FedExCup scenarios: BMW Championship

LAS VEGAS — Patrick Cantlay came within one putt of a 59 on Saturday, instead matching his low score on the PGA TOUR for a share of the lead with 20-year-old Tom Kim going into the final round of the Shriners Children’s Open. If the third round was any indication, anything goes on the TPC Summerlin high above the Las Vegas Strip. Cantlay had five birdies in his opening six holes, and then poured it on again down the stretch with five birdies in a six-hole stretch that put him on the cusp of his first sub-60 round. He had a birdie putt from just inside 25 feet that broke sharply to the right, and Cantlay played it a little too high of the cup. It was his first 60 on TOUR as a pro — his other 60 was at the 2011 Travelers Championship as a 19-year-old amateur after Cantlay finished his freshman year at UCLA. Cantlay has never shot 59 even at his home course of Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, California, and he smiled when asked about the stress of his final putt. “I would have liked to have made it, yeah,” he said. And then his thoughts turned to a final round, which shaped up as a dandy. Kim is a budding star, having won the Wyndham Championship and delivering big moments in his debut at the Presidents Cup. He birdied five of his last six holes, sticking a wedge to 2 feet on the 18th, for a 62 that put him in a tie with Cantlay at 19-under 194. They were three shots clear of a Mito Pereira (67) and Matthew Ne Smith (63), with defending champion Sungjae Im (63) another shot behind. For Cantlay, a good performance in Las Vegas is familiar. He picked up his first PGA TOUR victory in a playoff at the TPC Summerlin in 2017. He twice was a runner-up in Las Vegas. His worst result was a tie for eighth in 2020 when he had a share of the 54-hole lead. “I think I drive the ball in the fairway a lot here, and I’m not afraid of hitting driver on most every hole, so I have a lot of wedge into greens, and I have a lot of looks,” Cantlay said. “If I make a bunch of putts, I can shoot low scores.” He’s been doing that all week, only on Saturday he kept hitting it a little closer and made most of the mid-range putts he had been missing. Cantlay putted for birdie on every hole, and that birdie chance for 59 on the 18th was his second-longest putt of the round. But then, Cantlay also knows what to expect at Las Vegas, and his work is not done. “No lead is safe around here,” he said. Pereira started the day with the lead, shot 67 and wound up three shots behind. Kim played bogey-free and needed a big run at the end to keep pace. “We haven’t run away with it,” Kim said. “I have to play well tomorrow. I’m sure a lot of guys are thinking that.” There were nine scores of 64 or better on a perfect day for scoring. The course average for Saturday was 67.9. Perhaps another example of the low scoring was Cantlay. His group of NeSmith and S.H. Kim played so well that Cantlay never hit first from a tee box on the back nine. NeSmith had a 63 and S.H. Kim had a 64. Cantlay already has won twice this year — one was with Xander Schauffele in the team event in New Orleans — and a victory Sunday would move him to No. 2 in the world.

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Since TPC Sawgrass, the first Tournament Players Club, opened in 1980, the PGA TOUR’s TPC Network of private and destination golf clubs has maintained a reputation for developing and operating outstanding PGA TOUR golf properties across the country (www.tpc.com). With TPC Sawgrass, Home of THE PLAYERS Championship, as the flagship, each subsequent TPC Network club has been created with spectator golf in mind. Many TPCs are currently the host courses for PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, and Web.com Tour events. In fact, TPC Network clubs have hosted more than 400 professional golf tournaments. The PGA TOUR continues to distinguish itself as a leader in delivering memorable experiences for TOUR players, members, guests and tournament fans through its TPC Network of clubs. Through the world of golf, the PGA TOUR and the TPC Network drives positive impact at unprecedented levels to support and improve local communities. Together, $1.6 million has been raised for military men and women and their families through charitable events held at TPCs as part of the TOUR’s Birdies for the Brave military outreach initiative. The TOUR also helped to make a difference in communities nationwide for non-profit organizations through the Adopt-A-Charity program conducted at TPCs. Every club in the TPC Network embraces the PGA TOUR’s mission of making an impact in the communities in which we play and have clubs. These include:  Birdies for the Brave A joint effort by PGA TOUR, Inc., PGA TOUR Charities, Inc., and the TPC Network, Birdies for the Brave is a national military outreach initiative dedicated to honoring and showing appreciation to the courageous men and women of our United States Armed Forces and their families. Birdies for the Brave was created in 2004 by PGA TOUR player Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, in collaboration with Glenn Cohen, to raise funds for combat-wounded veterans. Thanks to their vision and the passionate support of PGA TOUR players, tournament fans, volunteers, TPC club members and corporate sponsors, Birdies for the Brave has grown exponentially across the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and Web.com Tour. Today, the program encompasses a broad spectrum of military outreach and appreciation activities conducted during PGA TOUR tournaments, as well as a series of fundraising events hosted at the TOUR’s TPC clubs and partner courses across the nation – an effort that has raised much-needed funds for military homefront charities that are supported by PGA TOUR players, which provide direct services for military members, veterans, and their families ranging from financial aid and rehabilitation programs to housing, counseling and educational scholarships and career development and recruitment. To learn more about the many ways the PGA TOUR supports the U.S. military and their families, please visit www.birdiesforthebrave.org or www.facebook.com/birdiesforthebrave. Make-A-Wish As part of the PGA TOUR’s national relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, TPCs help create unique VIP experiences for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families during PGA TOUR tournaments. Make-A-Wish families are treated to inside-the-ropes opportunities such as meet and greets with TOUR players, behind-the-scenes tours of clubhouses and tournament-operations facilities. In some cases, the opportunity also arises for someone to play a round of golf with or hit balls on the practice facility with a TOUR player. Adopt-A-Charity The PGA TOUR’s Adopt-A-Charity program is a grass-roots vehicle for local fundraising. Under the program, each TPC club becomes aligned with a local non-profit organization and conducts an annual charity golf tournament for its benefit. Since the program’s inception, TPCs have helped local charities raise more than $3.3 million for programs ranging from children’s hospitals and educational programs to food banks and health-related causes. The First Tee The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) is a national, youth-development organization that uses golf to teach character development through its Nine Core Values. As part of the PGA TOUR’s national partnership with The First Tee, TPCs regularly support local chapters of The First Tee by hosting fundraising events, donating auction items and, where possible, serving as a venue for local programs. The practice facility at TPC River Highlands (Cromwell, Conn.), for example, serves as home to The First Tee of Connecticut, while the club features a dedicated First Tee nine-hole course adjacent to the practice facility. Please follow the TPC Network on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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