"Patrick Cantlay to resume golf career with renewed purpose"

After holding the No. 1 world amateur ranking longer than anyone, Patrick Cantlay's whereabouts has prompted regular inquiries from fans hopeful for a return. While not on the Anthony Kim level of intrigue, Cantlay's return to PGA Tour action will be welcomed.

The former UCLA star's back injury and understandable struggle with sadness over the death of close friend/caddy Chris Roth is detailed in a moving piece by the O.C. Register's Damian Dottore.

“It still bothers me every day. It changes the way that you see things for a while. Maybe not forever, you get numb to it,” Cantlay said. “For a while, I couldn’t care less about everything. Not just golf. Everything that happened in my life for a couple months didn’t feel important. Nothing felt like it mattered.”

At the time, Cantlay was getting ready to re-enroll in college, but not long after Roth’s death, he had to start picking his classes. He said he just didn’t have it in him to do it.

There were times, his father Steve said, when his son started to explore some opportunities outside of golf. He wasn’t getting any better despite all the time he was taking off.

But in the last year, Steve Cantlay said Patrick has “committed” to being a golfer again. Losing Roth, the elder Cantlay said, is partly responsible for the change in attitude.

This week's AT&T National Pro-Am is one of ten PGA Tour starts Cantlay has as part of a major medical exemption.