Patrick Cantlay duelled Collin Morikawa (and Scottie Scheffler) over the final nine holes at Muirfield Village Golf Club, and eventually defeated Morikawa in the first extra hole to win the 2021 Memorial Tournament.
Cantlay’s work with the putter was a big reason for the victory. Cantlay made 11 putts longer than 10 feet for the week, including a 17-footer on 13 for birdie; a 24-footer on 17 for birdie to tie with Morikawa, then applied the crusher – a nervy par save on the first hole of overtime.
Not that other parts of Cantlay’s game weren’t on point. They were. He ranked third in strokes gained/off the tee with his 10.5-degree Titleist TS3 driver and was fifth in strokes gained/approach and T-1 in greens in regulation with his Titleist 718 AP2 irons and Titleist Vokey wedges. Cantlay was first in strokes gained/tee to green, picking up more than 14 strokes on the field.
But it was Cantlay’s Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5 tour prototype that was the difference-maker. Cantlay struggled with his Scotty Cameron blade-style putter after a hot start in the American autumn, prompting a move to an Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball mallet at the RBC Heritage. That putter got a short leash, but Cantlay stuck with the mallet style, changing to Phantom X 5 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Cantlay worked with Scotty Cameron tour rep Drew Page on building the mid-mallet model, which gave Cantlay added stability through its compact wingback construction. Cantlay’s prototype features a double-bend shaft and is devoid of alignment features. Said Page: “The Phantom X 5 gives Patrick the stability he was looking for and without any lines he feels freed up to be more athletic with the putting stroke.” Cantlay finished third in the field with 21 birdies and was 19th in strokes gained/putting.
Exactly what you need to do to win a duel.
What Patrick Cantlay had in the bag at the 2021 Memorial Tournament:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist TS3 (Mitsubishi Diamana ZF60 TX), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Titleist 915F, 15 degrees
Hybrid: Titleist 816H2, 21 degrees
Irons (4-9): Titleist 718 AP2; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM7
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 (52, 57 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM8 (61 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5 tour prototype
PHOTO: Icon Sportswire
