Patrick Cantlay on the RBC Heritage on Sunday.
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When the RBC Heritage was suspended due to darkness at 7:50 p.m. Sunday, the match’s winner already had been all however determined. With a three-shot lead with simply three holes to play, Scottie Scheffler was not going to kick away his fourth title in his final 5 begins, as a result of, effectively, he’s Scottie Scheffler.
But additional down the ’board, different enterprise nonetheless wanted to be settled.
Among the gamers nonetheless on the course battling for a shot at solo second, which was good for a whopping $2,160,000, have been three contenders at 15 below: Patrick Cantlay (who was through 17 holes), J.T. Poston (additionally through 17) and Sahith Theegala (through 15); two gamers at 14 below: Ludvig Aberg (through 17) and Patrick Rodgers (through 16); and two extra gamers at 13 below: Collin Morikawa (through 15) and Sepp Straka (through 14).
From that group, Cantlay’s Sunday-evening decision-making at Harbour Town was significantly intriguing, as a result of when the horn blew he had solely half a gap left to play. To end his spherical, or not to end his spherical? For Cantlay, that was the query. Under the principles, if play is suspended for darkness after a participant already has teed off on a gap, the participant could elect to full the opening or mark and end out when play resumes. Players usually shudder on the considered having to come again on Monday mornings, particularly if they’ve just a few photographs left to play, so in the event that they’re on the 72nd gap below these circumstances, they’ll make each effort to gap out. Then once more, when tens of millions of {dollars} are on the road, dashing or combating the darkness will not be all the time the wisest tactic.
Cantlay had hit a superb drive on the par-4 18th, however when play was suspended he nonetheless had 214 yards left right into a stiff wind and light-weight rain and over marshland — not probably the most snug shot even in the very best of circumstances. Decision time: mark and are available again the subsequent morning, or swing away. Cantlay talked over the choices along with his caddie, Joe LaCava, and made the decision: they’d forge on with a 3-wood into the gloaming.
“It got dark,” Cantlay would say later. “But yeah, I could see okay.”
Cantlay’s effort cleared the penalty space however got here up simply quick and left of the inexperienced, from the place not less than one observer — and absolutely others, too — assumed Cantlay would have elected to end up his spherical. But Cantlay didn’t. Instead, he marked. He would sleep on his up-and-down try.
“Can’t believe my eyes watching Patrick Cantlay,” tweeted Ian Woosnam, the 1991 Masters champion, “why on earth would you hit your second shot then mark your ball absolutely crazy, maybe says a lot.”
Says loads about what precisely, Woosnam didn’t say. But on Monday Cantlay defined his decision, saying: “I really did want to finish last night, so I felt like if I could get the ball up there maybe in an easier spot, maybe I would have finished. But as I got the ball up near the green, I realized it would be easier to finish this morning. Just thought it might be easier to get the ball up-and-down this morning.”
Sensible!
Before the 8 a.m. restart, Cantlay spent about 20 or half-hour hitting putts on the follow inexperienced, nevertheless it was his wedge recreation that delivered. Cantlay chipped his third shot to inside three toes and holed the putt for 4 and a closing 68.
Second place, although, would elude him.
When Theegala accomplished his spherical par-birdie-par, he leapfrogged the group at 15 below to end one higher and snag solo runner-up honors for himself. Cantlay, in the meantime, tied for third with Clark and nonetheless made out all proper, pocketing a cool $1,180,000 for his four- . . . effectively, five-day work week.
