Patrick Cantlay, left, and caddie Matt Minister on Sunday on the 14th gap at Harbour Town Golf Links.
PGA Tour Live
He did what?
What would he do?
He did what?!?
And that’s the quick option to describe one in every of the extra engrossing golf moments you’ll see. In the finish, after a mishit, after his ball settled between a wood bulkhead and a wood assist put up alongside water, after 5 minutes of debate on what to do, Patrick Cantlay bogeyed the 197-yard, par-3 14th at Harbour Town Golf Links throughout Sunday’s closing spherical of the RBC Heritage.
But there have been oh-so-many questions.
What occurred forward of the shot?
After hitting his tee shot left of the inexperienced, Cantlay confronted a fragile, speedy, left-to-right, downhill chip from 18 ft away. Hit it lengthy, and the ball would seemingly go in the water. Moments earlier, Jordan Spieth, one in every of his enjoying companions, had virtually finished so.
If you have been watching the CBS broadcast, analysts Trevor Immelman, Ian Baker-Finch and Frank Nobilo have been joined by Jon Rahm, who had simply completed play, one week after profitable the Masters.
Said Baker-Finch: “The experience of seeing it [Spieth’s chip] and knowing that, hey, I just got to be careful here. If I just drip it on the green, I get it down to 6 feet.”
Said Rahm: “Yeah, exactly. He’s probably going to want to just carry those sprinklers by maybe 5 feet and then release down. If you hit it a little bit too hard, try to get it to the hole, you can end up going to the back fringe or put the water in play. It all depends on the lie. If they have a good lie and put some spin on it, you can be a little more aggressive. But it’s a tough shot.”
What occurred on the shot?
Disaster.
Cantlay hit his ball out towards the left, about 20 ft from the gap. It trickled left to proper. It rolled previous the gap.
It stopped wanting the water. It settled between the wood assist put up and the wood bulkhead that have been to the proper of the inexperienced. About 1 / 4 of the ball was unseen.
Said Immelman: “Oh word.”
Said Baker-Finch: “Well, that’s exactly what we were talking about and how so quickly it can get away from you.”
Said Immelman: “That’s like basketball when the ball gets between the hoop and the backboard. That’s just wedged in there.”
Said Baker-Finch: “I doubt he can play that. I don’t think he will.”
Could Cantlay have taken a drop?
He might have, for one penalty stroke. The ball had crossed the red-lined penalty space, and he might take stroke-and-distance, back-on-the-line or lateral reduction, all under Rule 17.1d.
Said guidelines official Mark Dusbabek on the CBS broadcast: “It is in the penalty area. So his options are either to try and play it, which you don’t know what’s going to happen with the bulkhead. Otherwise, you can take relief and take his reference point from where he last crossed the margin of the penalty area.”
With ‘vote of confidence’ guidelines gesture, Scottie Scheffler rescues bewildered professional
Nick Piastowski
What might have gone improper when Cantlay hit it?
Rather a lot.
The ball might have stayed caught.
The ball might have popped up — and went straight down.
The ball might have trickled to the left or to the proper.
Or one thing completely else. Could he have fallen in the water? Also a chance. These issues don’t occur usually. You don’t observe this.
Said Immelman: “Because it’s sitting down, if he goes in and hits it, it might kick backwards and then drop down into the water.”
What did the analysts assume Cantlay ought to have finished?
Drop. Try to make your bogey. Move on.
Avoid the blowup.
Pro’s interview gesture earns ‘mad respect’ from golf followers, CBS
James Colgan
Said Baker-Finch: “Yeah, it’s wedged in there. And my fear is if he bellies it to try and hit the ball cleanly, it pops up in the air and spins back into the water. I would not be playing that. I would certainly be dropping that over the edge and hopefully hole the putt for four.”
Immelman puzzled, although, about Cantlay’s place in the event. He had began the gap two again of Spieth, who was main and was going through a par putt.
Said Immelman: “Put yourself in his shoes here. If you’re two behind and now you’re in this situation, are you going to take a bit more risk because you’re trying to keep pace with Spieth? What would your process be here?”
Said Rahm: “Nah, you can’t. Take a drop. Hopefully make a four. And try to go on a tear the last few holes. That’s all you can do.”
What did Jon Rahm assume?
Outside of the shot — and possibly even together with it — Rahm’s time in the CBS sales space was excellent. Twice, he had stated that Cantlay ought to take the drop.
What did he assume was going via Cantlay’s head?
Jim Nantz denies Phil Mickelson Masters TV protection ‘shadowban’
James Colgan
Said Rahm: “It’s an awkward situation as a player. Because you want to have faith that you can get it down and give yourself the best chance to hopefully make a four. Your ego is almost taking a bit of a hit if you’re taking a drop on a par-3. I mean, he had a 7-iron in and you’re in this situation. It’s tough. It’s tough. I could see Adam [Hayes, his caddie], if this was me, really trying to talk me out of this one. Because as players, you want to believe you can get this done and put it on the green. If he just hits past the hole, it will come right back and give himself a great look at four. But again, like I said, the dangers are great. I mean you have the board that’s wedged in. You have the edge of the green or the fringe. It’s massive risk over something you never practice. There’s too many unknowns in this situation.”
What was Jordan Spieth doing?
Watching on. Pacing. After Cantlay’s first chip, Matt Fitzpatrick, the different participant in the threesome, putted, and Spieth then waited.
Cantlay’s ball settled at 4:54 p.m. ET, and he didn’t hit once more till 4:59.
What did Cantlay do?
He put his iron behind the ball a number of instances. He talked with caddie Matt Minister. Cantlay puzzled if his ball would go backward on influence. He squatted right down to take a better take a look at the lie. Minister squatted down and appeared beneath the put up. Minister talked about the place Cantlay might drop.
Cantlay took a barely open stance. Both of his heels have been above the water.
Said Immelman: “You got to watch out for the double hit here.”
Matt Fitzpatrick beats Jordan Spieth in playoff, wins RBC Heritage on acquainted turf
Jack Hirsh
Said Rahm: “You got to watch out for a lot of things.”
Cantlay hit.
The contact made a clicking sound.
The ball dropped simply on the fringe of the inexperienced, and it rolled 4 ft previous the gap.
What was Rahm’s and the analysts’ response?
Stunned.
Said Immelman: “Oh yeah.”
Said Rahm: “Incredible.”
Said Baker-Finch: “Well, glad he went for it now. Just popped out of there nicely. I wasn’t expecting that, I must say.”
Said Rahm: “I wasn’t either. I mean, everything we said, just nothing.”
Said Immelman: “Welcome to being an announcer, Jon.”
Said Baker-Finch: “Welcome to our world.”
Said Rahm: “Oh, I don’t like it at all.”
What did Cantlay assume?
Afterward, he was requested: “Did you waver a few times to drop it, or you were going to hit it all the way and just needed to know how you were going to play it?”
Said Cantlay: “I just needed to make sure I was totally committed to what I decided to do there. I wasn’t decided until the end, but ultimately I thought that if I would have dropped it, it would have meant double bogey more than likely, and I wanted to at least give myself a chance to stay in the golf tournament and try and get it up-and-down, which I did.”
What occurred after the shot?
Cantlay made the putt, after Spieth bogeyed. Heading to the fifteenth gap, Spieth led, by a shot over Fitzpatrick, and by two over Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Sungjae Im. From there, Spieth and Fitzpatrick tied after regulation play, and Fitzpatrick gained after three playoff holes.
Said Rahm: ”That is a gutsy play proper there that clearly if he goes on to win, we’re going to speak about it for some time.”
Source link
