Cantlay (64) rallies from Four again to win Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio — Patrick Cantlay acquired one other handshake with Jack Nicklaus, this time because the Memorial winner.

Beginning 4 photographs behind, Cantlay closed with an Eight-under 64 for a two-shot victory Sunday. It was the bottom closing spherical by a winner in match historical past, and it moved the 27-year-old Californian into the highest 10 on this planet.

Martin Kaymer, making an attempt to finish 5 years with no victory, began with a two-shot lead and by no means recovered from back-to-back bogeys on the again 9. He shot 38 on the again 9 and completed with a 72.

Adam Scott was the final participant with an opportunity to catch Cantlay when he ran off three straight birdies to get inside two photographs, however he narrowly missed birdies on the final two holes and needed to accept a 68.

Cantlay first met the match host in 2011 when he received the Jack Nicklaus Award as the highest participant in school at UCLA. And he leaned on the recommendation of Nicklaus going into the ultimate spherical to chill out, benefit from the environment and end it off.

“I completed it,” Cantlay advised Nicklaus as he walked off the 18th inexperienced after making an Eight-foot par putt that successfully sealed it.

Cantlay completed at 19-under 269 and received for the second time in a PGA Tour profession that’s youthful than it appears. A rising star popping out of UCLA — he was low beginner on the 2011 U.S. Open and opened with a 60 on the Vacationers Championship per week later — he missed two full years with a again harm that almost price him his profession.

He’s in his third full 12 months since returning, and a victory over a robust discipline on a robust course is what lengthy was anticipated of his expertise.

And there some atonement at Muirfield Village for Cantlay. A 12 months in the past, he took a two-shot result in the again 9 and did not make a birdie the remainder of the way in which, lacking a playoff by two photographs. This time, he putted for birdie on each gap on the again 9 till the 18th.

“Having the ability to win on this golf course, in entrance of Jack, making that putt on the final gap, I am unable to inform you how good it feels,” he mentioned.

Scott completed at 17-under 271. Solely six different gamers have had a decrease 72-hole rating on the Memorial because it started in 1976.

Certainly one of them is Cantlay, who strikes to No. Eight on this planet with a U.S. Open at Pebble Seaside looming. Cantlay is the one participant to complete within the high 10 at each majors this 12 months, main late on the Masters till two bogeys over the past three holes.

Tiger Woods knew he had no likelihood to win the Memorial from 11 photographs behind going into the ultimate spherical, although he nonetheless placed on a present and acquired what he wanted out of his closing occasion earlier than the U.S. Open. He went out in 31 and was 7 beneath for his spherical by means of 12 holes till a sloppy bogey on the 14th and a closing bogey for a 67. He wound up in a tie for ninth at 9-under 279.

Patrick Cantlay’s Eight-under 64 was the bottom closing spherical by a winner in Memorial match historical past. Matt Sullivan/Getty Photos

“The objective right now was to get to double digits [under par] and get one thing optimistic going into the Open,” he mentioned. “I acquired to double digits — I simply did not keep there.”

Kaymer is 5 years faraway from his final victory on the 2014 U.S. Open and performed like he was prepared for that drought to finish. He stuffed a wedge right into a foot for birdie on the third gap, and stretched his result in 4 photographs by laying up on the par-5 fifth and spinning again a wedge to six ft.

Cantlay was the one participant who appeared able to chasing him and performed like he needed to. On the fifth, he despatched his drive nicely to the suitable into the tough. It was on a hill, with a flat sufficient lie that he had the gallery transfer past the cart path for a path to the inexperienced. His Four-iron ran onto the inexperienced, establishing a birdie.

Regardless of. For each birdie he made, Kaymer added one other.

Cantlay rolled in a 15-foot birdie on the par-Three eighth and was strolling off the inexperienced, whereas behind him Kaymer was posting one other birdie on the seventh.

Nevertheless it all modified.

Cantlay closed out the entrance 9 with a 12-foot birdie to get inside two, whereas Kaymer within the group behind chopped his solution to a bogey. After which the German blinked twice with bogeys from the bunker on No. 12 and with an errant shot from the golf green on No. 13.

With two extra birdies, Cantlay was on his manner.