Having dominated golf's amateur scene, Patrick Cantlay's entry into the paid ranks was halted by career-threatening injury and tragedy, but he refused to be kept down and fought back.
When Patrick Cantlay turned professional, he was expected to enjoy a smooth ascent to the upper echelons of the sport, but the former amateur world number one instead found himself having to come back from the darkest of days.
He had everything you would expect to find in a future star and was ahead of the likes of Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm in his progression as a player.
Cantlay had held the status of top amateur in the world for 55 weeks after an incredible freshman year at UCLA. He was named Pac-10 Golfer of the Year and the conference Freshman of the Year, and bagged both the Fred Haskins and Jack Nicklaus awards in a phenomenal 2010-11 campaign.
That year was so impressive that Cantlay was encouraged to turn professional after the 2012 US Open and earned his way onto the 2013 Web.com Tour.
He won the Colombia Championship in just his second event, but soon after his career hit a bump when he was struck first by injury and then the tragic death of his close friend and caddie Chris Roth.
After regaining his fitness and Tour card, Cantlay began to make steady progress once again and achieved the biggest victory of his career at the 2019 Memorial Tournament after carding a 19-under 269 at the famous Muirfield Village Golf Club.