Patrick Cantlay was tabbed as a future star when he captured the California State High School Championship as a senior at Servite High in Anaheim in 2010, but after a strong start to his pro career a back injury knocked him out of action for nearly three years.
Finally, he is starting to fulfill his promise.
The 25-year-old Cantlay, from Los Alamitos, made an unlikely par on the second playoff hole to defeat Whee Kim of South Korea and Alex Cejka of Germany to win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in brutally windy conditions at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.
“This is so different from where I was, it’s hard to describe how I feel,” said Cantlay, the former UCLA All-American whose only other pro victory came in the Colombia Championship on the Web.com Tour. “There were so many lows. It’s been a struggle, but I put in a lot of hard work.
“ … I had had only one shot (after driving into the trees) on the second playoff hole. That was to go for the green and try to keep it out of the water. I didn’t want to lay up because Alex was in good shape, so that was the only choice I had.”
Cantlay, once the No. 1 amateur in the world, hit his shot through the trees and over the green before two-putting from about 60 feet, sinking a three-footer for the victory after Cejka missed a 15-foot par putt that would have prolonged the playoff.
Cejka, 46, whose victory in the 2013 Puerto Rico Open is one of his 12 as a pro, shot 9-under-par 63 early in the day and waited more than two hours before Kim, 25, posted a 66 and Cantlay finished at 67 to wind up in a tie at 9-under 275.
Chesson Hadley could have joined the playoff but he made bogey on the final hole to cap a 68 and was one stroke back in a tie for fourth with Patton Kizzire, who totaled 64, and J.T. Poston, who came in at 66.
Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis carded a 67 to finish two shots behind in a tie for seventh with Tom Hoge, who had a 69, and 54-hole co-lead Beau Hossler of Mission Viejo, who struggled to a 73.
J.J. Spaun of Los Angeles and San Diego State, who shared the third-round lead with Hossler, imploded down the stretch and shot 74 to finish one more shot down in a tie for 10th with Alex Kang (64), Graeme McDowell (66) of Northern Ireland, A.J. McInerney (67), Aaron Baddeley (68) of Australia and William McGirt (68).
Charley Hoffman of Poway and UNLV shot 70 to tie for 18th and donated his $98,600 paycheck to the fund for victims of the mass-shooting in Las Vegas last month.
Defending champion Rod Pampling closed with a 69 and tied for 47th.
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