Pat Cantlay had a lot of work to do if he wanted to contend Sunday at The Memorial.
He started the final round at 11-under par, four back of overnight leader Martin Kaymer and two back of Adam Scott.
Cantlay, who spent a lot of time the past two years getting advice from Jack Nicklaus on how to play down the stretch, how to finish off a tournament, went blowing past everyone like a runaway train. Cantlay went on a front-nine birdie rampage with five, got to 16-under at the turn then ran down Kaymer to take the championship.
By day’s end, Cantlay shot a brilliant eight-under par 64 and his 19-under total beat Scott by two and Kaymer by four.
It was the lowest closing round ever by a winner of Jack’s tournament.
As he walked off the final green, Cantlay got a handshake and a hug from Nicklaus. “Thanks for everything,” Cantlay whispered to Jack.
Earlier in the day, as Nicklaus watch Cantlay overtake the leaders, he declared, “That young man’s going to win a lot of tournaments.”
This was just Cantlay’s second but the way he played added some punch to Jack’s prediction.
“It feels great,” said Cantlay, who was serious all afternoon then broke out in a big smile afterward. “It’s been a while since I’ve won.”
When asked what words of advice Nicklaus had given him in the past, Cantlay was finally quick to talk about it.
“He said to just relax, have fund, look at all the people and smile because that’s why we’re out here. Have fun. That was a lot of good help.”
Cantlay was happy how he finished. His approach to the 18th found the left greenside bunker and his explosion left him with a tricky eight-footer for par. “I wanted to make that really badly because I knew Jack was watching,” Cantlay said. “This win was a validation because the setup was very similar to a major championship setup.”
