How Patrick Cantlay can join Tiger Woods, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to accomplish this on the PGA Tour

You’ve heard all about horses for courses. Well, Patrick Cantlay and TPC Summerlin are starting to look like the ultimate example of this golf axiom.

With a third-round 65 on the par-71 layout outside of Las Vegas, Cantlay holds a share of the lead with Martin Laird at the Shriners Hospital for Children Open heading into Sunday’s final round. Surprisingly it’s the first time that Cantlay, the 13th-ranked player in the world, has been a 54-hole leader at a PGA Tour event in 99 career starts. Not surprisingly, he is doing it at Summerlin and the Shriners.

Having competed in the desert three previous times, Cantlay now has played 15 tournament rounds at TPC Summerlin. In that time he’s managed a 66.2 stroke average, with seven rounds of 65 or lower.

Cantlay’s finishes then in his three starts in Vegas are predictably impressive: first in 2017 (the first of his two PGA Tour wins), second in 2018 and second in 2019 (a playoff loss to Kevin Na).

Should he finish first or second on Sunday, Cantlay would become only the fourth golfer to finish either first or second in the same PGA Tour event four consecutive years. The others to accomplish the feat? Perhaps you’ve heard of them: Tiger Woods, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus.

Woods accomplished the feat on three different occasions. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he won four straight years from 2000-2003. He did the same at the Farmers Insurance Open from 2005-2008. And at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Woods went T-2/Win/Win/Win from 2004-2007.

Watson went Win/Win/Win/second at the Byron Nelson from 1978-1981 to become the second person to achieve the feat. Nicklaus was the first when he went Win/T-2/Win/Win at the Masters from 1963-1966.