Adam Hadwin may have won the Valspar Championship but the story of the weekend was arguably the performance of Patrick Cantlay, who pushed Hadwin all the way in only his second PGA Tour start since 2014.

A long-time World Amateur No 1, among Cantlay’s achievements before he turned professional were a tied 21st finish at the US Open and a 60 at the 2011 Travelers Championship.

But then serious back injuries followed, as well as a horrible personal tragedy as his caddie was killed in front of him in a hit-and-run accident in February of last year.

“For a while, I couldn’t care less about everything,” he said. “Not just golf, nothing felt like it mattered.”

It took a long time for Cantlay to feel ready to return but he came back in February on a medical exemption with 10 tournaments to keep his card for next year. With solo second at the Valspar Championship, Cantlay can now plan for a brighter future.