2021 Ryder Cup: Power ranking the top 10 players at Whistling Straits

It’s hard to believe Patrick Cantlay is a Ryder Cup rookie. He was an elite amateur player and got off to a fast start as a pro before back problems and personal tragedies delayed his progression in the mid-2000s. Cantlay was a top-20 player in the world by the end of 2018, but he missed out on automatically qualifying due to playing just 14 events in 2017 and did not earn a captain’s pick.

Cantlay has risen into a top-10 player in the world and was the only three-time winner last season on the PGA Tour. The former UCLA Bruin was also voted by his peers as the 2020-21 PGA Tour Player of the Year. I’m in the camp that Jon Rahm was more deserving, so why don’t we just settle that in a Sunday’s singles match?

Cantlay earned the honor in large part for how we surged through the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The 29-year-old began the playoffs with a T-11th finish at The Northern Trust, outdueled Bryson DeChambeau in a playoff to win the BMW Championship and earned a four-shot cushion to open the Tour Championship that he used to lead him to victory.

Cantlay was also a winner in fall 2020 at the ZoZo Championship and summer 2021 at the Memorial Tournament.

The Californian’s missed just one cut since May and has eight top-25s in his last nine starts.

While Cantlay is a Ryder Cup rookie, he does have Presidents Cup experience. Cantlay was one of just three Americans to play all three sessions in their win at Royal Melbourne, going 3-2-0 with a 3&2 win over Joaquin Niemann. Cantlay went 2-0-0 in foursomes and 0-2-0 in fourballs with fellow Californian, Xander Schauffele. With the way those two are playing, that could be another pairing at Whistling Straits.

Cantlay finished third on the PGA Tour last season in strokes gained tee to green (1.418) and was 30th or better in every SG category. If not with Schauffele, his even keel and proficiency throughout the bag seem to make Cantlay as a guy who can roll with most anyone as his partner.