So I originally wrote this post last year as Patrick Cantlay was making his way back on Tour.  With his win this week at the Memorial, his second on the PGA Tour, I figured now is better than ever to revive this one.  Cantlay went into Jack’s Place and posted an 8-under final round Sunday en route to his two stroke win.

Now I get it, Patrick Cantlay has become known for being the slowest guy on Tour (or damn near close to it).  He takes a million waggles, and repositions his feet about a hundred times.  But my sentiments still stand – I love this kid and I love watching him win.  This kid has been through a shit ton, yet still bounced back to get Ws on the biggest stage in the world.  So with that, here’s what I have to say about him…

Patrick Cantlay has to be one of the best feel-good stories in golf of the last few years.  Coming out of UCLA a few years back, Cantlay was one of the top-ranked newcomers to the PGA Tour.  Cantlay was the number one amateur for 55 straight weeks.  He carded a record-low for an amateur on the PGA Tour with a 60 at the Travelers in 2011.  He posted top-25s in his first four PGA starts.  Cantlay was bound for greatness.

After turning pro and spending a year on the Web.com Tour, he earned his Tour card in 2014.  He then suffered a back injury that plagued him over the next few years.

While coming back from his injury, Cantlay’s best friend, high school teammate, and caddie, Chris Roth, was killed in Newport Beach, California in February of 2016.  After a night out together with friends, Roth was struck by a hit-and-run driver, and Cantlay lost his best friend right in front of his eyes.  After that, Cantlay was so emotionally shaken, he didn’t know if he could every play golf again.  Roth was his teammate, his caddie, and his best friend so can you really blame him?  You have to feel for the kid.  He was one of the best young talents coming out of college.  Then he suffers a back injury PLUS loses his best friend?  I can’t even imagine.

Fast forward to 2017 and Cantlay makes his way back to the Tour.  I saw his name pop up on fantasy draft lists, and I picked him every time.  A 2nd place finish at the Valspar (his second event back) regained him his Tour status.  He took plenty of time between events, still nursing that back injury from 2014.  In 2017, he went on to finish with four more top-15s, and even made the Tour Championship.  In the “2018” wrap around, aka Silly Season, he won the 2017 Shriner’s Hospital for Children Open in Las Vegas for his first PGA Tour victory.

Following his biggest professional win this past weekend at Muirfield Village, I think it’s safe to say that the Patrick Cantlay we all expected to see is still here, and hot damn, am I happy to see it.  With all of the setbacks he’s experienced, you have to pull for this kid.  It was a difficult journey to get back out there, and now he’s tearing it up, as we all hoped he would.  I hope he wins a few more this year, and maybe even grabs a major.