Europe should prepare to hear the chants for “Patty Ice” – and, no, they will be in honour of their Ryder Cup captain.
Indeed, Padraig Harrington might already be sick of his namesake after watching Patrick Cantlay’s nerveless performance in beating countryman and now US teammate Bryson DeChambeau in a thrilling six-hole play-off at the BMW Championship.
It was a triumph full of benefits including the £1.2 million first prize.
Not only did Cantlay’s stone-cold victory send him to the top of the FedEx Cup standings and hand him a two-shot lead over his nearest pursuer in this week’s staggered-scoring finale in Atlanta – where the victor will walk off with $15m – but it also earned the former amateur world No 1 the last automatic spot on Steve Stricker’s team that will attempt to win back the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in three weeks’ time.
Cantlay leapfrogged Tony Finau in the concluding qualifying event at the Caves Valley course in Maryland to join Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas as the six guaranteed their berths for the biennial dust-up, with Stricker set to name his six wildcards after the Tour Championship.
While there will be plenty of conjecture over the half-dozen’s identities – and primarily if 51-year-old will be picked for a 13th appearance – there are also ever more voluble queries over whom DeChambeau will partner.
After being somewhat unfairly criticised for asking Cantlay not to walk forward on the 14th on Sunday – anybody else and the incident would not have achieved as one column inch – DeChambeau’s reputation as a loner has inevitably intensified. Does he have any allies in the US teamroom?
What is certain is that the fans are on his back. ESPN reported that as he trudged back to the clubhouse, head down and understandably distraught after bogeying the final hole of regulation play and then seeing any number of makeable putts slip by in the shootout – a gallery member shouted in his face – “Great job, Brooksie!”.
Fed up with the same constant “banter” from the crowds – of course, DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have been waging an increasingly tiresome social media spat with each other – the 27-year-old apparently snapped. “You know what? Get the f— out!” ESPN quoted him as yelling, before beckoning for security to deal with the heckler. Controversy follows him everywhere, as evidently do morons.
It was a shame as DeChambeau and his eye-straining driving played a huge role in a spectacular show. Yet it was “Patty Ice” with the cold stuff coursing through his veins who prevailed, making a 20-footer to break DeChambeau’s heart.
Next up, the dollarfest and then comes the patriotic fest. “I’m excited,” he said, with trademark understatement. “It’s nice to get in on points. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve heard so much about it and watched it growing up. I’m sure it will be everything I’ve imagined and more. I will lock in there, and hopefully we’ll get a victory.”