Entering the final round of the Genesis Invitational, Patrick Cantlay and close friend Xander Schauffele were the two odds on favorites to walk away with the trophy.
Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, best of friends, gag up Genesis Invitational
Cantlay and Schauffele entered the final round of the Genesis Invitational in the final pairing, yet became an afterthought.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Cantlay, who could have nearly put the tournament away barring an awful bogey on 17 Saturday, entered Sunday with a two shot lead. Schauffele, who was the best man at Cantlay’s wedding this past fall, was one of a couple guys tied for second.
Then Sunday happened.
Cantlay incredibly only found a total of four fairways during his final round. Yes, you read that right. He was wild off the tee all day. It wasn’t until the 11th hole that he made his first birdie.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Schauffele was 1-over through his first nine. Neither player on the front carded a single birdie.
As the final pairing made the turn, they found themselves in a dog fight with a host of golfers including Luke List, Will Zalatoris and eventual champion Hideki Matsuyama.
Early on the back nine, all five players were tied at 14-under par. But it was not to be for two of the top-ranked players in the world.
Schauffele logged three bogeys in a row on 12, 13 and 14 while Cantlay had three bogeys in his first six holes on the back nine.
As both players walked past me near the 15th tee, the disappointed and frustration was visible on their faces. They knew the tournament had slipped away.
All the while, Matsuyama was scorching the Riviera Country Club to the tune of a record-breaking 9-under 62. It is the lowest final round score in Genesis history, per golf statistician Justin Ray.
What was once thought to be a two-man race between best friends turned into an afterthought. They finished up the final pairing nearly an hour after Matsuyama had walked off the course.
Ironically, Cantlay made the his best putt of the day on 18 when it didn’t matter.
Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social media platforms.
