Cink-cess! 47-year-old wins 3rd Heritage title

ATLANTA — Patrick Cantlay finished with a 25-foot birdie putt that gave him a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm in the TOUR Championship on Saturday and set the stage for a sprint to the FedExCup title. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Brooks Koepka WDs from TOUR Championship It might not be a two-man race at East Lake, anymore. Cantlay’s final birdie allowed him to finish strong after a wobbly four-hole stretch that had winnowed his four-shot lead down to one. He wound up with a 3-under 67 and was at 20-under par, leaving him one round away from the FedExCup. Rahm finished with five straight pars for a 68 and was still very much alive. He went from a four-shot deficit after the 10th hole to a one-shot deficit just five holes later. It’s not easy to go low at East Lake, but it’s easy to lose ground. Cantlay did that with a pair of mistakes over the final hour. “Hopefully tomorrow, I can bring my A-game and give this guy in front of me a little bit of a run,” Rahm said. Not to be overlooked was Justin Thomas, though he was agitated with his finish. Thomas, who began the TOUR Championship six shots behind because of his position in the FedExCup coming into the finale, was poised for the low round of the week to to get a little closer. But he pulled his tee shot on the par-5 18th, went rough-to-rough to 35 feet, and then three-putted for bogey by missing a 5-foot putt. He was five behind. No one else was closer than seven shots of Cantlay, who began the week at 10-under par after his BMW Championship victory made him the No. 1 seed. Cantlay had reason to think Sunday might have involved a little less stress. He and Rahm had matching birdies from the greenside bunker on the par-5 sixth, and then the cool-headed Californian began to pull away. Cantlay made a 12-foot birdie on No. 7. Rahm found a bunker off the tee at No. 8 and made bogey. Cantlay holed a 30-foot birdie across the green at the par-3 ninth, and then drilled his approach to 10 feet for another birdie on No. 10. Just like that, he was four shots clear and not making any mistakes that would suggest he was going anywhere but forward. But he missed the 11th green for bogey, and then it became a real struggle down the stretch. Cantlay found trouble left of the fairway on No. 14 and had to scramble for bogey. He badly missed the 16th green with a wedge in his hand on No. 16 and again scrambled for bogey. In between, he missed birdie chances of 10 feet and 8 feet, the length he had been making all day amid calls of “Patty Ice.” And then on the 18th, Cantlay faced a tough bunker shot over another greenside bunker to a tight pin. He played smartly, as he’s done all week, and left himself 25 feet for a birdie putt that put a happy finish on his round. Thomas was the only one of the dreamers to have real thoughts of winning, along with perhaps Kevin Na (66), who was seven shots behind. Rory McIlroy took himself out of the picture with a 74. Jordan Spieth, who thrives at East Lake, wasted a good start with too many bogeys and then nothing but pars over the final eight holes for a 70. Harris English didn’t make birdie until the 17th hole and shot 75. It looks like match play between Cantlay and Rahm, depending on how Thomas starts and whether he can stay close enough. So much more is at stake than the $15 million prize for winning. Still to be determined after the season ends Sunday is PGA TOUR player of the year. Rahm would seem to be a leading contender with his U.S. Open title and top finishes in the majors, along with Open champion Collin Morikawa. A win for Cantlay would be his fourth of the season — no one else has more than two — and it would include the FedExCup.

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FORT WORTH, Texas – The worst car that veteran caddie Kenny Harms ever owned was a green 1973 Chevy Camaro. He paid $200 for it and soon nicknamed it the Putty Box because that’s the material he kept using to fix the rust. On Sunday, Harms became the owner of another car built in 1973. This one’s considerably more valuable … and certainly more significant, as it comes courtesy of his man Kevin Na, who romped to a four-shot victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Among the perks for winning at Colonial are a plaid jacket, the Texas-sized Leonard trophy, a permanent spot on the Wall of Champions and a hefty check. This year, another perk was added – a 1973 blue Dodge Challenger to commemorate the year the Charles Schwab company was founded. It’s a unique prize, one that Na remembers hearing about months ago. Harms was equally aware of it too, and during a recent promotional piece on the car for the Caddie Network, he had a message for Na: “You wouldn’t really look so great in this but I will. I should I get the car if you win.â€� Then on Tuesday during the practice round, they spotted the Challenger sitting just off the 10th fairway. “Kevin, that’s my car, right?â€� Harms said. “Yeah, if I win, I’ll give it to you,â€� replied Na. “BOOM!â€� Harms said as he retold the story on the 18th green at Colonial, the trophy presentation having just completed. “Pretty smart for a caddie.â€� Said Na: “I don’t know how my caddie convinced me to give him the car, but he’s a good salesman I guess. He sold me into it. But I’m more than happy to give it to him. He deserves it.” “I got something cooler right here.â€� Na then patted the Leonard Trophy, which stands 42 inches tall and weighs 55 pounds, making it one of the biggest trophies on TOUR. It’s one he’s long coveted – and one he long imagined winning, perhaps even expecting to at some point. Colonial is one of the few courses on the PGA TOUR that Na thinks fits his shot-maker’s game. It’s not overly long, it rewards precision, and several of the holes play to his strengths. “I think a lot of my draws work out here,â€� he said. He also called it a second-shot-in golf course, noting that a majority of well-struck tee shots end up in the same spot in the fairway. “It’s about how good you can hit it with the irons and how well you can putt,â€� said Na, whose career-low 61 came here last year, and who shot a 62 on Friday to jump into contention. “I’m a pretty good player fairway in.â€� He was more than good on Sunday, hitting 14 of 18 greens and making several key putts. Starting the day with a two-stroke lead, Na birdied three of his first six holes – including a 33-foot putt at the fourth — then bounced back from his first bogey with another birdie from 20 feet at the par-3 eighth. Na, known for walking in putts, kind of side-walked this one, then pumped his first. A few steps later, he smiled for the first time in his round. No one would catch him on this day. He eventually finished at 13 under, and his 4-under 66 was exceeded by only one player Sunday, Russell Knox’s 65. “A well-deserved win this week,â€� said Tony Finau, his closest pursuer at 9 under. A little less than a year ago, Na won at The Greenbrier. It was his second TOUR win but his first in 158 starts. Na said the drought lasted so long – despite several close calls – that he wondered if he would ever win again. He’s not wondering any more. Although he feels like there are just seven or eight courses he can legitimately contend it – that may explain why he had just one top-10 this season coming into this week — Na is now converting those opportunities. “I feel like this week was the next chance at a win, next time I legitimately could contend – and I won,â€� Na said. “I felt so much more comfortable. Had so much more confidence. I think me winning Greenbrier last year has obviously taken a lot of pressure off.” “There is always pressure, but it’s taken a lot of the load off, weight off my shoulders. I think it helped me today.â€� Harms – who has been on Na’s bag since the end of the 2008 season when he jumped off Hale Irwin’s bag – has noticed the difference. “Ever since his win at Greenbrier, that was the first time I actually saw a calmness to him that all the greats have in golf,â€� Harms said. “I can tell when he’s nervous. I never really saw any nervousness from him today.â€� Until this week, 2019 had not gone all that smoothly. A finger injury forced him to withdraw from the Sentry Tournament of Champions and sidelined him for a month. A neck injury at Valspar also slowed him down. Then there are courses that simply don’t serve him well, like last week at Bethpage Black when he failed to make the cut. But Colonial will always be a special place for him. Just before starting his round Sunday, he looked at the Wall of Champions next to the No. 1 teebox and noted the engraved name of last year’s winner, Justin Rose. Then he looked at the empty spot just below it. “In my head, I engraved my name in it,â€� Na said. He won’t have to visualize any longer. Next time he arrives at Colonial, his name will be there, alongside all the other winners, including four-time champ Ben Hogan. The ’73 Dodge Challenger, though, will not be in his garage. Harms said he has ample room in his own garage, right next to his 911 Porsche Carrera. But don’t feel too bad for Na. Asked if he owned a car that could race the Challenger, he cracked a smile. “I got a Lamborghini at home.â€�

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LAS VEGAS – Jack Trent makes sure you know he’s not stalking Adam Scott. Sure, like Scott, he’s an Australian from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Sure, he followed in Scott’s footsteps by playing at the same home course, attending the same school as a kid, and ending up at the same college as the 13-time PGA TOUR winner. Sure, he used to study YouTube videos of Scott’s swing religiously as a youngster and try to replicate the smooth rhythmic moves. And sure he tried to build his golf game, and his demeanor, around his idol. “I’m not a stalker, I swear,â€� the 20-year-old laughed after meeting Scott inside the ropes at TPC Summerlin in the lead up to the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. You see, Trent and Scott having something else in common this week: they’ll both be making their tournament debut. Amazingly, Scott has never played the tournament despite his cameo time at University of Nevada-Las Vegas in the 1999 and 2000 college seasons before he turned pro. Trent, now a junior at UNLV, won the Southern Highlands Collegiate tournament earlier this year to earn a sponsor invite into the field where he will make his PGA TOUR debut. Clearly, Trent was already excited about the prospect of playing on the big stage when, during a gym workout last week, his phone rang. A strange number popped up he didn’t know. He contemplated not answering but then pushed the green button. “Hi. It’s Adam Scott. Is that Jack?â€� Trent heard. “How would you like to play a practice round together at the tournament?â€� After the initial shock wore off, Trent agreed and the pair officially met on Tuesday at TPC Summerlin. “I met him in the lunchroom and it wasn’t like real,â€� a wide-eyed Trent said. “It was pretty cool. I asked for his signature when I was 10 years old, so to be in this position right now feels a little surreal. “He’s really cool and chill and it felt natural. Felt like I had already met him before. We have a few things in common which helps with conversations. I felt really comfortable out there.â€� To be fair it’s more than a few things in common. In fact, Trent’s mother Louise – who proudly watched the entire practice round – recalled countless moments of her young son trying to emulate Scott. Louise even has photos where those who see them – without prompting – speak of how his mannerisms can mirror Scott’s. “When I was a junior we tried to model my swing a little bit off Adam Scott,â€� Trent admits. “Obviously, I have my own identity with it but he does have the prettiest swing in the world so you try to take a few things off it and build it off that. It is probably the best canvass to start off with.â€� Trent took down none other than Cole Hammer, the Texan who has already been at the top of the world amateur rankings, in a playoff to earn his place this week. While those in Nevada who follow junior and college golf weren’t overly surprised with the result, plenty of others were. Especially back in Australia. Truthfully, Trent’s success caught those down under by surprise. But they can be forgiven. Having seen the talent in their son, Trent’s parents packed the family up and moved to Las Vegas when he was 15, a year after he skipped school to watch Scott claim the first Masters title for Australia. The idea was to immerse him in the American high school and college golf system, and as a result Trent was not on the Golf Australia radar as much as others. He came to prominence when he made the final 32 at this year’s U.S. Amateur and an Australian flag popped up on the scoreboards next to his name. Trent would put down his residence in Las Vegas and his country in entry forms but invariably the stars and stripes would be shown next to his name. He tried writing “Las Vegas, Australiaâ€� as his town and was even announced that way at some events, but it wasn’t until this year’s U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst where he made a more formal request of the USGA, and it was granted. “I have always been an under-the-radar type guy but you can only do that for so long if you want to be out here. I am ready to try to elevate my game to the next level,â€� Trent says. “My goals this week are to have four really solid rounds. I think that would be a great week for me. I have a lot of family and friends coming out so I am going to try to soak it up as much as I can.â€� One man who thinks he can do it is Scott. When he heard of Trent and their similarities, he knew the right thing to do was to reach out. And truth be told, given Trent has played many more rounds at TPC Summerlin than Scott, the elder Aussie also learned a few things. “I have stayed in touch with UNLV golf since I left even though I haven’t been back to Vegas very much,â€� Scott said. “Jack’s only 20 years old and if I think back a little bit about all the opportunities UNLV opened for me here in the United States, well here it is doing the same thing for Jack. “Hopefully he is in for a good week. He obviously knows what he’s doing out here on the course. He’s a big strong kid and he has got all the tools and he has years and years ahead of him for his game to mature. There is no reason why he can’t have a good four days out here.â€� It wasn’t long after Scott left UNLV that he became a permanent member on the PGA TOUR, and at 24 he won THE PLAYERS for his second victory. No one is putting that sort or pressure on Trent. But given all the other similarities, keep an eye on the 2023 field at TPC Sawgrass.

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