Daily Times

WASHINGTON: Patrick Cantlay held off top-ranked Jon Rahm to win the US PGA Tour Championship Sunday and claim the $15 million FedEx Cup playoffs top prize. Cantlay two-putted for birdie at the par-five 18th to cap a one-under-par 69 that gave him a 21-under-par total and a one-shot victory over Spain’s Rahm, who made the second birdie of his two-under 68 at the final hole to finish on 20-under. “I played great today. It hasn’t even sunk in yet,” Cantlay said. “I just kept telling myself to focus and lock in and I did a great job of that today.” While Cantlay had said throughout that he was trying to approach each round as usual and tune out the prospect of a monster payday, he admitted that it wasn’t just another week. Cantlay came into the tournament staked to a two-shot lead — and a four-stroke advantage over Rahm — under the staggered scoring system that awarded the 30 starters strokes based on their place in the playoff standings. He led every day, with Rahm pushing hard but unable to get past him. Cantlay’s third bogey of the day at the par-four 17th saw his lead shrink to one, the American doing well to limit the damage after going right off the tee from where his second shot bounced through the green.

He responded with a booming drive up the middle of the fairway at the par-five 18th, where he two-putted for birdie from 11 feet. Rahm pushed to the bitter end, his second shot at 18 tracking the pin only to bounce through the green and into the greenside rough from where he got up and down for birdie. Rahm’s only other birdie was a tap-in at the fifth hole. In fact, Rahm’s 72-hole total of 266 was actually three shots lower than Cantlay’s 269. But the Spaniard went into the event four adrift in the staggered start system. Asked if he felt “in his heart of hearts” that he had won the tournament, Rahm said “No. And Rahm said Cantlay — who was atop the FedEx Cup standings after an epic playoff win over Bryson DeChambeau at last week’s BMW Championship — had earned the victory. American Kevin Na finished alone in third after a closing 67 that put him at 16-under par. Former FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas fired a two-under 70 to finish fourth on 15-under.