Patrick Cantlay’s putting performance was one for the ages

By Doug Ferguson

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — No 1 ever questioned that Patrick Cantlay had the chops to beryllium among golf’s elite.

What helium mightiness person lacked successful fig of PGA Tour victories, helium made for it with the mode helium won oregon the tract helium beat. His triumph Sunday successful the BMW Championship — the 5th of his vocation and his PGA Tour-leading 3rd of the play — was a small of each.

On a Caves Valley people that suited the biggest hitters, facing the biggest masher of them each successful Bryson DeChambeau, the Servite High and UCLA merchandise delivered a infinitesimal that volition beryllium remembered for the crystal successful his veins and nerves of steel.

He truly lone smiled aft helium made the past of six pivotal putts connected the last 9 holes — six of them successful a sudden-death playoff.

“I’m conscionable arsenic focused arsenic I tin be. If I look the mode I do, it’s due to the fact that I americium locked successful and focused,” Cantlay said. “And I felt similar that today.”

Even much singular is that Cantlay had plentifulness of occasions to judge helium wouldn’t beryllium winning the BMW Championship, yet it lone crossed his caput once.

That came connected the 2nd playoff spread erstwhile helium deed his attack dense and came up 55 feet abbreviated of the hole. DeChambeau, who had a 30-yard vantage disconnected the tee connected the 18th hole, deed wedge into 6 feet.

“I liked Bryson’s chances of making that 6-footer up the hill,” Cantlay said. “I thought helium was going to marque that putt. That was possibly the lone clip that I truly thought I was done. But helium didn’t marque it. That’s golf.”

As for the different times? Right erstwhile Cantlay looked to beryllium done, helium was clutch.

DeChambeau took a one-shot pb connected the par-5 16th with a 12-foot putt, and Cantlay inactive faced an 8-foot par putt to debar falling 2 behind. He made it.

On the adjacent hole, Cantlay’s tee changeable bounced abbreviated and close and into the water, with DeChambeau successful the unsmooth conscionable abbreviated of the green, astir 25 feet from the hole. Cantlay removed his headdress and dilatory tugged it implicit his head. Surely, it was over.

But past DeChambeau muffed his spot and missed his 12-footer for par. Cantlay deed lob wedge from 100 yards distant successful the driblet country and slid successful the bogey-saving putt from 8 feet.

“I got to thinking, ‘Let’s effort and marque 4 present and astatine slightest not instrumentality each the unit disconnected of him.’ We some had 4s connected that hole, and that truly kept maine successful the play tournament, benignant of switched the momentum a small bit,” Cantlay said. “It would person been astir insurmountable if I would person went down 2 going into 18.”

The biggest was the 20-foot birdie putt helium made connected the 18th successful regulation, the lone crushed helium got into a playoff with a 6-under 66 to lucifer DeChambeau’s people for the circular and the astounding full of 27-under 261.

And adjacent then, determination was nary relief.

Cantlay missed the 18th greenish to the near successful the playoff and had to marque a 6-footer for par to widen the playoff. He made the 7-footer connected the adjacent hole. And connected the 5th other hole, DeChambeau looked similar a victor again erstwhile helium deed wedge to 6 feet.

Cantlay deed 8-iron to 2 feet. On they went until Cantlay ended it with his 18-foot birdie putt, 2 fist pumps arsenic helium walked to the spread and possibly his biggest of 5 victories.

He won earlier this play astatine the Zozo Championship successful California, making up a four-shot shortage to bushed Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm. He won the Memorial for a 2nd clip successful aboriginal June with a 25-foot birdie putt connected the 17th spread that led to a playoff triumph implicit Collin Morikawa.

This was special, and a mates of fans spotted it from extracurricular the ropes by shouting retired to him, “Patty Ice.”

He was ice, each right.

DeChambeau was thing but that. He had 4 putts to win, 3 of them successful the playoff, and the biggest miss was the past 1 from wrong 10 feet that would person extended the playoff.

Knowing precisely what went incorrect volition person to wait. DeChambeau, who has refused to talk to media but for PGA Tour broadcast partners, chose not to talk to anyone Sunday.

It wasn’t the lone clip helium appeared bothered. He rolled his eyes each clip Cantlay marked a abbreviated par putt on the beforehand 9 (sometimes that notation to “ice” could besides mean “glacier”). And past connected the 14th spread arsenic DeChambeau was preparing to hit, helium backed disconnected and said, “Patrick, tin you halt walking?”

“We had conscionable been told by the rules officials to benignant of velocity up, and I’m not ever the fastest walker, truthful I was trying to get up and bash my part,” Cantlay said. “No large deal.”

Winning was a large deal. It moved him to the apical of the FedEx Cup going to the Tour Championship, meaning helium starts with a two-shot lead. He earned the last spot connected the Ryder Cup team.

He tin property that to clutch putts, adjacent if Cantlay couldn’t place the biggest one.

“They each mattered, I guess, the same,” helium said. “I needed each of them.”