As he seeks his third BMW Championship title this week, Patrick Cantlay’s daily routine begins long before he steps to the first tee.
Managing a longstanding back issue, Cantlay sees his physical therapist 2 1/2 hours before his tee time and then visits his trainer in the gym.
“For me it’s all about putting deposits in the bank. I want to do all the preventative things possible to make sure I feel good every day, and that way I don’t have to push the panic button when something starts to hurt,” Cantlay, 33, told reporters via Zoom on Tuesday.
“I think, if I can do all the good things all the time as a practice, as a discipline, as a habit, then I don’t have to worry about my back hurting because it never really gets in a spot where it can hurt.”
Cantlay, the 2020-21 FedEx Cup champion, heads into the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and final weekend of Ryder Cup qualifying after a T9 finish Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
He finished 27-under to win the 2021 BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md., the site of this week’s tournament. He made it back-to-back BMW wins at the Wilmington (Del.) Country Club in 2022.
Cantlay lived up to his “Patty Ice” nickname to capture the 2021 event, holding off Bryson DeChambeau to win on their sixth playoff hole.
The course at Caves Valley has since moved from a par 72 to a par 70.
“Yeah, I’ve heard they’ve made some changes to the golf course, and I think this time of year it really all depends what kind of weather we get,” Cantlay said. “If it rains a lot and there’s not a lot of wind, it will play easier. If it gets firm and fast conditions, a golf course like Caves Valley could be extremely difficult.
“Especially now hearing — this is the first time I’ve heard it’s moved to a par 70. You get a long golf course and make it par 70, it’s most likely going to be difficult.”
Cantlay ranks 15th in the Ryder Cup rankings with three automatic qualifying spots to be determined this weekend, with missed cuts at this season’s last three majors costing him dearly. He is No. 24 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The nine-time PGA Tour winner hasn’t collected a trophy since his 2022 BMW Championship victory, but he’ll stick with his daily regimen to stay healthy and in contention.
“We play so much golf so often and practice so hard that we need to make sure we’re doing enough preventative things to allow our bodies to do that work every day,” he said. “It’s just something I committed to, like you say, as a result of having some back injuries in the past. Fortunately, I’ve felt good for a long time now, and by now it’s just a habit.”
–Field Level Media
