FedExCup Update: Cantlay eyes déjà vu Playoffs run to the Cup

WILMINGTON, Del. – FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay loves routine in his life. He chases precise repetition in his golf swing. Now he seeks a new kind or repeat… the BMW Championship and FedExCup double.

Cantlay surged to the top of the BMW Championship leaderboard with a third round 6-under 65 on Saturday, leaving him 12-under at Wilmington Country Club and one clear of good friend Xander Schauffele (66) and Scott Stallings (66). Adam Scott (69) and Scottie Scheffler (68) sit just two shots off the lead.

Just as it was 12 months ago about an hour down the road at Caves Valley in Maryland, Cantlay now sits in prime position to win the BMW Championship and take the top seed into the TOUR Championship at East Lake.

History shows Cantlay won at Caves Valley in a playoff over Bryson DeChambeau in 2021 and then held off Jon Rahm at the TOUR Championship to collect golfs ultimate prize. He wants the same again but won’t put the cart before the horse.

Since becoming part of the FedExCup Playoffs in 2007 no one has defended the BMW Championship. And no one has ever won the FedExCup in consecutive years. So Cantlay won’t let his thoughts move ahead to East Lake just yet.

“My head is not even there right now. I think the best way to handle this playoff system is to just focus on doing your best in the tournament that you're in and not worry too much about the points. So that's what I'm going to do,” he said post round.

“Maybe in the bigger tournaments it's easier to kind of narrow your focus, and I've done a good job of staying in the moment and trying to get in the right frame of mind and good attitude.

I like this golf course. I like the grasses that it's played on. I like bentgrass, and this golf course is in really pure shape.”

Schauffele, who paired with Cantlay to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans earlier this year, is one of the best chances to stop his friend in the first leg of his quest. But he admits it won’t be easy.

“He’s just competing at a high level, so it’s just impressive that he’s doing it again at the right time,” Schauffele said.

The San Diego native is currently projected to fourth spot in the FedExCup standings but knows if he wins on Sunday, he will take over top spot. That is particularly of interest to the man who has played brilliantly at East Lake in the past, yet not won the FedExCup.

Schauffele won the TOUR Championship in 2017 under a previous Playoff system which saw the FedExCup go to Justin Thomas. He also shot the lowest score at the 2020 TOUR Championship in relation to par over four rounds but couldn’t reel in Dustin Johnson’s seven shot advantage gained via seedings heading to East Lake.

"As important as it is to win events, it's really putting yourself in position to give yourself a really good chance next week,” Schauffele added. “I'd be the first one to tell you if you're not in prime position, you're just not going to win next week. I've kind of been around that.”

Despite three front nine birdies Cantlay’s Saturday wasn’t going completely to plan after a bogey on the 11th hole left him two behind Schauffele’s lead mark. But birdies on 12 and 13 were followed by a 107-yard hole out eagle with his lob wedge on the par-5 15th that catapulted him into the outright lead. Prior to the shot Cantlay had walked all the way to the green to scope out the pin position.

“It was downwind and just got lucky and fed off the slope and perfect right in,” he grinned.

“I don't know the golf course too well. Obviously it's my first time here, so on my wedge shots I’ve been walking up to the green to see exactly where I wanted to land it, and I landed it in basically the perfect spot.”

It comes as no surprise he leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (+8.553) and ranks second in Strokes Gained: Approach (+5.107) after a day where he hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation.

Now just to replicate it again.

NOTES:

FedExCup leader Will Zalatoris was forced to withdraw with a back injury early in his third round leaving him all but certain to give up top spot in the standings for East Lake. The winner of the Playoff opening FedEx St. Jude Championship currently projects to third in the standings.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler can regain top spot in the standings in two ways on Sunday. A win at Wilmington Country Club will secure top spot as will a high finish provided the winner of the tournament is not one of the current top 15 seeds. Those in contention who will negate that route are Cantlay, Schauffele, Sam Burns, Rory McIlroy, Sungjae Im, Cameron Young, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama. Playing with Scheffler on Saturday was Australian Adam Scott who routinely goes by the nickname ‘Scotty’, making for a humorous dynamic as the crowds yelled out throughout the round. “I think we were both a bit confused,” Scheffler laughed. “I just pretend it's all for me and feel like Mr. Popular,” Scott added. The Aussie is looking to burst the Playoff bubble for a second week running and make East Lake for the first time since 2019.

Rory McIlroy suffered from a rough two over front nine on Saturday to seemingly ruin his hopes of victory and a shot at top seed as he searches an unprecedented third FedExCup title. But a three under back nine allowed McIlroy fans to keep the dream alive. He will start Sunday five off the pace and projected seventh in the FedExCup standings.

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP BUBBLE WATCH

Here are the players projected to move inside the top 30 of the FedExCup after the first round of the BMW Championship and advance to next week’s TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta:

PROJECTED IN

Scott Stallings (No. 46, projected to 16): Stallings stole the show in the marquee pairing with Rory McIlroy, carding a 5-under 66 and finished by holing a gutsy 8-foot putt on the 18th to make it in penultimate pairing for Sunday.

Aaron Wise (No. 31, projected to 25): An eagle on the par-5 14th boosted his chances of making it to East Lake for the first time since he was a rookie in 2018. He’s just three shots off the lead.

Adam Scott (No. 45, projected to 27): Playing in the final group on Saturday, Scott put together an opening nine with three birdies and one bogey to share the lead at the turn, but a back-nine 36 leaves him two-shots behind the defending FedExCup champion.

Denny McCarthy (No. 35, projected to 29): After failing to make it past the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs for the last three seasons, McCarthy is enjoying his first BMW Championship appearance signing for a 5-under 66 Saturday to crack the top 10 and jump one spot inside the bubble.

PROJECTED OUT

Davis Riley (No. 26, projected to 31): Riley the rookie sits on the edge of the bubble with 18 holes left to play in Wilmington. A 4-under 67 in the third round has him looking in on those with a shot at East Lake but he needs one more low round to have a chance.

J.J. Spaun (No. 30, projected to 32): Spaun fought back with three birdies in his final six holes giving the Valero Texas Open winner the opportunity to make it to Atlanta with a Sunday charge. He sits a projected two shots behind the pace he needs.

Joohyung Kim (No. 25, projected to 33): “Tom” made the FedExCup Playoffs with a stunning Sunday at the final event of the Regular Season and will need more of that magic to make the TOUR Championship. A third-round 74 left him with plenty of work to do some seven shots adrift of the pace he needs.

Kevin Kisner (No. 28, projected to 37): Kisner carded his first round under par for the week on Saturday, but it will need more than the 1-under 70 to have any possibility of jumping into the top 30. As it stands Kisner is eight back of the pace that would have him in the mix of retaining his place.