ATLANTA - Patrick Kentley was on the verge of losing his 2-shot lead on a hole with nothing less than a FedEx Cup, a $15 million prize and his newfound reputation as "Patty Ice" on the line.
He was as clutch as ever in his biggest moment at the Tour Championship on Sunday.
Cantley made a 6-foot bogie putt on the 17th hole, one shot ahead of Jon Rahm's par-5 of East Lake going into the 18th hole. Then Cantley hit his longest drive of the week - 361 yards in the middle - with Rahm already in the fairway.
The final shot was a 6-iron from 218 yards to 12 feet—closest to anyone for an entire day—that all but won a 1-shot victory, the FedEx Cup, and maybe even the PGA Tour Player of the Year.
"It was the best shot I hit all week," Cantley said.
Kentley defeated Bryson DeChambeau in a six-hole playoff in the BMW Championship. A week later, he surpassed the world No. 1 player in the Tour Championship with his 1-shot victory over Rahm.
"Felt like a big win, and it was," Cantley said.
The nickname "Patty Ice" only surfaced last week, and it's starting to stick.
“For me, it just means being cool under pressure, and I think it suits my personality really well,” said Cantley, who took his hat off to 69 from 1 on tap for birdie. His expression never changed until a big smile waving. To the thousands of fans around the green.
It also seems to suit his game.
Rahm doesn't get enough puts to fall. US The Open champion remained close all day, and his shot in the 18th was equally special. It landed right next to the hole on its second bounce, rolling toward the light just off the green.
Cantley expects him to chip in for the eagle "because that's what he does." Rahm narrowly escaped and scored a 68, giving Cantley a safe two-put to win.
The win was worth $15 million - $14 million in cash and $1 million deferred - for the 29-year-old Californian, whose rise in golf was slowed by a back injury that kept him out for three years and nearly ended his career.
Now, he has made a mark among the elite in golf, fueled by the season after the FedEx Cup.
"It's fantastic," Cantley said. "It's a huge honor because it's all year long. I played really consistently throughout the year and eventually caught fire. It's been a lot of satisfaction seeing all the work I've done in my entire life."
Rahm, who started the tournament 4 shots behind and 2 shots behind on the final day, never caught Cantley. Rahm never let him breathe easily.
Cantley took a 2-shot lead with 6 feet for a birdie on the 17th hole and then almost lost everything.
He turned to the right on the 17th, chopping down a tree and falling into a deep rut, and then hit a flyer over the green and the gallery. Her pitch turned back to the green and became shorter and deeper, and she had to make 6 feet to save the bogie and stay ahead.
This set up the final hole, where Rahm could only match a birdie with Cantley.
"I gave it my all," said Rahm. "It wasn't enough."
Rahm was bogey free in the last 28 holes, but he only allowed two birdies. He tied with Kevin Na at 14-under 266 for the tournament's low 72-hole score. They will split the points towards the world ranking.
Cantley started at 10-under par as the No. 1 seed and finished at 21-under.
"Patrick played great golf, and he was four shots ahead of me [in the beginning]. And even though I may have been the better man in the week, he earned it," Rahm said. "After he disappears up and down to 17, the second shot from 18 almost makes it even more impressive.
"I guess you could say he won it."
Rahm earned a consolation prize of $5 million for finishing second in the FedEx Cup, while Na (67) picked up $4 million. Justin Thomas (70) took fourth place with a birdie on the last hole, which cost $3 million.
"This feeling of despair of not winning on the day you're making $5 million felt really weird," Rahm said.
Cantley started the season after saying that he did not like the format of the Tour Championship, a staggered start based on the players' FedEx Cup status and no official win for the lowest score in the Tour Championship.
He's still not a fan, even if it works in his favor. All Cantley could do was play the hand he was dealt with, and he played his cards perfectly.
Even more satisfying was the way he had won the last two events - the six-hole playoff against DeChambeau when he scored one clutch put after another and delivered crucial moments against Rahm with the FedEx Cup on the line.
"That's why I play golf. I play golf so I can be up against the best players in the world in those moments," Cantley said. "That's why I practice so hard. That's why I love the sport, because it's a great vehicle for competition. It probably sweetens it a little bit knowing that the people I played against were all over the world." The best player ever."
Cantley won for the fourth time this season - no one else won more than twice. One of those wins was Memorial, where Rahm took a six-shot lead after 54 holes and had to withdraw due to a positive COVID-19 test result.
This figure makes Cantley the front-runner for PGA Tour Player of the Year, with Rahm (U.S. Open title, No. 1 ranking) and Colin Morikawa (British Open, World Golf Championship title) also expected to be on the ballot. Chances are.
Rahm won the Warden Trophy for lowest adjusted scoring average.