Cantlay Causes Upset at Final PGA Tour Before Augusta

In the final PGA Tour competition before the Masters, Patrick Cantlay upset the odds and pipped Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas to pick up the victory.

Heading into the final day at Sherwood, many saw the competition as a two-horse race between Rahm and Thomas – number two and three in the world respectively – but the two faltered on the back nine and in the end it was Cantlay who earned the win after a final-round of 65.

On the 18th, Rahn needed a birdie to force extra holes but his putt never had the legs, falling agonisingly short and sealing his fate after what had been a great performance up until the last day of the tournament. There was then further heartbreak for the Rahn as Thomas holed for a closing three that prevented the Spaniard from leapfrogging Dustin Johnson and becoming the world no 1.

Cantlay was way off the pace going into the final round, but three birdies in four holes and a 30-yarder on the sixth put him in contention with 12 holes to go. With Thomas and Rahn struggling to shoot birdies, Cantlay piled on the pressure with a few more under-par efforts to take a three-shot lead going into the sixteenth.

Cantlay did offer the chasing pack a glimmer of hope as he sliced his effort left, hitting a tree and finding the rough. He required another three shots and bogied, but after regrouping with a couple of steady pars as he closed with a final of 23 under.

With Rahn the only player capable of pulling it back, the Spaniard was too tentative with his final-hole putt attempt and it was Cantlay who lifted just his third PGA Tour title and his first since 2019.

Bubba Watson tied for fourth with a decent showing before he goes for his third Masters next month, while Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will be disappointed with their performances, coming fourth-last and second-last respectively, in their last chance to build some form before Augusta in November.

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