‘Patty Ice’ is playing to type, Patrick Cantlay keeps challengers mostly at arm’s length

ATLANTA – Less than a week into his new nickname, “Patty Ice” is playing to type.

He gave the best press conference early in the week, saying, among other things, that there is some truth to the nickname. And he has coolly, calmly refused to surrender the lead despite everything playing partner Jon Rahm could throw at him Friday.

“The two rounds were very similar,” Cantlay said after his 4-under 66, which got him to 17 under total, one ahead of world No. 1 Rahm (65). “Mostly mistake-free, both rounds, and I hit the ball pretty well, kept the ball in control, fat side mostly, and had really nice speed on the greens and just didn't make very much.”

Well, not until 17 and 18, anyway. One week after setting a PGA TOUR record in Strokes Gained: Putting in his playoff win at the BMW Championship, Cantlay answered Rahm’s birdies on the last two holes with birdies of his own to keep the solo lead going into the weekend.

Although he ranks only 22nd in SG: Putting this week, Cantlay has done just enough.

“You definitely feed off the other player,” said Rahm, who began the week four back but has done nearly everything right to erase most of that deficit. “When you have somebody like him who played a round with very few mistakes, you could argue that it could have been a lot lower; it only motivates me to keep doing a little bit better.”

With the tournament’s relatively new (2019) Starting Strokes format, Cantlay’s lead at the outset – by two over Tony Finau, on down to 10 over a group of five players – was always going to be the big story. It was like a living, breathing thing.

How long would it last? Or would it last at all?

So far, it has.

The overarching theme to this TOUR Championship is that the front-runner has refused to do anything stupid to help the chase pack. He’s made them work, and, so far, at least, the only one who started close enough (four back) and played well enough is Rahm.

Bryson DeChambeau (67, 11 under) is the next closest player, but he’s six back.

Here was Patty Ice in action: Rahm birdied from 26 feet to tie for the lead at the 17th hole, but Cantlay promptly stepped up and converted from 15 feet to retake it.

Rahm nearly holed his bunker shot on 18, leaving himself a tap-in birdie to again tie for the lead, but after a so-so chip from behind the green, Cantlay holed from 8 feet to take it back by himself.

Somewhere, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Steve Stricker was smiling.

Is any of this surprising? Yes and no. Front-running is notoriously difficult on the PGA TOUR; in 2019, for example, Justin Thomas was the top seed but wound up tied for third. Also, Cantlay’s best in three previous starts at East Lake was a T20.

But that was Cantlay; this is Patty Ice, who may be playing the best golf of his life.

Take the 448-yard, par-4 eighth hole, a finicky driving hole with water left and bunkers right. Dustin Johnson splashed his tee shot and made double-bogey 6. Billy Horschel hit his into the sand and also doubled it. Louis Oosthuizen found the bunkers and made bogey. Jordan Spieth three-putted for bogey. Then up stepped Patty Ice.

Cantlay split the fairway with a 308-yard beauty, pelted the green, and made par.

Even when the chasers put heat on him, they couldn’t sustain it.

Spieth was making a run with birdies at 10, 11 and 12, but three-putted from 11 feet to bogey 13. Any thoughts that he might storm into contention and maybe win this thing, as he did in 2015, were put to rest as he played par golf the rest of the way for a 67.

“I actually feel like I'm still in this golf tournament,” Spieth said. “Maybe seven back with two rounds to go, but the way that I'm playing, the way I feel over the ball and the way I'm driving the ball, I feel if my putter gets hot, then can I make that up.”

Well, he was seven back before Cantlay birdied 17 and 18. Now he’s nine back.

Thomas got to 12 under, within striking distance of the lead, but made a mess of the last three holes, going 5, 5, 5 – bogey, bogey, and a disappointing par at the easy finishing hole. He, too, signed for a 67 and was at 10 under par, seven off the lead.

“I mean, to finish the way I did was definitely disappointing,” said Thomas, who hit just five fairways and was headed to the driving range to try to figure out what went wrong.

Rahm, with whom Cantlay will play again Saturday, is clearly a threat. But if Cantlay, who leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (+5.752), starts making putts again, look out. Even with red-hot Rahm in his midst, Patty Ice may be too cool to catch.