Patrick Cantlay Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

It will be interesting to see how the masses handle Patrick Cantlay this week. On one hand, Cantlay has zero top ten finishes over his last seven starts. On the other hand, he still finished the 2019-2020 season ranked inside the top 20 in birdie or better percentage and strokes gained from tee to green. The course history at TPC Summerlin is also sparkling, as Cantlay has finished 1st, 2nd, and 2nd here over the last three years. He took a couple of weeks off after the U.S. Open and should be rested and ready to go for this one. I’m banking on his combination of talent and course history to get him back on track here.

This is the “make or break” pick for me for the BMW Championship. As I stated last week, the key to winning in DFS golf often relies on getting the star golfers that people are afraid to play because of brief dips in form. Finding the breakout spot is imperative. While I was somewhat confident in Dustin Johnson a week ago, I don’t have quite the same level of conviction surrounding Cantlay. His short game has simply been abysmal of late, and he lost over three strokes putting in two rounds once again last week. It’s hard to gauge because he’s usually an average to above average putter, so perhaps it is simply a confidence issue right now. If this tournament was being contested two months ago, Cantlay would undoubtedly be the highest owned golfer in this field at these salaries. However, since he is riding in with four straight finishes outside the top 30, everyone is afraid to play him. This is a classic case of long-term skill vs. current form, and I’ll give Cantlay one more shot.

Cantlay did exactly what I was hoping he would at last week’s St. Jude Invitational. Bermuda is by far his worst putting surface and he didn’t have a great track record on all of the comp courses in Florida. I was hoping he would post a mediocre finish, which would help keep his price at a reasonable level for this week. Cantlay was pretty bad the first two rounds, but did finish his final 36 holes at eight under par. He has the longest made cut streak on the PGA Tour, he plays well in majors, and he has the game to breakout and win a big event like this. His best two putting surfaces are bentgrass and poa annua grass and he has a great track record in California.

While the field is certainly stronger this week, I’m a little surprised Cantlay ended up being priced under $10,000 on DraftKings. And believe me, I am not complaining about it. Starting with Cantlay compare to Bryson DeChambeau or Justin Thomas does wonders for the rest of your lineup. And to be honest, I think Cantlay has the highest floor/combination of any golfer in the field. He has made 19 straight cuts and hasn’t finished worse than T41 during that stretch. He has a win, two seconds, and two thirds in those 19 events. In his two tournaments since the restart, he’s gained strokes in all four categories — off the tee, on approach, around the green, and on the green. With all parts of his game firing on all cylinders, he’s one of the few that should actually benefit from a harder course setup.

Patty Cantlay is one of my favorite golfers on tour, and someone I am often looking to fit into my DFS lineups. We have only seen him once since the restart, but he did not disappoint, finishing 11th at the Travelers while gaining strokes in every single category across the board. He checks the box for course history fans as well, finishing 1, 4, and 35 at Memorial the past three years. I like Cantlay in all formats this week as a high floor / high upside combination, and there is enough value to afford his pretty reasonable price tag. He will come with ownership, but with good reason. In my opinion, he is the top overall play on the slate.