Patrick Cantlay’s awful bogey on 17 opens Genesis Invitational door

Through 52 holes, Patrick Cantlay was firmly in control of the Genesis Invitational.

When he arrived at the straight par-5 17th tee, he held a three-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris. The penultimate hole at Riviera was the third easiest hole of the week, so another birdie opportunity awaited.

So Cantlay had a chance to extend his margin heading into Sunday’s final round. However, on the 17th drive, I found a sand trap on the right side of the fairway. playthrough Mentioned as an area to avoid.

This led to a layup, and the second shot landed in the fairway 130 yards in front of the green. Despite his poor tee shot, Cantlay still had a chance for birdie. Having a wedge in his hand, he is usually deadly. But this time, he fell short.

The third shot spun in front of the green and stopped about 15 yards short of the putting surface. I can’t say it’s great. But you can save par with some easy ups and downs.

However, he chipped very poorly from there, failing to hit the ball 14 feet and scoring six bogeys.

The lead was then reduced to two points.

Cantlay’s stumble on No. 17 was costly, especially considering nearly every other player in contention had birdie or better. Schauffele, Zalatoris, Luke List, JT Poston, Hideki Matsuyama and Corey Connors had birdies. Jason Day also made an eagle, rolling the ball 21 feet to reach double digits under par.

of Top 9 players on the leaderboardCantlay and Harris English were the only ones unable to capitalize on 17, with English making par.

Cantlay essentially dropped two strokes on No. 17, and his bogey opened the door for many others at Riviera.

nevertheless he shot 1 under 70 On Saturday, he was 14 under after 54 holes.

“I played some solid golf today. I didn’t make any long putts or anything,” Cantlay said of his round.

“We didn’t give ourselves many chances, but overall we had a good day and are in a good position for tomorrow.”

Interestingly, Cantlay and Schauffele, two very good friends, will make up Sunday’s final pairing. The two players will be practicing and playing together, so the setup needs to be comfortable for both.

“We played great together at Whistling Straits and we played great together in Zurich.” [Classic] the year we won [in 2022]” Cantlay said of Schauffele.

“I think there were one or two rounds in the Presidents Cup in Charlotte where we played really well. I think we’re comfortable playing with each other in the alternate shot and best ball format. Right now. Now, we’ve played a lot of games together, so I feel like that’s normal.”

Sunday will no doubt feel normal to Cantlay, a local boy who grew up down the road from the Riviera. He boasts his eight wins on the PGA Tour, and most recently he won his BMW Championship in 2022.

However, if he repeats the mistake he made on Sunday at 17:00, the situation could quickly become unpleasant. He needs to take advantage of Riviera’s gentle par 5s or someone else might pass him.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.