[jwplayer EmUOgbiT-9JtFt04J]
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Like many who have been captivated by Monterey Peninsula and all its natural wonders, incredible views, premium restaurants and top-drawer golf courses, Patrick Cantlay holds this seaside setting in a special place in his heart.
He remembers with joy his first trip around Pebble Beach Golf Links as a kid when he had to deal with fog and his father’s superior game (at the time).
He notched his first top-10 as a pro here in the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
And in 2017, this was the site of his comeback from debilitating back injuries and the tragic death of his friend and caddie, Chris Roth. His start in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am that year was his first in competitive golf since November of 2014. During that time away, he often wondered if he would ever again be the golfer he once was, the one who produced an elite amateur career and forecasts of a stellar professional calling.
Pain free, he still didn’t know what to expect when the first round commenced. Inactivity and back pain will do that to anyone. But Cantlay responded with a tie for 48th and more importantly, he knew his pro career was back on track.
“In a weird way, it was an accomplishment to finish a golf tournament, just because I hadn’t played in one for so long,” Cantlay said Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s start of the tournament played over three courses. “So on one hand, I was just happy to have played a whole golf tournament and not had any serious pain.
“And then on the other hand, I was happy to have made the cut just because when you’re out for that long, of course it’s reasonable to have doubts about your game or how you’re going to hold up. I was happy about making the cut and playing as well as I did, and it gave me confidence going forward that I hadn’t really lost much and I was still the player that I used to be.”
Cantlay went on to qualify for the Tour Championship despite limited starts in 2017 and then won his first PGA Tour title at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open that fall. In 2019, he won at Jack’s place in the Memorial and was a key member for the victorious U.S. team in the Presidents Cup.
This year, he was fourth in his lone PGA Tour start at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. And Cantlay, 27, is ranked No. 8 in the world.
“I’ve played really well the last three years since I’ve come back, really consistently, had some chances to win, won a couple events, and qualified for the Presidents Cup team and played well there and that was really fun and really exciting,” he said. “So I would say all in all, it’s been good. And I feel like now I’ve seen all the golf courses multiple times in multiple weather conditions for two or three years now, which I think is an advantage, and I’m excited to go back to all those places that I like to play with the experience that I have now and the confidence that I have now and see what I can do.”
[opinary poll=”how-much-would-you-pay-to-play-pebble-be” customer=”golfweek”]