Patrick Cantlay continues TPC Summerlin dominance at Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

LAS VEGAS – There’s no such thing as a sure bet in Las Vegas but Patrick Cantlay might be as close as it gets.

In his two previous appearances at TPC Summerlin, Cantlay was the champion in 2017 and runner up in 2018. This year he’s opened 66-64 to share the lead through 36 holes.

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It leaves the two-time PGA TOUR winner a ridiculous 41 under par on the course from 10 rounds with a scoring average of 66.9.

His driving and approach game has been stellar through two rounds. When he entered the clubhouse he led the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee gaining almost four strokes on the field average. And after hitting all 18 greens in regulation on Thursday he missed just two on Friday.

The secret?

“Driving the ball in the fairway is really important. It's one of my strengths, so most of the tee shots out here look really comfortable to me. Leaves me lots of wedges, lots of opportunities for scoring,” Cantlay explained.

“First couple days hit the ball really well, especially off the tee. I think that's a big part of playing this golf course well, is hitting driver a lot. I hit driver a lot out here when other guys might lay-up ... It's worked.”

Indeed the slight-figured Cantlay averaged 317.5 yards on all drives over the opening rounds, putting him in the top handful of players.

The key now becomes continuing it over the weekend. With his track record though, chances are Cantlay will do just that.

“I'm ready. I like this place. Had a good track record here and feel comfortable,” he says.

“I think a lot of times I play a round out here and feel like it could have been a few better, yet I'm still up there on the leaderboard, which is interesting.

“I think the golf course … I want to say it's easier for me compared to some others.”