ATLANTA – Patrick Cantlay has been playing catch-me-if-you-can all week at East Lake Golf Club in The Tour Championship.
He’ll keep playing the same game on Sunday.
Armed with a 2-shot lead heading into the first round due to the staggered scoring format in play for the FedEx Cup Playoffs finale, Cantlay kept his distance through the first two rounds.
In Saturday’s third round, Cantlay was finally caught when world No. 1 Jon Rahm birdied the third hole. But then Cantlay scooted away with four birdies in five holes around the turn, got his advantage up to four, saw it drop to one but then holed a 23-footer for birdie on the last and will take a 2-shot lead into the final round after signing for a 3-under 67.
“I play the game because I want to win golf tournaments and I love doing that, and I’m in a great spot to do that tomorrow,” said Cantlay, the only three-time winner this season.
Rahm, who started the tournament four shots back, shot 68 and is alone in second.
Justin Thomas, who made up a 7-shot deficit after 36 holes to win the Players Championship this year and stared at a 6-shot deficit on Thursday, made up some ground with a 65, tied for the lowest 18 this week. He moved to 15 under.
Kevin Na’s been walking in putts – and one chip – and shot 66 to move to 13 under. After that, Abraham Ancer (65) and Billy Horschel (67) are 10 under.
“The thing that I have going for me is Jon has been playing just ridiculously good golf for a really long time, and he’s shown he’s going to keep playing well, and Patrick has been playing really well. But I don’t feel like those guys have had a bad round yet,” Thomas said. “They continue to play well. Obviously, I can’t bank on them having a bad day. I just have to keep plugging along and doing my job.”
That’s what Rahm is going to do.
“It’s pretty cool that a whole year race technically is ending tomorrow, and not that we separate ourselves a lot, because J.T. had a good round today, but if we keep playing the way we have, unless somebody posts a really low score out there, hopefully it will be a good show down on the back nine with me and Patrick,” Rahm said. “Hopefully, like I said, I come in with my A Game and guns blazing.”
By the way, there’s quite a difference between first and second – $10 million.
Not that that will faze Cantlay. Or Rahm, for that matter.
“The internal drive to win golf tournaments is really what drives me, and so the external factors are not as much of a factor for me,” he said. “I’m going to feel similar to how I feel most any Sunday when I’m coming down the stretch for a golf tournament because my drive to win is strong inside me. And so the other stuff is just a consequence of that, and I don’t play the game to make money.”
“Patty Ice” Cantlay has stayed cool, collected and unhurried through three rounds. And he has taken down big game before this season. He held off Rahm and Justin Thomas to win the Zozo Championship in the fall by one shot, defeated Collin Morikawa on the first playoff hole to win the Memorial, and outlasted Bryson DeChambeau in a six-hole playoff to win last week’s BMW Championship.
“I enjoy pressure golf because it’s everything I’ve practiced to do. And so getting in that moment is exactly why I’ve practiced for all those hours growing up and all those hours my whole life, and so getting to do it when it’s important, I mean, that’s exactly why I play golf. So I love it,” Cantlay said.
The final round could also decide Player of the Year honors for the Super Season.
Cantlay and Rahm are considered the front-runners and if either wins would likely be considered the favorite to win the Jack Nicklaus Trophy.
Cantlay has three wins this season – the Zozo Championship, the Memorial and last week’s BMW Championship and has six top-10s.
Rahm has just one win, but it’s a big one – the U.S. Open. He also was leading the Memorial through 54 holes by six shots but was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. And his consistent quality of play is stout – 14 top-10 finishes, a tie for third in the British Open, a tie for fifth in the Masters, and a tie for eighth in the PGA Championship. He hasn’t missed a cut in 21 starts.
Rory McIlroy, who has won the Jack Nicklaus Trophy twice, sounded like he knows who he would vote for.
“I mean, he was going to go and win [the Memorial], right?” McIlroy said of Rahm. “He’s so consistent as well. He’s had like 14 top-10s and he’s just been, basically anytime he’s teed it up, he’s been there. He’s the best player in the world and he’s shown that for basically all year.”
Cantlay will have his say on Sunday.