Patrick Cantlay, once the No. 1 amateur in the world and tabbed for PGA Tour stardom, had his career stalled for almost three years by a back injury in 2014 but is starting to make a name for himself.
The 25-year-old Cantlay (pictured), from Los Alamitos and UCLA, claimed his first victory on the big tour at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and is looking for more in his own backyard in the pro game.
Cantlay shot 5-under-par 66 in the first round of the Genesis Open and is tied for the lead with Tony Finau at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, where the first round was halted by darkness with several players still on the course.
“I think it all adds up,” Cantlay said of his experience at Riviera, which he played often when he was at UCLA. “I feel comfortable here. I like the golf course and I think that helps. You don’t have to shoot at all the flagsticks.
“You’ve just got to hit a lot of smart shots over and over and over again, and not get too greedy. I feel very familiar with the lines on the golf course, and it’s one of my favorite golf courses. I think the architecture out here is definitely one of the best we play all year. I think it rewards really smart, safe golf a lot. I say safe, but just picking your spots, not trying to get overly aggressive.”
Finau, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, birdied four of his first five holes and later sank a 17-foot birdie putt at No. 9 to finish his 66, while Cantlay birdied four of seven holes through No. 13.
Sam Saunders birdied three of the first five holes to kick-start a 67 and is tied for third with Tom Hoge, who holed a 20-foot putt on the famous final hole at Riviera, and Dominic Bozzelli, who also birdied three of his first five holes.
Bubba Watson, winner at Riviera in 2014 and 2016, shot 68 and is tied for sixth with Kevin Na of Diamond Bar, Martin Laird of Scotland, Retief Goosen of South Africa, Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe and USC, Ryan Moore, Derek Fathauer, Chez Reavie, Aaron Wise of Lake Elsinore, Jason Kokrak and Troy Merritt.
Fourth-ranked Justin Thomas is tied for 17th at 69, two-time Riviera winner Phil Mickelson is tied for 21st at 70, and third-ranked Jordan Spieth totaled 71 to wind up in a tie for 36th that includes 10th-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland.
Top-ranked Dustin Johnson, the defending champion, struggled to a 74 and is tied for 107th.
Tournament host Tiger Woods, in his second official event since a fourth back surgery, bounced back from a double-bogey 7 on the 11th hole–his second of the day—when he lost his golf ball in a tree and is tied for 63rd at 72.
“I wasn’t very happy,” Woods said of losing his golf ball in the tree. “Eucalyptus trees don’t usually keep golf balls, but this one did. … Going double bogey-bogey early, I had to turn things around and I was able to do that. I hung in there pretty well.
“It’s hard out there and no one is going really low. The greens are springy and even the short one are not easy. You really have to be patient. But you can make birdies on the par-5s and you have some chances with some wedges in your hands.
“ … I’m not that far off.”
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