Patrick Cantlay's putting derails his quest to win his first major championship at the US Open
PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Cantlay has spent the majority of the past five years ranked in the top 10 in the world but has had few realistic chances to win a major championship.
He had one this week at Pinehurst No. 2, but walked away disappointed again. This time, he has his putting to blame.
Cantlay, who stormed to the lead at the U.S. Open with an opening-round 65, had a several opportunities to grab a share of the lead during a wild final round on Sunday that saw dramatic momentum swings. But he ultimately couldn't take advantage and shot 70 on Sunday, finishing at 4-under 276 and tying for third, two shots behind winner Bryson DeChambeau and one back of playing partner Rory McIlroy.
“All in all I thought I played pretty solid. Could have holed a few more putts,” Cantlay said. “If I would have putted like I did (on Saturday), I would have been right there.”
Cantlay finished tied for first in greens in regulation (13 of 18) in the final round, but was 61st out of 74 players in putting under the “strokes gained” metric.
The 16th hole proved to be the undoing for Cantlay, currently ranked No. 9.
With the chance to move within a shot of the lead behind DeChambeau and McIlroy, Cantlay's second shot caught the left side of the green and fell off.
He chipped to 7 feet, but his putt broke wide and right for a bogey that dropped him back to 4-under.
Earlier, on the par-3 ninth hole Cantlay had another good tee shot to set up another birdie chance from 8 feet, but the putt skipped past the left side of the cup and kept going.
Cantlay stood up, then looked at the air in disbelief.
He birdied the 10th hole as his long putt slowed toward the hole and seemingly was on verge of stopping before it dropped. But another missed putt on the par-4 12th led to another bogey.
In the end, there weren't enough big moments for Cantlay, who shot even par over the final 36 holes.
The tie for third equaled Cantlay's best career finish in a major, and was by far his best performance this year. He tied for 22nd at the Masters in April and tied for 53rd at the PGA Championship last month.
Cantlay said it's time to keep pushing ahead as he looks forward to the British Open, where his best finish was a tie for eighth in 2022.
“I'm looking forward to having more opportunities,” Cantlay said. “This is exactly why I play. It was good to be in contention. Obviously I would have liked to get the job done. Just a bit short this time.”
And he's eager to return to Pinehurst when it hosts the U.S. Open again in 2029.
“The fans were great this week,” Cantlay said. “I thought the venue was great. The golf course was in perfect U.S. Open shape. I’m sure looking forward to the next time it’s here.”
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