Rory McIlroy can’t figure it out on Pinehurst No. 2 greens US Open On Sunday, his final-round partner Patrick Cantlay was trying to stay in the race for his first career major win.
Cantlay, who was leading after a 4-under first round on Thursday, was unable to extend his lead in the second and third rounds, leaving him chasing the eventual winner. Bryson DeChambeauon Sunday. And the greens didn’t just suit McIlroy — the entire field had trouble handling Pinehurst all week.
“It’s definitely unique because the most challenging part of the golf course is the green complex,” Cantlay told Fox News Digital ahead of the PGA Tour’s next stop — the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. “The hole locations were tough. At the end of the day, they had a lot of people walking on the greens, and they were really fast. The hole locations were very sloped, and so when you have short putts it becomes a challenge.”
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Patrick Cantlay of the United States greets the crowd on the ninth green during the first round of the 124th US Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 13, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Cantlay finished third at Pinehurst, which is still an impressive accomplishment despite not lifting the trophy.
However, Cantlay has not been able to call himself a tournament winner since August 21, 2022, when he won the BMW Championship. He is eighth in the rankings. World Golf Rankings After last week’s finish, he is 10th in the FedEx Cup rankings and has finished in the top 10 three times this season.
Simply put, Cantlay is one of the best on Tour, and has been for quite some time. Still, he’s desperate to get back into the winner’s circle, and he feels his game is in the right place to do so on a course he dominated as an amateur.
The Travelers Championship is an event Cantlay looks forward to every year because he knows how to get the job done at TPC River Highlands.
“The Travelers is always one of my favorite events of the year,” he said. “They do a great job. I think it’s probably the event I’ve played the most on the tour. I think I’ve played it seven or eight, maybe nine times now. The course is in the best condition it’s ever been. They’ve made some minor changes to the golf course that I’ve seen that I think will be improvements. The course is in really great condition, and looking at the weather, hopefully we don’t have any storms.”
At the time of writing, thunderstorms are in the forecast for Friday and Saturday as a heat wave sweeps through the Northeast. But rain at Cromwell is something Cantlay has seen before, and it worked to his advantage in 2011 when he shot a 60, the lowest score by an amateur in PGA Tour history. At the time, it was also the course record, but Jim Furyk broke it in 2016 with a score of 58.
Patrick Cantlay of the United States makes a 10th-hour putt during the final round of the 2024 US Open Championship on the No. 2 Course at Pinehurst Resort on June 16, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
“My game is in good shape,” Cantlay said. “I’m not sure the weather would cooperate the year I shot 60. It rained all day the previous day – it actually didn’t rain on Thursday. So, the golf course was soft and playable. Based on the forecast, I think it will be a lot harder to play than it was that year and this year. But I feel good about my game, especially last week, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Cantlay has finished in the top 15 or better in the last six events at TPC River Highlands, including a tied-fourth finish at last year’s Travelers Championship.
And after last week’s difficult putting surfaces, where he and caddie Joe LaCava could have trouble reading the greens, Cantlay says he will “use experience and good play” to hit shots at lower altitudes.
While the goal on Tour is always to hit putts, especially those that make a circle on the scorecard, Cantlay pointed out that hitting the fairway, especially with the rain and long rough, will be key to staying competitive.
“I think the rough is pretty long this week, and with the greens expected to be strong or as strong as forecast, I think it’s going to be important to play from the fairways,” he said. “This golf course gives you some chances this week if you do that. I think if I drive the ball well, I should have a chance.”
Patrick Cantlay of the United States hits a tee shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the 124th US Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 16, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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Regardless of the result, if last week’s play is any indication of Cantlay’s performance at this year’s Travelers Championship, he should be one of the favorites to win.
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