Sophomore golfer joins forces with Woods and Oosthuizen
Sophomore Patrick Cantlay is competing in the Frys.com Open and is grouped with former No. 1-ranked golfer in the world Tiger Woods.
Credit: UCLA Sports Information
By Chris Nguyen
Oct. 6, 2011 12:37 a.m.
Correction: The original headline contained an error. Louis Oosthuizen’s name was misspelled.
UCLA will be well-represented today at the Frys.com Open.
One current and eight former Bruins will be taking the field at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, Calif.
Sophomore Patrick Cantlay headlines the bunch as he has ascended to the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world. Cantlay received a sponsor’s exemption to be able to compete in the PGA tour event.
Cantlay is placed in a group with two other seasoned PGA Tour veterans. One is South African Louis Oosthuizen who won the 2010 British Open Championship. Although Oosthuizen is a well-known name, the other competitor in the group is perhaps the most well-known golfer in the world. The third member in the group is former No.-1-ranked golfer in the world and 14-time major winner Tiger Woods. The group tees off at 12:10 p.m. today.
When asked in a press conference how the added attention of playing with Woods would alter his game, Cantlay said, “I’m not going to even worry about it because I can only control what I’m going to do, no matter who I’m playing with. So to me it’s really not a big deal. You know, I’m just going to stick to my game plan, and nothing I do is going to change because of who I’m playing with.”
Cantlay played with Woods yesterday in an outing to get to know him better.
“He was real cordial and real nice, and we joked around a little bit out there and had a good time,” Cantlay said. “I didn’t keep my score. I was just an amateur.”
Playing with one of the most known golfers ever shouldn’t come as a surprise to Cantlay after the summer that he’s had.
His first feat was finishing 21st at the U.S. Open and being named low amateur. In his next PGA Tour stop, Cantlay shot 11-under par and finished 24th overall. He also won the the 112th SCGA Amateur Championship at San Gabriel Country Club on his way to a No. 1 world ranking.
When asked about how important being ranked No. 1 was to him, Cantlay said, “As far as my golf, it doesn’t really change anything. Just because you’ve had good weeks in the past doesn’t mean good weeks are going to be there for sure in the future. So I’m still working hard and trying to get better every week.”
The other UCLA lettermen joining Cantlay are Brandt Jobe, John Merrick, Kevin Chappell, Tom Pernice Jr., Spencer Levin, Scott McCarron, Erik Flores and Matt Marshall.
Compiled by Chris Nguyen, Bruin Sports senior staff.
