffs, shot 72.

Walking alongside Cantlay this week is LaCava, who is in the employ of Tiger Woods and was the longtime caddie for Fred Couples. Earlier this year, LaCava caddied twice for Couples.

The Cantlay-LaCava partnership is a one-week gig. Cantlay’s full-time looper, Matt Minister, is out after testing positive for COVID-19 but Cantlay expects him to return to his day job next week at the BMW Championship. At the World Golf Championships-St. Jude Invitational two weeks ago, Cantlay had Joe Skovron, Rickie’s Fowler’s caddie, on the bag.

Cantlay became friends with LaCava at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia. He also bonded with Woods that week and expanded their relationship back in the U.S.; the two live in Jupiter, Florida, and both are members at The Medalist in nearby Hobe Sound. Cantlay got in touch with Woods and got the OK to put LaCava on the bag.

“I knew he was kind of sitting at home, so I just asked him if he was available,” Cantlay said of LaCava, who lives in Connecticut.

Something else happened Down Under – Cantlay fell in love with team golf in his debut in the Presidents Cup, where he formed a successful team with gold medalist Xander Schauffele and the U.S. was victorious with Woods as the playing captain.

Cantlay now wants to make his Ryder Cup debut. He said he’s been thinking about the Ryder Cup for a while. Cantlay is ranked No. 9 in the official world golf ranking and stands 11^th in the Ryder Cup standings; following the BMW Championship, the top 6 automatically make the team and then captain Steve Stricker makes six discretionary selections after The Tour Championship.

“I just have to take care of business and play well,” he said. “I’d love to play in the Ryder Cup. It brings out the best in me and I get fired up for it.”

He’s of the same mind concerning the FedEx Cup. The winner of the Zozo Championship last fall and the Memorial in June stood in third place when the playoffs began, but points are quadrupled the next two weeks; regular-season victories garner 500 points, a win this week 2,000.

“I think I’m in a good spot,” Cantlay said.

Straight-forward answer as usual.