Massive 3rd Round Lifts Patrick Cantlay Into Top 5 at The Masters

Powered by the best score in the field, the UCLA alumnus got himself back in contention at Augusta National between Saturday and Sunday.

Patrick Cantlay spent the first two rounds at Augusta National just hanging around, then he made a serious push as the weekend continued.

The former UCLA men's golf star put up a 4-under 68 in the third round at The Masters – which was split up between Saturday and Sunday due to inclement weather – moving him to 6-under for the tournament. That is good enough for fourth place, putting Cantlay in position for his best career finish at the first major of the season.

Brooks Koepka sits in first at 11-under, while Jon Rahm is in second at 9-under and Viktor Hovland is in third at 8-under.

Cantlay ended the second round – which was also played over the course of two days due to weather – tied for 20th. Just hours after finishing that set of 18 holes, though, the 2021 FedEx Cup Champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year birdied three of the first four holes in the Saturday portion of the third round.

The former Pac-10 Player of the Year notched six pars in a row before bogeying 11, but he bounced back with a birdie on 13. Cantlay sank his 12-foot birdie putt just before the air horn sounded and play was suspended, meaning he would have to continue his run the following morning.

That's exactly what Cantlay did, birdying 15 and 16 for the second day in a row. Even after a bogey on 17 set him back, Cantlay wrapped up the round with a par and had still climbed into the top five.

Cantlay sat as high as third place momentarily, but Hovland scored five birdies in a row to knock him back into fourth.

Cantlay came into the weekend ranked No. 4 in the world, riding somewhat of a hot streak despite no wins on the season. After missing the cut at the WM Phoenix Open in February, Cantlay finished third at the Genesis Invitational, tied for fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tied for 19th at THE PLAYERS Championships and tied for ninth at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

As for his past performances at The Masters, Cantlay made the cut and finished tied for 47th as a low amateur in 2012. When he returned as a professional in 2018, Cantlay missed the cut.

One of the highest-grossing golfers ever to come out of UCLA made real pushes the next two years – finishing tied for ninth in 2019 and tied for 17th in 2020. Cantlay missed the cut in 2021, though, and disastrous second and third rounds in 2022 resulted in him tying for 39th.

Cantlay was flirting with missing the cut again Friday afternoon before the rest of the second round was pushed to Saturday. The unorthodox scheduling appears to have worked in his favor, as Cantlay is now in contention to win his first green jacket.

In 21 major appearances, Cantlay has finished in the top five once, tying for third at the 2019 PGA Championship.

Cantlay will get his fourth round underway Sunday afternoon, playing alongside Hovland in the second-to-last pairing of the day. Coverage on CBS starts at 11 a.m.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @FN_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @FN.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA Olympic sports stories: UCLA Olympic Sports on Sports Illustrated