CROMWELL, Conn. — Will Zalatoris looked lost at Pinehurst No. 2, which explains why he missed the cut at the U.S. Open.
But instead of dwelling on his poor play, Zalatoris flew directly from North Carolina to Connecticut to get extra practice ahead of the Travelers Championship. The move has paid off to this point, as Zalatoris shot an impressive 6-under 64 on day one—his lowest round of the season. He now trails leader Tom Kim by two.
“I got out here Saturday night, and then Sunday, I had an all-day grind session to try to figure out what was going on,” Zalatoris explained.
“I got into some bad habits, figured out what I needed to fix, and just dug it out of the dirt. It’s kind of nice to be able to do that.”
Zalatoris missed most of the 2023 season after hurting his back on the driving range at Augusta National, only minutes before the first round of the Masters began. He subsequently missed eight months, returning at the Hero World Challenge in December. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacon then had an up-and-down start to the year, but finally put his game together at the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tying for second and fourth, respectively.
But he only has one top-10 since then: a tie for ninth at the Masters.
“Early on this season, I would play a tournament, need to take three, four days off, and now I’m able to just keep on going,” Zalatoris said.
Will Zalatoris during the second round of the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
“So even though it’s nice and warm, that obviously helps with the back, but I think it’s just trying to find the right cadence of when I’m taking time off, and so far this stretch is the best I’ve felt.”
Now, Zalatoris can hit 300 to 400 balls daily, which helps when you need to find your swing. But he would have issues contending and improving if his back restricted him from doing that. Thankfully for him, those ailments are a thing of the past for now.
“The further I get from the surgeries that I had last year, the more comfortable I’m feeling with my back, the quicker I’m recovering, the better I’m feeling,” Zalatoris said.
“As the year goes on, even though my results haven’t shown it, I felt a lot better; I just got into some bad habits and thought it was just a nice reset after the U.S. Open. I love majors; it’s always been a career goal of mine to win one. I hated how I played, and sometimes you just have to dig it out of the dirt.”
Perhaps his grind sessions will pave the way for a victory this week at the Travelers Championship. Or maybe it will serve as a harbinger of things to come at Royal Troon.
Who knows? Regardless of what happens, seeing Zalatoris back on tour—and being able to grind his way through bad habits—is something everyone loves to see.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
CROMWELL, Conn. — Before Thursday’s first round at the Travelers Championship, Wyndham Clark had not recorded a round in the 60s since the RBC Heritage concluded two months ago.
He has had a tough stretch, missing the cut at the PGA Championship and the Memorial. Then, at last week’s U.S. Open, Clark posted a final round 77, which plummeted him down the leaderboard and into a tie for 56th.
Yet Clark has been laboring in recent months, hoping to recreate the magic he had earlier in the year at Pebble Beach, when he set a new course record and won the second Signature Event of the season.
“To be honest, it’s some of the hardest I’ve worked in a long time,” Clark said.
Wyndham Clark putts on the 15th green during the first round of the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
“First, we’re really trying to work on the short game and feel like we’ve gotten that to where it’s in a great spot—same thing with the putting. Then, unfortunately, you do that, and then you lose your swing. So then I was working on my swing, and the last two weeks have been a lot of grinding on the swing. I feel like we made some good headway, and I hit it pretty well today.”
Clark posted a solid round on Thursday. He posted a 4-under 66 to put himself in contention after day one. The 2023 U.S. Open champion now sits four strokes behind Tom Kim, who shot a marvelous 8-under 62 to set the pace.
“I played great. I just didn’t make the putts on the back nine,” Clark added.
“So I felt like it was a complete round, and one blemish on this golf course is pretty good.”
His one mistake came on the par-4 17th, which has water all up the right side and in front of the green. It’s a tricky hole, and finding the fairway is imperative. But Clark pulled his tee shot left and had to settle for a bogey-five.
Despite that, Clark got off to a roaring start, making three birdies over his first five holes. He even made a par-breaker at the challenging par-3 5th, where Clark produced his best shot of the day.
“Just because I’ve been working so hard on my swing and hitting cuts, the iron shot I hit on hole 5, I hit a cut 5-iron in there to about 12 feet,” Clark said.
“That was probably the best shot for me.”
But he hit plenty of terrific shots all day, although the putter abandoned him somewhat on the back nine. Yet, he would much rather miss birdie putts than par tries, which has recently been the case. Surely, Clark would not trade his position on the leaderboard Thursday for what he had to endure since mid-April.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
CROMWELL, Conn. — Tom Kim produced some magic on his last day as a 21-year-old.
He blistered TPC River Highlands, posting an 8-under 62 to take control of the Travelers Championship after round one. Kim leads Akshay Bhatia, Rickie Fowler, Kurt Kitayama, and Will Zalatoris by two strokes after day one.
“I hit the ball in the fairway a lot. Obviously, this course, if you start hitting the ball in the fairway, you can go at some pins and have some good opportunities,” Kim explained.
“Obviously, I putted well. When you shoot 62s or 64s, you have to putt well, and I took care of those opportunities.”
Kim made eight birdies to zero bogies, showing no blemishes in his game on day one. He ranked fourth in strokes gained putting and first in strokes gained overall.
The Seoul, South Korea native plotted his way around the course beautifully, easily picking and attacking his targets.
“I picked really good targets out there with my approach shots,” Kim added.
Tom Kim on the 17th green during the first round of the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
“When you have 8-irons in, sometimes you want to go for the pin a lot, but at the same time, you just go into this headspace where, okay, this is where I need to pick my target, I don’t feel like I need to push or anything and just sticking to that game plan.”
He played beautifully from tee to green, but the most remarkable aspect of Kim’s play Thursday is that this week marks his eighth straight event on the PGA Tour.
“I felt like my game was there, but it wasn’t really showing in tournaments. I feel like I’m playing well, but for some reason, I can’t show it off in golf tournaments,” Kim said.
“I think that’s why I’m playing a lot more than I normally ever would because if you keep getting reps in tournaments, you keep sharpening, sharpening, sharpening, and that’s what’s happening. So I’m glad to see it actually come out though.”
Kim’s eight-week stretch began at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where he tied for 52nd despite shooting rounds in the 60s all four days.
In the six events since, his best finish came north of the border, where he tied for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open. He did not miss any cuts, but his average order of finish over the last seven weeks is 31.7—greatly exaggerated by that solid performance in Canada.
“It wasn’t like I was playing terribly; it was just a few things that didn’t go my way, and I couldn’t adapt to it and score well,” Kim added.
“It’s not like it was a bad week, but a bad round cost me that week. But at least it’s a 26th or 25th finish; it’s not like I’m finishing 50th or missing the cut. It shows me that my bad weeks are close, which gives me the confidence to go out and know that I actually am playing well and just trying to keep riding this momentum.”
Kim will celebrate his 22nd birthday riding a big wave of momentum, hoping to fend off the top players in the world, including Scottie Scheffler. Funny enough, Kim and Scheffler share the same birthday, and these two players have developed a friendly rapport and celebrate together each year.
So earlier this week, Kim and Scheffler went to Sally’s Apizza in New Haven, Connecticut, which has world-famous pies. Kim added that he would not indulge like that during a tournament, but it is his birthday, so he had to celebrate somehow.
But he also gets to celebrate his marvelous 62 as an early birthday present, which likely tastes better than Sally’s, something hard to do.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
CROMWELL, Conn. — The World No. 1 looked like the best player on the planet again at the Travelers Championship on Thursday.
Scottie Scheffler, fresh off a surprising T-41 at the U.S. Open, carded a 5-under 65 during the first round of the final Signature Event of the season. He had control of his swing once again and holed plenty of putts, much like he did during his five wins.
“I feel like I hit it nice,” Scheffler assessed.
“Found some swings, or found some stuff in my swing at the beginning of the week, and definitely feel like I’m swinging a lot better than I did last week.”
Scottie Scheffler plays the 3rd hole during the first round of the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Scheffler did not record a single under-par round at Pinehurst No. 2, a week he called “frustrating.” Thursday’s 65 in Connecticut is his first-under-par score since the third round of the Memorial Tournament when he shot a 1-under 71.
“I struggled to see the break on the greens last week. I had a hard time finding the right line,” Scheffler explained.
“I felt like I hit a lot of good putts that came off the way I wanted to, and I looked up, but they were just not even really close to going in at times. So that can always be a bit frustrating, but it’s nice to get here on some familiar surfaces and hit some good putts and see some balls go in.”
Scheffler gained two strokes on the greens on Thursday, ranking 9th in the field. Meanwhile, Scheffler lost 1.51 strokes to the field last week with his putter, which was good for 70th of 74 players who made the cut.
Of course, Scheffler switched to a mallet putter ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he then won. Since that change, Scheffler has added four more victories, and his putting has improved immensely since the beginning of the season.
Wooooo boy what a shot from Scottie here at 13. Went on to make eagle here, and has a stretch of birdie holes upcoming.
Look no further than early Thursday, when the top-ranked player in the world poured in three straight birdies over his first four holes. He made a 19-footer at the par-4 2nd, a 13-footer at the 3rd, and then, at the challenging par-4 4th, Scheffler drained a birdie try from 16 feet. He also made an eagle on the par-5 13th, thanks to a spectacular approach from 256 yards out that landed eight feet away.
“I hit two really great shots in there to give myself a look,” Scheffler said of the 13th.
“Then I got a nice read off Max [Homa’s] putt and was able to knock that in.”
Scheffler added another birdie at the par-4 14th, which got him to 5-under for the day. He failed to capitalize on a good tee shot at the drivable par-4 15th, finishing with four straight pars.
The reigning Masters champion struggled to save par last week in North Carolina, but now he has no issues making par this week. That should intimidate the rest of the field, as Scheffler looks back to being the best after an off week at the U.S. Open.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
CROMWELL, Conn. — Rickie Fowler has not had a solid season, failing to contend in every event he has played, coming short of even recording a top-10 finish.
Yet, he discovered something on the greens on Thursday, which explains why he posted a 6-under 64 to open the Travelers Championship. He did not make a single bogey, either, as he shares the early lead with Akshay Bhatia and Kurt Kitayama.
“I made a nice putt just to save par and get the round going. Good up-and-down, that kind of got me going,” Fowler explained.
“Sometimes, I would almost rather that than birdie the first hole because then it’s kind of downhill from there. So, yeah, got off to a nice start. Birdied the 2nd. Started to see some balls go in, and making putts helps free up the rest of the game to where you don’t feel like you have to be perfect.”
Fowler missed his opening tee shot to the right, which nestled down in the rough. He then hacked it out, finding more thick stuff 44 yards short of the hole. An early dropped shot loomed, but Fowler went on to save his par from eight feet away. He also called that his best shot of the day.
But a big-time par save like that early in a round serves as a big boost of momentum, and Fowler fed off that. He only needed an incredible 23 putts to get around on Thursday, ranking 1st among the 71 players in this field in strokes gained putting. He even made a 38-footer for birdie on the par-4 17th, capping his best day of the season on the greens.
Yet, his putting prowess on Thursday is a far cry from what he has done this season.
Fowler ranks 131st on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting and 163rd in strokes gained overall. No wonder why he has yet to record a top 10 this season, with his best finish being a T-18 at Harbour Town. He also arrived in Connecticut fresh off missed cuts at the Memorial and the U.S. Open, the former of which he carded an 82 during his second round.
“I feel like a lot of it can go back to not putting well—putting well helps free up other things,” Fowler explained.
“You’re not seeing putts go in, and it adds some extra stress to having to hit greens or hit it closer, chip it close; that circle gets quite a bit bigger once you see some go in. That’s a big part. But when you’re not able to take advantage of it when you hit it well, putting is probably the easiest thing to point to. It does help a lot, but that’s not always the only thing.”
Fowler made 123 feet of putts on Thursday, which certainly freed him up. But now the question is, can he continue to rely on his hot putter? And, what if he did not get up and down at the 1st? How would this round have played out? At any rate, we will have to wait to find out. But for now, Fowler finds himself atop the leaderboard for the first time all season, a welcome sight for many.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
CROMWELL, Conn. — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan met with the media at TPC River Highlands on Wednesday and revealed that the Travelers Championship will receive Signature Event status again in 2025.
These tournaments feature elevated purses and limited field sizes, hovering around 70 players. This year’s Travelers Championship marks the eighth and final Signature Event of the 2024 season.
“This event will be a Signature Event in 2025,” Monahan said. “This is the 18th year with Travelers, and we have an agreement; they’re in a 10-year agreement through 2030.”
Travelers first sponsored this tournament in 2007, when Hunter Mahan won his first event on the PGA Tour. Since then, it has become a fan favorite among tour pros, who cite the golf course and hospitality as reasons why.
“It’s good to be back. I feel like this is always a fun tournament to come play,” said World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler on Wednesday.
Scottie Scheffler smiles ahead of the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
“The community really rallies around the tournament. The fans are always tremendous. The golf course is typically always in great shape. The clubhouse. The way the tournament treats us as players is always tremendous. So it’s a very easy, fun week for us to come play, and glad to be back here.”
Caddies even receive courtesy cars this week, a rarity on the PGA Tour. But that’s not all. The top players on the PGA Tour receive plenty of other amenities.
“They do such an amazing job for us, our caddies, and our support team,” added Xander Schauffele.
“If you look at the range, it’s got the little umbrellas, we have a coffee stand, a lounging area, there’s the green truck there with the pizza. So it’s such a relaxing week coming after the U.S. Open and I think all of us really appreciate that.”
With this in mind, the Signature Event model—new for 2024—has drawn plenty of criticism. In March, Lucas Glover called these tournaments a “money grab,” adding that he “doesn’t like the idea at all.”
“Why do the signature events have [a maximum of] 80 players, and only 50 make the cut? Our biggest signature event next week is 144 players with a full cut. The signature event,” Glover said in March, referencing The Players Championship.
“I just don’t see what was so bad out here that we had to do all this. Let’s raise some purses to make sure we keep some guys around, but now we’ve eliminated a lot of playing opportunities for some really good players.”
Monahan recognizes this too, as many players, such as Min Woo Lee, who has had a strong 2024 season, did not qualify for the Travelers this week, even though Rory McIlroy withdrew.
“Nothing’s perfect, nothing ever is, but when you look at where we are today and as we shared with our board [on Tuesday], we feel like we’re delivering to our fans exactly what we set out to do, and that is to get our top players competing together more often, and to create the most competitive schedule we can possibly create,” Monahan said about the Signature Events.
Jay Monahan during the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open.Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images
“When you look at our full-field events, and you look at the strength of the field, whether it’s top 50 or top 125, our strength of the field at full-field events is up 35 percent.”
The Signature Events have undoubtedly provided opportunities for the best players to compete against one another. Look no further than who has won the seven Signature Events this season: Scheffler has won three. Wyndham Clark triumphed at Pebble Beach with a record-breaking 60. Hideki Matsuyama shot 61 at Riviera to come from behind and steal the Genesis Invitational, and then Rory McIlroy won the Wells Fargo Championship. Chris Kirk also won The Sentry, the first tournament of the year. That’s a pretty strong whos-who of the PGA Tour.
Plus, these wins came against very strong fields. The top 50 players from last year’s FedEx Cup standings gained entry into each of these tournaments in 2024. Then, the PGA Tour established the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5 to help round out these limited-field events. Whoever wins an event on the PGA Tour in 2024 also gains entry, while each tournament has sponsor exemptions they use to round out the field. Those exemptions have been greatly scrutinized, as PGA Tour Policy Board members seem to take a fair share of those. Look no further than Webb Simpson, who again received an exemption to play this week.
Nevertheless, this tournament always delivers. Players typically go low on this golf course, as TPC River Highlands, the shortest course on tour, yields plenty of birdies. It also produces great drama, as the tournament has had six playoffs since 2007. One stroke has decided the result six other times, too.
So, considering all of this, it makes sense for the tour to make the Travelers Championship a Signature Event in 2025, despite some of the criticism the overall model has received.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
Fresh off a solid performance at the U.S. Open, Sam Burns arrives at the Travelers Championship feeling strong about his game, as it is trending in the right direction.
Burns opened the RBC Canadian Open with a 7-under 63 and ultimately tied for 10th. He then tied for 15th at the Memorial, as a 3-over 75 during the second round kept him from threatening Scheffler and others towards the top of the leaderboard. Then, last week at Pinehurst No. 2, Burns closed with a final round 3-under 67, which gave him a back-door top-10 finish.
Yet, the former LSU Tiger did not have that consistency in the weeks prior. Burns missed the cut at both the Masters and the PGA Championship and did not have his best stuff at Harbour Town. But during that stretch, he and his wife Caroline welcomed a baby boy named Bear on April 22—the same day Scottie Scheffler won the RBC Heritage, which ended with a Monday finish.
His now 8-week-old has kept him busy, and being a new father is never easy. Yet, his son has given him a boost of momentum over the past three weeks.
Now he is back in New England for his fourth tournament in a row, hoping to secure his first PGA Tour title since the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Sam Burns at the 2023 U.S. Open.Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
SB Nation caught up with Burns to talk about his life and his game ahead of this week’s Travelers Championship—the final Signature Event of the season.
One-on-one with Ryder Cup star Sam Burns:
(Editor’s Note: This conversation has been lightly edited and modified for readability and clarity.)
Playing Through: First question for you: how is your son Bear doing?
Sam Burns: He is great; it’s gone by quickly. He is eight weeks old already, but it’s been nice having him out on the road during the last couple of weeks. They’re here again this week, so it’s been really fun.
PT: Nice! That’s great to hear. You and Scottie Scheffler are obviously really good friends, and you have a similar timeline with your children, too.
Burns: Yeah, we’re actually staying in a house together this week. Did so last week at Pinehurst, and then we got home one day after a round last week, and we’re sitting there holding the babies, and we looked at each other and said, “Wow, life has really changed quickly.”
PT: Being on the road as much as you are, how tough is it to be a new father and still try to compete at the highest level?
Burns: I think when you get out here and get to the golf course, it’s truly like any other job. You are focused on what you are trying to do. You obviously miss being at home with them, but at the end of the day, I have a job to do this week. Been coming out here last few days and just prepare the best I can, then when I get home, its time to change diapers and hold the little one. It’s a little bit different than what I used to do, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
PT: What’s the state of your game right now? You played well at the U.S. Open, how are you feeling?
Burns: Yeah, it was nice to play well there on Sunday. I had been playing well there all week, but anytime you can go bogey-free at a U.S. Open is always a nice thing. My game is feeling better. I’ve played well the last three weeks, and I am excited to tee it up this week.
PT: What clicked for you during that final round 3-under 67?
Burns: I putted well. As the golf course continued to get tougher, I think it was important to figure out where you could leave it around the greens. That was the key thing for us, especially on Sunday. It was difficult to get the ball on the greens, so where you ended up and dealing with what you had in front of you was really important. And we were able to do a really good job of that and manage that.
PT: Did you get a chance to watch the crazy finish?
Burns: By the time I got home, I probably saw the last four holes. Yeah, it was pretty wild to see. Excited for Bryson. He obviously played really well all week. But also tough for Rory. For Rory to finish that way, as a competitor and as a player, you don’t wish that upon anybody. But I know he obviously took it pretty tough—as he should of. But he will bounce back.
Sam Burns putts on the 1st green during the third round of the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
PT: Speaking of Rory McIlroy, he announced that he will next play at the Genesis Scottish Open. Are you going to play before that somewhere?
Burns: No, I’m actually going to take three weeks off after the Travelers, which will be great. (Burns will next play at The Open at Royal Troon, which begins Jul. 18.)
PT: This golf course, at least from my understanding, is a ball-strikers course. You have to be precise. It’s not a bomber’s course, and you must have your short game. So what do you make of TPC River Highlands?
Burns: I think with a couple of the changes that they made—the first time I saw them was on Tuesday—so I think the changes were good. They made the holes better. On 12, they took away being able to hit to the bottom of the fairway, which puts the bunkers more in play. Yeah I think the changes they made were good changes. They made the green on 11 a little bit smaller. So yeah you have to be precise with your irons. You also have to drive it well to set yourself up, but it’s all about getting good looks on the greens.
PT: Commissioner Jay Monahan announced that the Travelers Championship will be another Signature Event in 2025.
Burns: Awesome!
PT: From what we have heard from players, this is one of the favorite stops on tour, correct?
Burns: For sure. I love coming up here every year. Last year, I unfortunately had to miss it for a buddy’s wedding. But I always love coming up here. The fans are incredible, the community supports this event like no other. I also love going to eat some pizza at Sally’s in New Haven. We went there last night, it was awesome. But yes, this is always one of my favorites to come to.
PT: And then the Ryder Cup last year, how cool of an experience was that?
Burns: It was incredible. I wish the result would have been different, but an incredible experience. Going to play in Italy was extremely fun.
Sam Burns squared off against Rory McIlroy in Sunday Singles at the 2023 Ryder Cup.Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images
PT: Is there a lesson or takeaway from Marco Simone that you had and have applied to this year?
Burns: A little bit. I think playing over there is a lot different. I played a President’s Cup in the U.S., but that was a lot different—especially with how it feels. Over there, you expect everyone to root against you and that’s exactly what we felt. But it was really fun.
PT: You are such a great putter. Do you have any advice for amateur players on the putting greens?
Burns: A lot of times, from what I see with amateurs and putting, you know, in the Pro-Ams, they are always asking me to read putts for them and give them a line. But I am thinking, ‘You know I have seen you hit the last three putts, if I read this putt for you, it’s not going to help because you are either going to hit six feet short or six feet long.’ So the biggest thing is the speed. You see a lot of amateurs three and four-putt, mostly due to speed control. I think if you can take even five or 10 minutes before your round or after your round, and spend time hitting 20 footers, that will help. You want to try and get to within that three-foot circle. The make percentage from 20 feet is already pretty low. You see, guys try to make these 20-footers, and they ram it 10 feet past the hole, and they have a slippery putt coming back. You may get lucky one time, but you are losing strokes more often than not. When you hit it that hard, the hole becomes that much smaller, too. So speed control is big and amateurs should focus on that more than anything.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
CROMWELL, Conn. — Scottie Scheffler will lean heavily on his caddie Ted Scott this week at TPC River Highlands, the host of the Travelers Championship.
It’s not as if Scheffler needs much help, as he has won five times already this season. But after a “frustrating” U.S. Open, in which he tied for 41st, Scheffler arrives in New England looking to rebound in the final Signature Event of the season.
“This is a golf course that [Scott] had a lot of success on, so if there’s a difference of opinion, I’m probably going to lean towards him a little bit more than myself, just because I haven’t had the success on this golf course specifically,” Scheffler said Wednesday.
“In a different tournament, I may lean more toward what I feel and think, whereas out here, he really does a good job of managing around this golf course.”
Before helping Scheffler win a pair of Green Jackets at Augusta National, Scott looped for Bubba Watson, who, like the current World No. 1, won The Masters twice in a three-year span. On top of that, Scott helped Watson win three times at TPC River Highlands, the site of this week’s Travelers Championship. Watson’s first victory at this course came in 2010, when the left-hander prevailed in a playoff over Scott Verplank and Corey Pavin.
Five years later, Watson won again, defeating Paul Casey in a two-hole playoff. He then won in 2018, winning by three, a much more comfortable victory unlike the previous two.
Scottie Scheffler at the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Meanwhile, Scheffler’s best finish at TPC River Highlands came a year ago, when he tied for fourth. He shot 7-under 63s on Thursday and Saturday, but an even-par 70 during Friday’s round prevented him from threatening Keegan Bradley, who won at 23-under.
Before that, Scheffler tied for 13th in 2022 and 47th in 2021 after missing the cut in his debut in 2020. He obviously has had success on this golf course and knows how to play it, but after being “mentally fatigued” over the past few weeks, he can rely on his looper to get around and pinpoint certain targets and shots.
“Whatever he says seems to go for me in my head, just because he’s had the success, he has the pedigree, he knows where to put the ball and where not to put the ball,” Scheffler further explained.
“Especially when it comes to a lot of course management stuff: clubs to choose off the tees, what areas to play into, just because he has seen Bubba win here numerous times and he knows exactly how to get me there.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
The final Signature Event of the 2024 season has arrived, as 71 golfers will tee it up at this week’s Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Rory McIlroy will not be there, as he opted to take some time off following his heartbreaking finish at the U.S. Open. But Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Ludvig Åberg will be. So, too, will defending champion Keegan Bradley, who blistered a soft course last year en route to shooting 23-under-par, setting a new tournament record in the process.
But this year’s course will play much firmer and faster with temperatures hovering in the 90s throughout the week. Luckily, this limited-size field will not have to endure the speed and difficulty of Pinehurst No. 2, but the weather will feel more or less the same as it did in North Carolina. The Northeast is experiencing a heatwave this week, with heat advisories extending from the Great Lakes through the Mid-Atlantic and all the way through New England. That means everyone at TPC River Highlands will need to hydrate, including the putting surfaces, which will turn crisp quite easily in these conditions.
This golf course is also the shortest one played on the PGA Tour all season, requiring precision into the greens and an exquisite short game. Get ready for a birdie barrage, too; although, with this week’s weather, scores likely will not go as low as they did a year ago.
The 15th green at TPC River Highlands during the final round of the 2023 Travelers Championship.Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
So let’s get to our Staff Picks, with Jeanna Kelly from SB Nation’s NFL site stepping in as our guest picker this week:
Jack Milko — Staff Writer, Golf
For the third time this season, a Canadian will emerge victorious on the PGA Tour.
I am going with Corey Conners, fresh off a strong tie for 9th at the U.S. Open, to break through at the Travelers Championship and win for the third time on tour. Funny enough, Conners won a pair of Valero Texas Opens, in 2019 and 2023, but this time, he finally wins an event outside of the Lone Star State.
Last year, Conners finished in a tie for 9th at TPC River Highlands, shooting four impressive rounds in the mid-60s to finish at 17-under. His best score came on Saturday, when he posted a 5-under 65. But what I love about Conners is that he is one of the best iron players on the PGA Tour. He ranks second in strokes gained approach, sixth in greens in regulation percentage, and seventh in total birdies made, as Conners has poured in 253 par-breakers to date.
The one knock on him is his putting and short game, but both facets showed up at Pinehurst No. 2, relatively speaking. Conners ranked 28th in strokes gained around the greens and 30th with his putter at last week’s U.S. Open, which featured some of the most diabolical greens seen anywhere in the world. But best of all, his tie for ninth helped him clinch a spot in the 2024 Olympics, giving him plenty of confidence and momentum going into the summer.
With all of this in mind, I believe the stars have aligned for Conners to win, especially on a week when plenty of other top players mail it in after a grueling major.
DraftKings Odds: +3500
Corey Conners at the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Jeanna Kelley — Associate Director, SB Nation NFL
When I make NFL picks, I consider many factors: recent performance, injuries, weather forecasts, and so on. Since this is my first time making golf picks, I tried to follow a similar strategy.
Obviously, the easy pick here would be Scottie Scheffler, who’s once again the odds-on favorite to win. Prior to the U.S. Open, and depending on that outcome, I thought I’d pick Rory McIlroy, but he’s withdrawn from the Travelers after last week’s fiasco. So I’m actually going with Collin Morikawa this week. He’s been playing really solid golf the past several weeks. His putting hasn’t been a liability, and eventually, these factors are going to lead him to a win. It might as well be this weekend.
DraftKings Odds: +1200
Collin Morikawa during the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Savannah Richardson — Staff Writer, Golf
I am going with Ludvig Åberg this week. He tied for 24th last year, but now he returns to TPC River Highlands with some familiarity with the course.
His game is in good form, but he just had a weird weekend at the U.S. Open, where two triple bogies stymied him.
But this golf course suits him, given his exquisite iron play. He ranks 11th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach and ranked 15th in that metric last week at Pinehurst No. 2. Luckily for him, TPC River Highlands does not have any greens like the 13th at Pinehurst or as difficult as the par-4 2nd, so he should not make any more triples this time around.
I think he runs away with it.
DraftKings Odds: +1400
Ludvig Åberg on the 6th hole at Pinehurst No. 2.Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
For all other sports betting content, check out SB Nation’s DraftKings site.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
The PGA Tour is in Cromwell, Connecticut, for the eighth and final Signature Event of the season: the Travelers Championship.
TPC River Highlands, a Robert J. Moss and Maurice Kearney course, will play as host. This tournament will not feature a cut as 71 players battle for a piece of the $20 million purse.
Here is the one-stop information shop for the Travelers Championship.
Travelers Championship:
Where: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut (Par-70, 6,852-yards)
When: Jun. 20-23rd
Purse: $20,000,000/$4,000,000 (First Place)
FedEx Cup Points: 700
Defending Champion: Keegan Bradley
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
How to Watch The Travelers Championship
Golf Channel and CBS will share the television coverage. Check out the full schedule below:
Thursday, June 20: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Friday, June 21: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday, June 22: 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3:00-6 p.m. ET (CBS)
Sunday, June 23: 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3:00-6 p.m. ET (CBS)
How to Stream The Travelers Championship
ESPN+ will exclusively air early round and featured group coverage all four days of the Travelers Championship. Peacock will have simulcasts of the Golf Channel’s broadcast.
Coverage on Peacock can be streamed here.
In addition, fans can tune into CBS Sports streaming service Paramount+ while CBS airs its third and final round broadcasts.
The Travelers Championship Preview:
Coming off a dramatic U.S. Open week, the best of the PGA Tour is in Connecticut for the final Signature Event of the year.
Defending champion Keegan Bradley won his sixth PGA Tour event here in 2023. He also broke the tournament record by one stroke.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is coming off one of his weakest performances at Pinehurst No. 2, but he remains one of the many heavy hitters who headline this event.
Xander Schauffele is also in the field as the PGA Championship winner finished strong at Pinehurst.
Ludvig Åberg struggled at Pinehurst throughout the weekend, but this TPC River Highlands track fits his game well. Last year, he was one of four sponsor exemptions in the field, and now, heading into this event, the Swedish phenom is a PGA Tour winner.
He tied for 24th in 2023, going 67-65-65-70 through four days of play. Åberg’s game is in a good spot coming off the U.S. Open, so watch out for him to make moves this week.
Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, and many other top players will tee it up this week in New England as they all fight to take home that hefty $4 million first-place price.
This week will be interesting as most of the field is coming off a major championship. Will fatigue affect some of the biggest names in golf?
The Travelers Championship Round 1 Tee Times (ET):
(All go off the first tee)
8:05 a.m. — Chris Gotterup
8:15 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Jake Knapp
8:25 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Thomas Detry
8:35 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Victor Perez
8:45 a.m. — Davis Riley, Rickie Fowler
8:55 a.m. — Lee Hodges, Eric Cole
9:05 a.m. — Brian Harman, Tom Hoge
9:15 a.m. — Nick Taylor, Harris English
9:25 a.m. — Taylor Moore, Seamus Power
9:40 a.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Mackenzie Hughes
9:50 a.m. — Sahith Theegala, Sepp Sraka
10:00 a.m. — Jason Day, J.T. Poston
10:10 a.m. — Cameron Young, Patrick Rodgers
10:20 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley
10:30 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa
10:40 a.m. — Wyndham Clark, Jordan Spieth
10:50 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas
11:00 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Adam Scott
11:15 a.m. — Will Zalatoris, Ben Griffin
11:25 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Webb Simpson
11:35 a.m. — Peter Malnati, Christian Bezuidenhout
11:45 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Andrew Putnam
11:55 a.m. — Sam Burns, Byeong Hun An
12:05 p.m. — Si Woo Kim, Adam Svensson
12:15 p.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Hadwin
12:25 p.m. — Tom Kim, Corey Conners
12:35 p.m. — Justin Rose, Adam Schenk
12:50 p.m. — Chris Kirk, Sungjae Im
1:00 p.m. — Russell Henley, Denny McCarthy
1:10 p.m. — Cam Davis, Brendon Todd
1:20 p.m. — Lucas glover, Tommy Fleetwood
1:30 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland
1:40 p.m. — Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay
1:50 p.m. — Xander Schauffele, Matthieu Pavon
2:00 p.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Michael Thorbjornsen
2:10 p.m. — Billy Horschel, Stephan Jaeger
The Travelers Championship Round 2 Tee Times (ET):
(All go off the first tee)
8:05 a.m. — Will Zalatoris, Ben Griffin
8:15 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Webb Simpson
8:25 a.m. — Peter Malnati, Christian Bezuidenhout
8:35 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Andrew Putnam
8:45 a.m. — Sam Burns, Byeong Hun An
8:55 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Adam Svensson
9:05 a.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Hadwin
9:15 a.m. — Tom Kim, Corey Conners
9:25 a.m. — Justin Rose, Adam Schenk
9:40 a.m. — Chris Kirk, Sungjae Im
9:50 a.m. — Russell Henley, Denny McCarthy
10:00 a.m. — Cam Davis, Brendon Todd
10:10 a.m. — Lucas glover, Tommy Fleetwood
10:20 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland
10:30 a.m. — Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay
10:40 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, Matthieu Pavon
10:50 a.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Michael Thorbjornsen
11:00 a.m. — Billy Horschel, Stephan Jaeger
11:15 a.m. — Chris Gotterup
11:25 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Jake Knapp
11:35 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Thomas Detry
11:45 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Victor Perez
11:55 a.m. — Davis Riley, Rickie Fowler
12:05 p.m. — Lee Hodges, Eric Cole
12:15 p.m. — Brian Harman, Tom Hoge
12:25 p.m. — Nick Taylor, Harris English
12:35 p.m. — Taylor Moore, Seamus Power
12:45 p.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Mackenzie Hughes
12:55 p.m. — Sahith Theegala, Sepp Sraka
1:10 p.m. — Jason Day, J.T. Poston
1:20 p.m. — Cameron Young, Patrick Rodgers
1:30 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley
1:40 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa
1:50 p.m. — Wyndham Clark, Jordan Spieth
2:00 p.m. — Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas
2:10 p.m. — Nick Dunlap, Adam Scott
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
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