ATLANTA (AP) — So much attention was paid to the upside at East Lake, with $15 million going to FedEx Cup winner Rory McIlroy and seven-figure bonuses paid out to the top eight players at the Tour Championship.
Overlooked was the most volatile week of the FedEx Cup playoffs, and it was costly to Patrick Cantlay.
Getting to East Lake meant a shot at the $15 million and a spot in the majors and World Golf Championships. But it was the wrong time for a bad week.
Cantlay, the Memorial winner with a pair of top 10s in the majors, began the PGA Tour's postseason at No. 6. He tied for 12th at The Northern Trust and held his position. He was runner-up at the BMW Championship and moved to No. 2 in the FedEx Cup, starting the Tour Championship with a two-shot deficit.
Cantlay (photo below) opened with a 70-71 and was six shots behind going into the weekend. But a 75-73 weekend at East Lake sent him to a three-way tie for 21st. Second place in the FedEx Cup is worth $5 million. With a tie for 21st, Cantlay received $478,000.
Dustin Johnson began the FedEx Cup at No. 7 and did not have a good postseason — a tie for 24th at Liberty National and a tie for 57th at Medinah sent him to No. 14 going into the Tour Championship. He then the worst 72-hole score of his year — 13-over 293. It was the worst score at East Lake. Because he started at 3-under par with his No. 14 seed, he tied for 29th in the FedEx Cup with Lucas Glover.
Johnson's bonus was $400,000.