World No1 Amateur Patrick Cantlay turns Pro
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Patrick Cantlay, formerly the world's No.1 amateur in golf, announced what many had been expecting several months ago: his intention to turn professioanl
Two days
after tying for 41st place at the U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San
Francisco, the 20-year-old
has signed up with Mark Steinberg of Excel Sports Management, the same
agent who works with Tiger Woods.
"Well, I had a really good time at UCLA for my two years, and I learned a lot and I developed a lot, and I've played really well at this event last year, and I feel like it's time for me to play as a pro," Cantlay said at a press conference ahead of the Travelers Championship in Conneticut.
"I think it's best for my golf game, and that's just what my when I talked over with my mom and my dad and [coach] Jamie Mulligan, that's just what we thought would be best for me and my game right now. So we thought Travelers since I played well here last year and it's after the U. S. Open it was the right time and that's kind of why I'm doing it now, and just felt right."
A
student at the University of California in Los Angeles, Cantlay's
decision means he will pass on his remaining two years and become a golf
professional instead.
"I am so grateful to UCLA ... for the
relationships I've formed and the opportunities I've had to compete and
develop at the collegiate level," said Cantlay, who was runner-up to
compatriot Kelly Kraft at the 2011 U.S. amateur championship.
Winner
of the 2011 Mark H. McCormack Medal, as well as numerous college
tournaments, Cantlay was the best ranked amateur in the 2011 U.S. Open
and this years Masters.
He will make his first apperance as a pro
this week in a return to the Travelers Championship, the
site of his record breaking round of 60 that he made last year |
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