Patrick Cantlay has endured a difficult and painful journey to the top level of professional golf since his days at UCLA as the top-ranked amateur in the world.
Only a year after turning professional in 2012, a back injury that erupted on the driving range ended up costing him three years of play. And two years ago, his caddie and longtime close friend Chris Roth was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Newport Beach. It wasn't until a year ago that Cantlay, 25, returned to the tour at Pebble Beach.
With a victory in November at the Shriners Hospital for Children Open, he's proving to be the kind of player many expected him to be after holding the No.