Patrick Cantlay wins 2019 Memorial Tournament with birdie barrage
The Memorial Tournament seemed destined to go to the player who could go the lowest on Sunday. It was, and Patrick Cantlay did what was needed to bring it home.
The Memorial Tournament saw a ton of great golf from start to finish at Muirfield Village, but at the end of a wild Sunday finale, Patrick Cantlay stood alongside the Golden Bear, victorious for the second time in his PGA TOUR career.
Cantlay’s victory was more than just impressive, it marked one of the better comebacks we’ve seen on TOUR all year. He was down by four strokes to 54-hole leader Martin Kaymer to begin the day, and he had to know that a low score would be needed to make any kind of move on Sunday.
After all, each round of the Memorial Tournament seemed to be building towards this finish. Ryan Moore held the 18-hold lead with a six-under round of 65. Justin Rose struggled most of the week to get any rhythm, but he shot the round of the championship on Friday, an eight-under 63. Hideki Matsuyama shot 64 on Moving Day, the same day Kaymer posted a 66.
That’s not to say that Patrick Cantlay wasn’t right there, though. In fact, through 54 holes, he and Kaymer were the only two players in the 60s for each of the first three rounds. The surprise wasn’t so much that he was in striking distance, but just what it took to win as he did.
The tone was set for the later groups quickly, with Tiger Woods making seven birdies in his first 12 holes to rocket up the leaderboard. While he fell off late, going two-over on the final five holes, it turned out that too was just more foreshadowing of what was to come.
Kaymer was clean early, posting three birdies in his first seven holes to stabilize his lead. Cantlay matched that pace, but that’s where the tone shifted. Cantlay closed his front nine with three straight birdies to make the turn in five-under 31.
As Kaymer saw his lead vanish with a second straight bogey on the par-4 13th, the writing was on the wall. The two-time major winner started to press, making an attempt at a hero’s recovery on the final par-5 of the championship. A miscalculated risk to keep eagle in play on No. 15 led him to make par.
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Jack Nicklaus said that he didn’t understand “why you think the whole tournament has to be on one shot”. Jack is still one of the sport’s greatest minds, and this turned out to be prophetic.
As Kaymer stumbled, Patrick Cantlay kept his foot firmly on the gas, and the blemishes off his scorecard. When the day ended, Cantlay had carded just two bogeys for the final 36 holes. He’s always been focused on the business he has in front of him, but this one might have been a little bit nicer following a moment he shared with Jack on Friday.
"“I was in there having lunch after the early morning round on Friday, and he grabbed me aside and said, you need to go out there, have a good time,” Cantlay said. “Look around when you’re out there. Look at all the people having a great time. And then you need to have a great time and realize that that’s why you’re there and relax and go have fun and go win the golf tournament.”"
Early? Perhaps a little bit, considering there was an entire weekend to play still. But when Jack Nicklaus tells you to do something, you heed his advice. Patrick Cantlay did just that, and he’s enjoying the spoils of victory today.
I’ve been a fan of Cantlay’s for a while now, and while this is “just” his second win, there’s likely plenty more where that came from. He’s been right there plenty of times this year, including a runner-up finish back in November at the Shriners, and a pair of third-place finishes at RBC and the PGA Championship.
Go back just six weeks, and Cantlay played himself into contention at the Masters, eventually finishing tied for ninth place. This is a guy who’s got the game for the biggest stages, he just needs to put it together at the right time. I don’t think we’ve really even scratched the surface of what he’ll do one day on the PGA TOUR.
dark. Next. Don't expect Tiger Woods at the Rocket Mortgage Classic
The top tier of talent on the Tour is deep these days, but there’s plenty of room for another few players to join the party. I won’t be surprised if we’re talking about Patrick Cantlay as a major champion before too much longer.