Patrick Cantlay might be the most underappreciated golfer ranked among the World’s Top 10.
He’s used to flying under the radar. Not once has he stopped by the media center at the 2020 PGA Championship. Not a problem. His game is doing the talking.
Cantlay shot a 4-under 66 Saturday at the 2020 PGA Championship, which tied him with Ian Poulter for the lowest score of the morning wave during the third round at TPC Harding Park. He sits at 3-under overall in a tie for 22nd as the leaders prepare to tee off in more difficult conditions in the afternoon. It’s not inconceivable that he’s closer to the lead at the end of the day than the five shots back he’s at currently. He’s in a solid position, considering he had never seen TPC Harding Park before this week’s preparation.
The SoCal native has two PGA Tour wins but is still looking for that first major championship. Winning would certainly get him noticed. He finished the bogey-free third round by birdieing two of the final three holes, including the tough 18th.
Cantlay started 2020 with a fourth place at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. A tie for 7th place at the Workday Charity Open is his best showing since the PGA Tour’s restart in mid-June. He said in July that winning the Memorial in 2019 has boosted his confidence in bigger events.
“It … kind of tells me that the process that I'm working on is the right process for me, and really just gave me more confidence going into the bigger tournaments like majors,” he said. “I think it's one of the tournaments that feels the most like a major and definitely has a field like that and has a golf course that's similar to a major setup, and so being able to come out on top a week like that really gives me a lot of confidence into tournaments like Augusta or the PGA (Championship) or even a U.S. Open.”
