Cantlay withstands the pressure, first ever to defend the FexEx Cup golf tournament!

American golfer Patrick Cantlay rewrote the PGA Tour history books on Sunday when he managed to defend the BMW Championship after a year. He became the first player in the history of the FedEx Cup playoffs since 2007 to do so. But someone else will go into the starting field at the Tour Championship with a head start.

We had to wait until the very end of the final round to find out the plot of the third FedEx Cup playoff tournament at the BMW Championship. In cases like this, it’s more than golfing skill that makes the difference. It’s all about having a good head.

At Wilmington Country Club, there were virtually two players fighting for the title at the end of the tournament – Patrick Cantlay and Scott Stallings. And it was the former who showed the stronger root in a battle of nerves. He birdied the seventeenth hole after a risky driver to take an individual lead.

On the last hole of the tournament, he hit a bunker on his first shot, but then fired from the sand right onto the green, giving none of his competitors the slightest chance of drama at the end. With a total score of -14, he eventually won.

Cantley had already been tipped for triumph after Saturday’s round, with bookmakers writing the smallest odds on him. The 30-year old American banked $2.7 million and 2,000 points in the FedEx Cup table with this BMW Championship defence.

Collin Morikawa experienced an absolute slump in the final round. He went into the final round with a promising score and a desire to challenge for the title. However, he scored a scary +7 on the eleventh and twelfth holes, knocking himself out of contention.

Despite Cantley’s fantastic performance, however, another player holds the FedEx Cup lead. World number one Scottie Scheffler in particular rocked holes 13, 14 and 16, where he birdied. However, it was too late for a title challenge. But even before a bogey on the eighteenth hole, he held on to the overall FedEx Cup points lead.

He will thus open next week’s tournament with a luxurious score of -10, two shots clear of his nearest pursuers. The FedEx Cup will move to the private East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. There, it will be decided who will ultimately become the king of the PGA Tour this season.

Source: PGA Tour, BMW Championship