Tour Championship 2021: Patrick Cantlay Leads Jon Rahm by 1 Stroke After Round 2

Patrick Cantlay and Jon Rahm remain in the top two spots through the first two rounds of the 2021 Tour Championship. 

Coming into the event as the top seed in the FedEx Cup standings, Cantlay began the first round at 10 under par and had a two-shot advantage over Tony Finau. He has maintained his position after 36 holes. 

Cantlay finished the second round with a four-under 66. He has played 31 straight holes without a bogey. 

Rahm repeated his 65 from the opening round to get within one shot of Cantlay for the lead. 

There is a some separation between those two and the rest of the field. Bryson DeChambeau (-11) and Justin Thomas (-10) are the only other players who are at least 10 under par.  

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2021 Tour Championship Leaderboard

1. Patrick Cantlay (-17)

2. Jon Rahm (-16)

3. Bryson DeChambeau (-11)

4. Justin Thomas (-10)

T5. Kevin Na (-9)

T5. Viktor Hovland (-9)

T5. Tony Finau (-9)

T5. Cameron Smith (-9)

T5. Harris English (-9)

T10. Rory McIlroy (-8)

T10. Jordan Spieth (-8)

T10. Louis Oosthuizen (-8)

Full leaderboard via PGATour.com

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Cantlay's first birdie of the day came on the only par five on the front nine. He managed to save birdie after his second shot landed in the bunker on the right side of the green. 

On the back nine at No. 13, Cantlay came so close to making an eagle. His second shot on the par four missed the hole by two inches, forcing him to settle for a birdie. 

Cantlay closed his round with a strong flurry that included back-to-back birdies on No. 17 and 18 that allowed him to hang on to sole possession of the lead going into the third round. 

Rahm had a nearly-flawless second round, but the one mistake gave Cantlay the opening he needed to remain alone atop the leaderboard. The 26-year-old hit his tee shot on No. 14 into the tree outline. 

After getting back onto the fairway with his second shot, Rahm's next shot landed in the rough. He took a bogey on the hole, dropping him back down to 13-under par. 

That came after Rahm looked like he was building momentum with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12 and 13. 

Rahm did get his bearings back after the bogey. He played the par-four 16th hole to perfection, getting within 10 feet of the hole in two shots to set himself up for an easy birdie putt. 

That was the start of his run of three consecutive birdies to close out the round, including this 25-footer on No. 17. 

Thomas missed a golden opportunity to keep pace with Rahm and Cantlay. The Louisville native played the first 15 holes at five-under par. He fell apart on No. 16, with his first two shots landing in bunkers, as he settled for a bogey. 

Moving to the 17th hole, Thomas put himself in a bad position with his tee shot landing in the rough. He did get back on track and even had a chance to save par with a nine-foot birdie putt, but he left it short and took another bogey. 

Thomas' short game had been on point early in the round. He made a birdie putt from 60 feet away on No. 14 that moved him to 12-under par overall.

With Thomas, DeChambeau and the rest of the field unable to keep pace, the weekend looks like it will be a two-man showdown between Cantlay and Rahm to determine the tournament winner and the FedEx Cup champion. 

Cantlay is showing no signs of slowing down coming off his dramatic playoff win last week at the BMW Championship. Rahm has been remarkably consistent of late, with four consecutive top-10 finishes dating back to his win at the U.S. Open in June.