2022 Players Championship: Top 10 power rankings at TPC Sawgrass
Will this be the year Patrick Cantlay solves the Stadium Course?
We’ve seen countless players shake off mediocre past performances at TPC Sawgrass to go on to win. It’s a course that’s hard to fake it around, so it mostly depends on the form you have that particular week.
On the bright side at the Players Championship, Cantlay finished in the top 25 of his first two tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018.
The downside is he missed the cut in 2019 and 2021. He opened in 67 and was T-5th when the 2020 edition was canceled after one round.
“It’s definitely a course that favors precision, so if you can hit your driver in the fairway, you can have lots of scoring opportunities,” Cantlay was transcribed by ASAP Sports in 2021. “You can take advantage of the par-5s if you play from the fairway. Even some of the harder holes are gettable if you drive the ball well. A Pete Dye golf course, I feel like it will show you one side with trouble and you almost have to ignore the big flashy trouble and hug the trouble, because the worst side will be the bailout side and once you bail out into the wrong, into the fat side, then the troubles start mounting.”
The Californian seems to play his best golf on the West Coast and elsewhere outside of the Sunshine State. I still think he’s in good enough form to play well this week away from the friendlier confines.
Cantlay hasn’t missed a cut since last year’s Open Championship.
He last won at the 2021 BMW Championship, which kicked off a streak of six top-10s.
Half of the six are in 2022, including at the WM Phoenix Open where he lost in a playoff to Scottie Scheffler.
We last saw Cantlay a few weeks ago at the Genesis Invitational (T-33rd), so he should be well-rested for the Players.
He ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained (1.643) and is top 25 in all SG categories except for approach.
Cantlay is tops in par-5 scoring (4.24) fourth in birdie average (5.45). If rain softens the course this week, that won’t be a detractor for Cantlay who’s long and can throw darts with the best of them.