2024 Genesis Invitational: Top 10 power rankings at Riviera
Patrick Cantlay. GenesisInvite/PowerRank/4. 4. OWGR: 7th. FedEx Cup: 24th
After a couple missed paydays in his first two Genesis Invitational appearances as a youngster, Patrick Cantlay has been in the money every year since 2018.
In 2018, he recorded 66-69-69-71 for T-4th.
“Definitely knowing where the ball feeds on some of these hole locations is important, and where to err,” Cantlay was quoted in 2018 by Golf Channel. “This golf course has a lot of intricate architecture, especially on the greens and particular hole locations where the ball will feed from certain spots, and knowing that's huge.”
He’s never finished on the bottom half of the leaderboard after making a cut, going T-15th in 2019 (68-71-70-69), T-17th in 2020, (68-72-71-68), T-15th (67-70-71-72) in 2021, T-33rd in 2022 (70-72-66-71) and third in 2023 (68-67-68-67).
Last year, the former UCLA Bruin and Long Beach native wound up three shots back of first place and just one off second. Cantlay was second in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (4.599) and fourth in SG: Around-the-Green (5.315).
Cantlay is coming off a week of rest following T-11th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. I would have liked him to climb into the top 10 had the event not been shortened to 54 holes.
Last season, short game and putting were the weaker points in his game. Both still ranked in the top 60 on the PGA Tour in SG. Those are two areas on the West Coast swing where he can gain ground based on experience and grass-type familiarity.
Cantlay should be well adjusted to the sticky kikuyu on fairways and in the rough, as well as the speedy, bumpy poa annua on the greens.