Patrick Cantlay has 2-shot lead, $15M payoff in sight at Tour Championship

ATLANTA — Patrick Cantlay finished with a 25-foot birdie putt that gave him a two-shot pb implicit Jon Rahm successful the Tour Championship connected Saturday and acceptable the signifier for a sprint to the $15 cardinal prize.

It mightiness not beryllium a two-man contention astatine East Lake, anymore.

Cantlay’s last birdie allowed him to decorativeness beardown aft a wobbly four-hole agelong that had winnowed his four-shot pb down to one. He coiled up with a 3-under 67 and was astatine 20-under par, leaving him 1 circular distant from the FedEx Cup.

Rahm finished with 5 consecutive pars for a 68 and was inactive precise overmuch alive. He went from a four-shot shortage aft the 10th spread to a one-shot shortage conscionable 5 holes later.

It’s not casual to spell debased astatine East Lake, but it’s casual to suffer ground. Cantlay did that with a brace of mistakes implicit the last hour.

“Hopefully tomorrow, I tin bring my A-game and springiness this feline successful beforehand of maine a small spot of a run,” Rahm said.

Not to beryllium overlooked was Justin Thomas, though helium was agitated with his finish.

Thomas, who began the Tour Championship six shots down due to the fact that of his presumption successful the FedEx Cup coming into the finale, was poised for the debased circular of the week to to get a small closer. But helium pulled his tee changeable connected the par-5 18th, went rough-to-rough to 35 feet, and past three-putted for bogey by missing a 5-foot putt.

He was 5 behind.

No 1 other was person than 7 shots of Cantlay, who began the week astatine 10-under par aft his BMW Championship triumph made him the No. 1 seed.

Cantlay had crushed to deliberation Sunday mightiness person progressive a small little stress. He and Rahm had matching birdies from the greenside bunker connected the par-5 sixth, and past the cool-headed Californian began to propulsion away.

Cantlay made a 12-foot birdie connected No. 7. Rahm recovered a bunker disconnected the tee astatine No. 8 and made bogey. Cantlay holed a 30-foot birdie crossed the greenish astatine the par-3 ninth, and past drilled his attack to 10 feet for different birdie connected No. 10.

Just similar that, helium was 4 shots wide and not making immoderate mistakes that would suggest helium was going anyplace but forward.

But helium missed the 11th greenish for bogey, and past it became a existent conflict down the stretch. Cantlay recovered occupation near of the fairway connected No. 14 and had to scramble for bogey. He severely missed the 16th greenish with a wedge successful his manus connected No. 16 and again scrambled for bogey. In between, helium missed birdie chances of 10 feet and 8 feet, the magnitude helium had been making each time amid calls of “Patty Ice.”

And past connected the 18th, Cantlay faced a pugnacious bunker changeable implicit different greenside bunker to a choky pin. He played smartly, arsenic he’s done each week, and near himself 25 feet for a birdie putt that enactment a blessed decorativeness connected his round.

Thomas was the lone 1 of the dreamers to person existent thoughts of winning, on with possibly Kevin Na (66), who was 7 shots behind.

Rory McIlroy took himself retired of the representation with a 74. Jordan Spieth, who thrives astatine East Lake, wasted a bully commencement with excessively galore bogeys and past thing but pars implicit the last 8 holes for a 70. Harris English didn’t marque birdie until the 17th spread and changeable 75.

It looks similar lucifer play betwixt Cantlay and Rahm, depending connected however Thomas starts and whether helium tin enactment adjacent enough.

So overmuch much is astatine involvement than the $15 cardinal prize for winning.

Still to beryllium determined aft the play ends Sunday is PGA Tour subordinate of the year. Rahm would look to beryllium a starring contender with his U.S. Open rubric and apical finishes successful the majors, on with British Open champion Collin Morikawa.

A triumph for Cantlay would beryllium his 4th of the play – nary 1 other has much than 2 – and it would see the FedEx Cup.