Patrick Cantlay defeats Jon Rahm to win FedEx Cup at Tour Championship. (0:43).
ATLANTA -- Patrick Cantlay is still not a fan of the system, which saw him win $15 million Sunday as the PGA Tour's seasonlong champion despite not scoring the Tour Championship's lowest 72-hole score.
It doesn't matter.
Cantlay stayed true to the format and hit the big shots when needed to beat Jon Rahm to win the FedEx Cup title in East Lake. He also made himself a major-time player over these past few weeks.
After defeating Bryson deChambeau in a playoff at the BMW Championship a week earlier, Cantlay kept his form and led the strokes adjusted Tour Championship from Thursday's tee off until Sunday when he putted in his winning birdie.
It brought back a 10-year-long journey that began at UCLA as a top college player and culminated in a low point two years later when a back injury prevented him from playing for the last two years. He is now a top-ranked amateur player and has beaten the best in the game, while he also ranks among them.
Cantlay, who is currently ranked fourth worldwide, said, "The greatest thing is it has given me great perspective." I think everything was great for a long period of time. Growing up, it felt like I got better at golf, and that my life was better. Then it became as terrible as it could have been. For a while, I felt as low and miserable as possible.
"Coming out the other side of it, I feel like a better person for having been through those dark times. It gives me great perspective and makes me feel very grateful to be where I am. I was close to returning to school and leaving behind golf.
He said, "And so I'm just very thankful to be where I am," and that he was so happy with the results of all his hard work.
Cantlay seemed to have the tournament won when he birdied 16th hole to lead Rahm by two shots. Cantlay almost won the tournament with a shot over the 17th green. It was a chip shot that failed and a 5-footer for par to keep the advantage at one.
When Rahm hit his second shot on the par-5 18th green, it set up an eagle chance. Cantlay then followed, having hit a 361 yard drive with a 6-iron to 11ft. This resulted in a birdie at two and a win by one shot.
It was a $15 million payday from FedEx Cup bonus funds for Cantlay, and Rahm got $5 million.
Cantlay stated that it felt like a big win. "I played well on Sunday." "I kept telling myself to stay focused and locked in. I did a great job today."
Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire
Cantlay knew he had to win East Lake. Rahm was a formidable presence in Cantlay's final round. He tried his best to overcome the four-shot deficit that he had at the beginning of the week. This was part of FedEx Cup's unique FedEx Cup formula in which players begin by scoring in a staggered manner based on their points position.
Rahm, the U.S. Open champion, shot an impressive 68 on Sunday, without making a bogey, but couldn't get enough birdies to tie it. Cantlay made it look like things would turn at the par-4 17th.
"Patrick played fantastic golf and was four shots ahead [of me] at the beginning of the tournament." Rahm stated that despite being the better player over the week, he still earned the title. He played incredible. The up-and-down of missing the first chip on 17 is amazing. The second shot from 18 almost makes it even more impressive.
"I believe you can say that he won this. He played incredible golf.
Rahm still made a decent salary, leaving with $5million.
Rahm stated that it was strange to feel the disappointment of not winning on a day when you're making $5 million.
Rahm and Cantlay both pointed out the flaws in FedEx's system. Both Rahm and Cantlay have expressed their disapproval of the FedEx system. They are the ones who created the drama.
Rahm didn't know that he was actually shooting 14 under par for his lowest 72-hole total. Xander Schauffele came next at 12 under, while Justin Thomas and Viktor Hovland tied Cantlay at 11 under.
This format is simpler. Rahm stated that it is not a good format. "I don't like the fact that there is no Tour Champion. "I dislike that we no longer have a Tour Champion.
The rules were well-kept by all players, but Cantlay was able to maintain his two-shot advantage throughout the week. He said that this was a different pressure and one that was hard to understand.
These three rounds were intense as Cantlay and Rahm put together an impressive show. It would be great if the show were repeated in three weeks at Ryder Cup. Cantlay suddenly looks like the top American player, and Rahm will be counted most heavily for Europe.
Cantlay won the fourth season's victory, having also captured the Zozo Championship, Memorial Tournament, BMW, and Tour Championship.
Cantlay defeated Thomas and Rahm at the Zozo. Cantlay defeated Collin Morikawa at the Memorial in a playoff -- after Rahm withdrew from due to a positive COVID-19 testing. Cantlay was leading by six shots after 54 holes. Cantlay made numerous putts last week to keep alive at the BMW and finally won with a birdie to eliminate DeChambeau on hole 6.
Stewart Cink stated, "I wouldn’t necessarily call him overrated, but he might be underappreciated." "Patrick doesn't have one thing that makes him stand out. But that's not what makes him such an outstanding player.
"He's quite long. He's a great golfer. He has a great short game. He is a tough player and a great putter. I'm pretty good at golf. Please let me know if there's anything I'm missing. He's the complete package.
