Patrick Cantlay did it again. For the second straight week, the sophomore to be at UCLA, contended with the likes of Ryan Moore, David Toms and Webb Simpson at the top of the PGA Tour’s Traveler’s Championship leaderboard.
Last week he finished as the low amateur at the U.S. Open, and now he is competing on the national stage for the second week in a row. After playing 36-holes on Friday, due to a weather delay on Thursday, Cantlay took the lead. He shot 67-60, and now holds the course record at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn with that low second-round score. Heading into the weekend, he had a four-shot lead. Though Cantlay played the weekend at 2-over-par, he said he was comfortable out there. He is gaining experience and that’s all you can ask for in an amateur. At the end of the tournament, he finished tied for 24th, but he has shown the golf world who he is and that he is ready to play with these talented athletes. After this week’s finish, he still plans to stay amateur and get a degree from UCLA, unless something fluky happens. This week, he continues his five weeks of consecutive golf tournaments as he received a Sponsor’s Exemption into the AT&T National in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
On the other hand, Peter Uihlein continued his dominance on the amateur circuit with a decisive four-stroke victory at the Northeast Amateur. The winner of this year’s Ben Hogan award, shattered the previous tournament record and finished with a tournament total of 15-under-par. He fired 62, 65, respectively, on the weekend at the par-69 Wannamoisett Country Club course.
Even though he was a lock before, Uihlein is even more of a lock for the prestigious Walker Cup team. Over the past year, he has ruled the collegiate and amateur tournaments. He is now off to the AT&T National where he also earned a Sponsor’s Exemption. After the week, he will fly across the pond to play in the Scottish Open and British Open. While abroad, he will play at Royal Aberdeen where the Walker Cup will take place in September.
Though these two amateurs have contented at the professional level over the past few months, Cantlay and Uihlein plan to stay amateur for now. It will be interesting to see how these two young men will handle themselves in the amateur spotlight in the months ahead.
