"Patrick Cantlay Changes Tactics at High Altitude to Claim Third BMW Championship"
The BMW Championship is currently the sole event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs that rotates locations each year. Patrick Cantlay has demonstrated his ability to secure BMW victories regardless of the course in play.
However, the 2024 edition of the tournament presents a completely new challenge: an 8,130-yard course at Castle Pines Golf Club in the high altitude of Castle Rock, Colorado.
Cantlay, the champion of both the 2021 and 2022 BMW Championships, and the other 50 players in the field will need to prepare for the unusual distances their shots will travel at altitude, as well as the other difficulties that come with this course layout.
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"It's definitely a longer walk," Cantlay stated on Tuesday. "There will be some exhausted caddies at the end of this week with all the uphill and downhill walking and the 8,100 yards. The ball may go farther, but we still have to walk all that way."
The course is set to become the longest in PGA Tour history, a result of golfers' driving distance combined with the unique environmental conditions in the Rocky Mountains. The BMW Championship has not been held in Colorado since 2014.
Castle Pines sits at an elevation of 6,200 feet above sea level.
"I believe the altitude, with all the assistance we have from TrackMans and other devices, makes it quite easy to see how far the ball is traveling," Cantlay remarked. "We are constantly learning new golf courses, so I don't anticipate it being a significant change or too difficult."
Cantlay had a thrilling playoff victory over Bryson DeChambeau at the 2021 BMW Championship. They both dominated the course, Caves Valley in Maryland, finishing with a final score of 27-under. Cantlay went on to win the 2021 FedEx Cup and successfully defended his BMW title the following year at Wilmington (Del.) Country Club.
The World No. 9 stated that he is unsure why he has had particular success in winning an event that changes locations each year. He attributed it to his history of performing well in the warm August weather.
"This tournament is typically played on bentgrass greens, which I tend to putt well on, and I've had some BMW events where I've putted well, so this week is no different," Cantlay added.
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Cantlay has not won on the tour since his 2022 BMW victory. He enters the week ranked ninth in FedEx Cup points, securing his spot in the tour's season finale, the Tour Championship, next week for a chance at a second FedEx Cup title.
"I feel confident in my game," Cantlay said. "I would say my results have been trending in the right direction over the past few months. I had a poor first round last week, but other than that, I played really well the last three days. So I hope to carry some of that momentum into this week."
