Patrick Cantlay survives a bumpy finish to claim his first US PGA Tour title

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It’s usually all about making birdies at TPC Summerlin if you want to win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. But down the stretch today in Las Vegas, with gusty winds confounding the field on the back nine, par turned out to be plenty good enough, as Patrick Cantlay can attest.

With a par on the second playoff hole, the 25-year-old former US college player of the year claimed the title, his first US PGA Tour win, beating Alex Cejka and Whee Kim in fading light.

Cantlay won after shooting a closing 66 to finish at nine-under 275. However, he stumbled home with bogeys on his last two holes that maybe his maiden victory more difficult than most had envisioned.

Cantlay made yet another bogey on the first playoff hole, as did Cejka and Kim. But the par on the second playoff hole – the result of a nifty up-and-down save after Cejka made bogey and Kim a double – was enough to seal the victory.

RELATED: The club Patrick Cantlay used to win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

No one doubted Cantlay would one day be a winner on tour, particularly when he was a UCLA All-American and shot a 60 as an amateur at the 2011 Travelers Championship. But his route to the US Tour took a detour when a stress fracture in his back caused him to miss nearly three-plus years of action. It wasn’t until last February when the Californian returned to play on a major medical extension and was able to secure his card through the rest of the 2017 season. He wouldn’t miss a cut the entire season, and reached the Tour Championship, one of just two rookies to do so.

Beyond his physical comeback, there was an emotional one too. Cantlay carried the baggage of being on-site when his best friend and caddie, Chris Roth, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in February 2016. In the midst of his attempt to find his swing again, Cantlay struggled with the idea of whether professional golf was really the career he should be pursuing. But he redoubled his efforts, vowing in part to not let the setbacks hamper the dream he’d had since his early days working with instructor Jamie Mulligan.