American professional golfer Patrick Cantlay was born on March 17, 1992. One of the most talented young golfers in the world in June 2012 was Patrick Cantlay, who was then 20 years old.
Cantlay was a standout at UCLA and once held the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 55 weeks. At the 2011 U.S. Open, he placed lowest among amateurs, tying for twenty-first.
A week later, he tied for 24th at the Travelers Championship after shooting a 60, the lowest round by an amateur in PGA Tour history. He finished in the top 25 at the AT&T National a week later and then cracked the top 10 at the RBC Canadian Open in July.
Patrick Cantlay had the lowest amateur score at The Masters in 2012. At the U.S. Open, he once again reached the weekend. He decided not to complete his final two years at UCLA and turned pro later that summer.
Cantlay joined the Web.com Tour, which is now known as the Korn Ferry Tour, and won his first match in 2013 before obtaining a full-time PGA Tour card for the following year. Cantlay's back injury from 2013 would, however, follow him for years, and just as he was starting to recover, a tragedy struck.
Patrick Cantlay’s Injury
In March 2013, Patrick Cantlay won his first match as a professional at the Colombia Championship on the Web.com Tour. As the year progressed, he shot to the top of the money list and won a few PGA Tour events.
Cantlay injured his back while warming up before the second round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in May. He played just seven holes before leaving the tournament. He broke his L5 vertebrae, preventing him from playing for three months.
Cantlay played three events at the end of the season in an effort to make it back and secure a full-time spot on the PGA Tour. He missed two cuts but managed to finish second in the third to secure his card for 2014.
Cantlay played in just five tournaments in the 2013–2014 season, missing the cut in three of them while dealing with pain the entire time. His only other appearance in 2014 was the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, where he placed 76th after receiving a medical extension for 11 events. Patrick Cantlay would not return to the PGA Tour until 2017.
Patrick Cantlay’s Tragedy
Patrick Cantlay appeared prepared to get back into the game after sitting out the entire year of 2015. He was scheduled to compete in the CareerBuilder Challenge in January 2016, but the week before the competition, his back began to hurt, and pain began to radiate down his legs. He was compelled to drop out of the tournament, and it was suggested that he hold off on playing for at least 10 months.
Cantlay and Chris Roth, his caddie, dependable friend, and former high school teammate, were out and about in Newport Beach, California, four weeks after learning that he would once again be sidelined for the season.
Roth was struck by a car that had just crossed the street in a hit-and-run. Cantlay, who was only a few feet away, rushed to help his fallen friend, but by the time he got there, it was too late. At a nearby hospital, Roth, who was only 24 years old, was later declared dead.
Cantlay felt lost without his usual haven of golf. He had lost his best friend, which made his already-low point of being away from the game even worse. However, Cantlay was still adamant about returning despite a protracted depressive period, and so he did in 2017.
FAQs on Patrick Cantlay's tragic event
A. Cantlay's caddie and close friend, Chris Roth, was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Newport Beach, California.
A. Cantlay broke his L5 vertebrae while warming up before the second round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2013.
A. Cantlay made his return to professional golf in 2017, following a period of depression and grieving.
