SAN FRANCISCO – In the coming hours, UCLA junior-to-be Patrick Cantlay will declare his intentions heading into next week’s Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour.
Speculation is that he will turn professional after the 112th U.S. Open – a tournament in which he not only has made the cut for a second consecutive year, his 1-over-par 71 in the third round Saturday has him tied for 47th (9-over 219) at the Olympic Club.
Cantlay made his first significant splash on the national scene at the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay Golf Course. He was 18. He had just graduated from Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif. He won the California high school crown earlier that spring.
And at Chambers Bay, the stroke-play runner-up advanced to the semifinals in match play, losing to eventual winner Peter Uihlein.
During that week-long stay in University Place, Cantlay and his family – father, Steve, and mother, Colleen – developed a lasting relationship with the golfer’s host family, Dave and Connie Perry.
Here’s how the families met: Cantlay was waiting for a ride from the course the Sunday before the tournament. Up drove Dave Perry – a sergeant in the Pierce County Sheriff’s department – in his cruiser. He rolled down the window and glared at the teenager.
“Get in, kid!” he said.
The families have been friends ever since. Colleen Cantlay sends emails every few months to update the Perrys on how her son is doing in college golf.
And this week, the Perrys got to see how Cantlay is doing in person. Dave Perry is part of a four-person team from the sheriff’s department at the Olympic Club learning about U.S. Open security in anticipation of the 2105 event at Chambers Bay.
“Very nice people,” Cantlay said. “My family and them get along very well.”
todd.milles@thenewstribune.com253-597-8442
blog.thenewstribune.com/golf
@ManyHatsMilles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.