Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Power ranking the top 10 pros

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PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 16: Patrick Cantlay of the United States waves on the 18th green during the final round of the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on June 16, 2019 in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Patrick Cantlay is making his first start on the mainland in 2020. He’s been globetrotting in the last couple of months, teeing it up in the Bahamas (Hero World Challenge), Australia (Presidents Cup), Hawaii (Tournament of Champions) and the UAE (Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship).

He took the last two weeks off in prep for the PGA Tour to get back to his home state of California. The UCLA alum is making his fifth Pebble Beach appearance.

All have resulted in top-50s, though he’s yet to contend for a title. A T-9 finish in his debut in 2013 (66-70-72-67) is his best result. Cantlay was solid last year at the US Open when he finished T-21 (73-71-68-70). He made more headlines that week when he showed on a social media post how thick the rough at Pebble was.

With a full field of amateurs playing alongside the pros, the rough will be far more time. That’s a good thing in particular for Cantlay. He ranked 165th last season on Tour in proximity from the rough (47’6”) and fourth from the fairway (28’11”).

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Cantlay is more of the bomb and gouge type, ranking 160th in driving accuracy (57.34%) and 21st in distance (304.7). That’s not the best formula around these courses. But if he can dial back and play from the fairway, he’ll have chances to let his iron play (10th SG approach, .64) shine. From there, a top-30 putter on Tour who’s accustomed to poa greens should be in good shape to stack birdies.

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