The U.S. Senior Open takes center stage this week as Bernhard Langer will look to defend his title at the historic Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island.
But in two years’ time, another man will meet the eligibility criteria to play, which should intimidate everyone on the PGA Tour Champions. That would be Tiger Woods, the 15-time major winner who has also won nine United States Golf Association (USGA) titles.
Woods won three U.S. Junior Amateurs and three U.S. Amateurs during a six-year stretch from 1991 to 1996. He then went on to win three U.S. Open titles, with his first coming at Pebble Beach in 2000 and his last coming at Torrey Pines in 2008. He won his other one at Bethpage Black in 2002.
But as Adam Schupak of Golfweek penned on Monday, a U.S. Senior Open title would put Woods in rare territory. No player has ever won the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, and U.S. Senior Open during their career. If Woods were to go on and win a U.S. Senior Open, he would become the most decorated USGA Champion of all time with 10 USGA championships. Woods and Bobby Jones currently possess the all-time record with nine apiece.
“He’d love to win that Grand Slam and get some of the other senior majors on his CV,” Padraig Harrington told Shupak.
Tiger Woods lines up a putt during the 2024 U.S. Open.Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
“I saw him at the [PNC Championship] and we were just crossing paths and he laughed at me. I won’t say exactly what he said but the gist of it was he can’t wait to get out and beat me.”
Surely, Woods will want to possess those records all on his own. He loves the competition and wants to be recognized as the greatest golfer ever.
But the PGA Tour Champions also allows its competitors to take a cart, which would help Woods immensely. He has struggled to navigate 72 holes in major championships, but having assistance via a cart would eradicate many of those hardships. Yet, the senior majors require players to apply for and receive a cart via the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).
“Taking a cart changes everything for him,” Geoff Ogilvy added to Schupak.
“Interest both from fans and sponsors is going to be through the roof. I think there’s a good chance that Champions Tour ratings can top the PGA Tour when he decides to play. And what else is he going to?”
Woods will definitely play a role in his son Charlie’s budding golf career, as the younger Woods recently qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur later this summer. Outside of that, the 82-time PGA Tour winner can reinvigorate his competitive spirits and boost the Champions Tour by playing. He should go through with it.
And when he does, the golfing world will love it.
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.
Tyrrell Hatton’s six-shot victory at LIV Golf Nashville symbolized a breakthrough in more ways than one.
Not only did he win his maiden title on the Saudi-backed circuit, but he also won a professional golf tournament for the first time in more than three years. Hatton’s last victory came on the DP World Tour in January 2021, when he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship by four strokes.
But it’s not as if the Englishman has sailed into the abyss since then. He has made the cut in 11 straight majors and posted seven top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2023. He even tied for ninth at Augusta National a couple of months after joining LIV Golf.
Hatton has played solid golf over the past few years, which explains why he still ranks among the top 25 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). But now he eyes another breakthrough: a major championship victory.
Tyrrell Hatton at the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon. Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
And with the Open Championship set to be held at Royal Troon next month, Hatton’s game suits that course on the Scottish coast perfectly. In fact, at the 2016 Open, when Royal Troon saw Henrik Stenson fend off Phil Mickelson in one of the greatest final rounds ever, a 24-year-old Hatton tied for fifth. Golf fans did not know much about Hatton then, but he did shoot four rounds of even par or better that week.
“I’ve done well on links courses in the past,” Hatton said after his final round 3-under 68 at Royal Troon in July 2016.
“I think my best performances are on links courses. So I’ve played a lot of links as an amateur, and I’ve just taken that sort of into the province.”
Interestingly, Hatton has not posted a better finish at The Open since then, although he did tie for sixth in 2019 at Royal Portrush. He tied for 20th a year ago at Royal Liverpool and finished in a tie for 11th at St. Andrews the year before.
But now the Englishman will return to Royal Troon as a player to keep an eye on, a much different circumstance than where he stood in 2016, when he arrived as the 68th ranked player in the OWGR. Golf fans know all about Hatton in 2024, not only for his fiery and passionate demeanor but also for his terrific ball-striking and nifty short game—attributes required for Open Championship success.
It seems as if Hatton is due for a major championship breakthrough. Even though we are still three weeks away from having serious discussions about who could win at Royal Troon, Hatton will have to be in that conversation, especially now that he has learned how to win again.
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.
After three straight weeks of non-stop action at the Memorial, the U.S. Open, and the Travelers Championship, the PGA Tour heads to the Midwest for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Rickie Fowler prevailed in a playoff over Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa a year ago, as all three players finished at 24-under-par at the end of the final round. Expect a birdie barrage again this year at Detroit Golf Club, a Donald Ross design that PGA Tour pros seem to attack year in and year out.
Since the tournament’s inception in 2019, the average winner has been 23.2 strokes under par, with only one player finishing higher than 20 under: Cameron Davis, who, in 2021, won in a playoff at 18 under.
Like TPC River Highlands in Connecticut, this golf course plays into ball-strikers’ hands. That said, unlike what we saw at the Travelers Championship, this course does not have many lateral hazards and penalty areas. Bombers can bomb and gouge it around the property without hesitation, using their length to set up better opportunities. That helps explain why Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau, and Davis have all won here.
But at the end of the day, this event will come down to putting. You need to putt well to post a low score, and whoever can consistently do that over four days will win in Detroit.
Rickie Fowler and his caddie celebrate their win at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.Photo by Brian Spurlock/Getty Images
Rocket Mortgage Classic Odds
Here are the current odds for players to win in Michigan this week, provided by DraftKings.
Tom Kim +1200
Cameron Young +1400
Min Woo Lee +2000
Akshay Bhatia +2000
Will Zalatoris +3000
Stephan Jaeger +3000
Maverick McNealy +3000
Keith Mitchell +3000
Alex Noren +3000
Taylor Pendrith +4000
Robert MacIntyre +4000
Davis Thompson +4000
Aaron Rai +4000
Rickie Fowler +4500
Michael Thorbjornsen +4500
Erik van Rooyen +4500
Taylor Moore +5000
Ryan Fox +5000
Chris Kirk +5000
Nicolai Højgaard +5000
The clubhouse at Detroit Golf Club during the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
Rocket Mortgage Classic Insight, Predictions
Tom Kim continues to shine
Fresh off a solid performance at the Travelers Championship, where he fell just short to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff, Tom Kim arrives in Michigan for his ninth straight start on the PGA Tour.
He also arrives as the favorite, an exciting development for the young man who recently turned 22. But he deserves to have odds this low at +1200 to win. This golf course is not long by tour standards, and Kim does not have the length many of his peers possess. Instead, he relies heavily on his short-to-mid irons, an attribute that was on full display in Connecticut. He ranked third in strokes gained on approach in Cromwell.
Of course, ball-striking is meaningless if you cannot convert those birdie opportunities. He will have to hole some putts to give himself a chance again, but Kim’s putter worked well for him last week, ranking 20th in strokes gained with the putter. Sure, he could have made a few more, but overall, his game is in solid form. He has not missed a cut since the Valero Texas Open and has two top-five finishes in the past month.
We like him to post his third top-five this week in Detroit at +320.
Cameron Young continues to rise from slump, and contend
Before Friday’s second round at the Travelers Championship, where he shot a 4-under 66, Cameron Young had 10 straight rounds in the 70s dating back to his missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open. Of those 10, Young posted only one score of even par or better, a second-round 72 at the Memorial.
But something clicked for him in Connecticut. After his Friday 66, Young fired a historic 59, vaulting himself into contention going into the final day. He then began Sunday’s round with four straight birdies, leading many to ask if he could shoot another sub-60 score on back-to-back days. Alas, that mantra was short-lived, as he wound up with another 66 on Sunday.
Cameron Young at the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Still, Young recorded a tie for ninth, his best finish since the Masters.
Now, he heads to Michigan with some confidence, as he will compete in the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the first time since 2022, when he tied for second. He has the length to bomb it all over Detroit Golf Club, and we like his short-iron play and wedge game to show up again. Give us Young to finish in the top five at +360.
Young Gun Lurks
Michael Thorbjornsen got a taste of the big stage last week in New England in his professional debut. The former Stanford Cardinal, who earned his PGA Tour card via the PGA Tour University rankings, played well, all things considered. The Wellesley, Massachusetts native tied for 39th as he fired a 6-under 64 during round two and a 4-under 66 on day three to post a respectable finish.
But we like him to play even better this week. Thorbjornsen oozes confidence, much like Ludvig Åberg this time a year ago. If you recall, Åberg played alongside Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald at last year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. The young Swede impressed the European captain, as Donald compared him to a young Rory McIlroy. Of course, only a few months later, Donald selected Åberg to join the team, a testament to his meteoric rise into the top 10 of the world.
Granted, this is not to say that Thorbjornsen will have a similar experience, but he does boast a ton of talent. He can hit the ball a mile and has a nifty short game. So we believe that he will post his first top-10 finish as a pro, doing so at a +500 price.
2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic Champion is…
In my U.S. Open Dark Horses piece, I selected Alex Noren as one of my picks. At the time, his game was trending in the right direction, fresh off a tie for 12th at the PGA Championship. He had missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open, his first of the year, but rebounded with a tie for 22nd at the Memorial. Hence, I figured Noren’s ball-striking acumen would serve him well at Pinehurst No. 2.
I was wrong. Noren missed the cut, as he could not garner any momentum at the U.S. Open. But he has not played anywhere since then.
Now, Noren, who ranks ninth on the PGA Tour in overall strokes gained, will show up in Michigan well-rested and ready to go. He also plays well at Detroit Golf Club, recording a T-4 in 2021 and a T-9 in 2023, with six of those eight rounds being in the 60s.
Noren may not make many birdies, which could hinder his chances this week, but the 41-year-old Swede rarely makes mistakes—a much more critical factor. He ranks third on the PGA Tour in bogey avoidance and third in overall scrambling, two facets that help at any golf tournament.
So, give me Noren to win this week at +3000, as Sweden will have its first winner on the PGA Tour in 2024.
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 Travelers Championship in Connecticut always delivers, and this year’s edition echoed that sentiment once again.
Scottie Scheffler won his sixth event of the year, becoming the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six PGA Tour events before July 1 in a season. The win marks Scheffler’s fourth Signature Event title, along with his impressive victories at TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National.
But unlike his five prior wins in 2024, Scheffler needed to prevail in a playoff this time around. He defeated Tom Kim on the first playoff hole—the par-4 18th. Kim dunked his approach into the greenside bunker as his ball nestled in a buried lie. Scheffler, meanwhile, stuffed his second shot to 11 feet, which all but secured the title.
The 22-year-old Kim could not get up and down, and Scheffler lagged his putt next to the hole—a fresh cup thanks to the chaos that ensued on the 18th hole in regulation. Minutes before, protestors invaded the green, spraying colorful substances all over the putting surface and leaving marks everywhere. Consequently, the PGA Tour’s agronomy team had to cut a new pin location for the playoff: 11 steps on and five from the right. The interruption paused play for 15 minutes.
Then, after police had subjugated the trespassers, Kim rolled in a 10-footer for birdie to force a playoff with the top-ranked player in the world, who also dubs as one of his best friends. It produced a surreal moment at TPC River Highlands, one that both players will soon not forget.
Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim embrace after the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour via Getty Images
5 Takeaways from Travelers Championship:
1. It’s Scottie Scheffler’s world
Scottie Scheffler bounced back with a vengeance after his worst performance of the season at the U.S. Open. He carded two rounds of 64 and a pair of 65s to finish at 22-under par in regulation, seven days after posting 7-over. Scheffler was locked in all week, mainly due to a putter that rebounded nicely after a brutal week at Pinehurst No. 2.
The two-time Masters champion gained 2.540 strokes with the putter in Connecticut, good for 16th in this limited field. To help put that in perspective, Scheffler lost 1.51 strokes to the field last week, ranking 71st of 74 players who made the cut.
Granted, TPC River Highlands pales in comparison to No. 2 as it relates to green complexes and overall difficulty. But to win at this golf course, you have to shoot 4-or-5-under every day to have a solid chance to win.
“You have an off day; all of a sudden, it’s much harder to catch up,” Scheffler said.
Scottie Scheffler chats after his win.Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour via Getty Images
“I feel like sometimes at the harder golf courses, you can fake it around a little bit for a day or two and hang around and hang, but sometimes these golf courses when they’re a little bit softer and not as demanding, there’s always a lot of birdies, just because the fields out here are so deep, and once you get behind, it can be harder to catch up.”
Scheffler made the putts when he needed to and failed to make a single mistake down the stretch. He looked unflappable for all four days, yet Scheffler burned a few lips on the back nine on Sunday. Imagine if a couple more of those putts had fallen.
Now, he will take three weeks off to rest and recuperate before The Open Championship at Royal Troon, leading many of Scheffler’s fellow professionals to breathe a sigh of relief.
2. Tom Kim is here to stay
Kudos to Tom Kim, who brought the World No. 1 to the brink on Sunday in Connecticut. Kim held a piece of the lead on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, an impressive feat at any PGA Tour event—let alone the eighth consecutive one you have played.
He did not have his best stuff with him early, as his even par 35 on the front nine reflected that. Despite that, Kim played spectacularly on the back nine. He got a big boost of momentum on the par-4 10th, where he knocked his approach to nine feet and subsequently drained the putt for birdie.
Three more birdies for Kim followed, none more important than the one on the 72nd hole. But Kim also took advantage of the scorable holes on the back nine: the par-5 13th and the drivable par-4 15th. You have to make birdie on those holes, or you will lose strokes to the field. Look no further than Akshay Bhatia, who was in the mix but faded thanks to lackluster pars on the 13th and 15th.
Tom Kim reacts to his birdie on the 18th green during the final round of the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Kim did not fade from the limelight, however. He shined in it, proving that he can take on any player in the world head-on. The Seoul, South Korea native will only get better from here.
“I fought hard. I really did. I played really well this week,” Kim said.
“I was really close, really, really close, but I was just a shot short. Unfortunately, when you’re going against Scottie, who I know very, very well, I knew that I had to play really good golf [on Sunday], and I felt like I did. It got tough out there with the wind, but I fought hard. It was just shy, but I’m taking some positive things going into the rest of the season.”
Unlike Scheffler, Kim will keep the pedal to the metal at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Detroit-area tournament that will mark his ninth tournament in a row.
3. Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay: close, but no cigar… again
At one point late in the day, you saw Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay’s names pop up towards the leaderboard. Finau tied the lead at 20-under with a birdie at the 15th hole, while Cantlay crept up to 19-under, thanks to back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes.
Could this be the week for Finau, who has not won since the 2023 Mexico Open? Or could Cantlay pick up his first trophy since the 2022 BMW Championship?
But their sealed was fate on the par-3 16th, which measured only 158 yards on Sunday. The large pond in front of the green, coupled with a front left-hole location and a devilish swirling wind, made things nearly impossible. It turned this short par-3 into a bear late in the day on Sunday, ranking as the second most challenging hole during the final round.
Patrick Cantlay during the final round of the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Cantlay played in the group ahead of Finau and pulled his iron shot long and left. It settled up against the rough while sitting below the putting surface, thus making it all but impossible to save par. A bogey there dropped him back to 18-under, as he ultimately tied for fifth. Cantlay tied for third at Pinehurst No. 2, his best career finish in a major. He could be someone to watch out for at Royal Troon, as his game finally looks to be in shape.
Finau, meanwhile, came up woefully short from the tee, as his watery demise led to a double-bogey five. He went on to tie for fifth, one week after tying for third at the U.S. Open. But, like last week, a mistake cost Finau a chance at glory. The chipping and putting mistakes did him in on the 13th hole on Saturday, while a poorly struck approach into the wind cost him today. At any rate, Finau will be back. It’s a matter of when, not if, he wins.
4. Signature Events need work
We need more players in Signature Events.
I understand that the PGA Tour wants top players to compete against the best, but 72 players are not enough in one of the season’s marquee events. At a minimum, 100 players need to play. Too much talent in professional golf exists for the PGA Tour to roll out the red carpet for only a third of its members. Plus, golf is the most random sport of them all. Anything can happen on any given round on any given day, so why not add to the drama and expand Signature Events by 30 people or so?
So, in 2025, when the Travelers Championship will once again act as a Signature Event on the heels of the U.S. Open, I hope to see more than 72 players in the field. One hundred has a nice round number to it; plus, it’s not as if there is a night-and-day difference between the 72nd-ranked player and the 102nd. Heck, anyone of the top 1000 players in the world realistically has the game to contend in a PGA Tour event. Just ask ninth-alternate John Daly.
Nevertheless, the Signature Event model is here to stay, but it certainly could use some enhancements. Adding more players who deserve an opportunity would be a good start.
Scottie Scheffler plays the 17th hole during the final round.Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour via Getty Images
5. TPC River Highlands: too easy?
Once again, TPC River Highlands yielded plenty of birdies and not a lot of bogies. That’s fine if you like surreal scoring, hoping somebody wins at 30-under par. But it just does not provide the entertainment value that other demanding courses do.
As Scottie Scheffler alluded to in his post-round presser, it’s almost more of a challenge to set ‘par’ at a 5-under 65, knowing that if you do not shoot a 65, you are losing strokes to the field. Look at Tom Kim, who shot a 4-under 66 as the final-round leader and lost—a tough pill to swallow.
But at 6,835 yards, the modern game has likely passed TPC River Highlands by. With that said, this course has committed itself to hosting the PGA Tour’s best once again in 2025 and should do so once again. It deserves it. The layout is spectacular, with the final four holes always producing drama. And the community embraces this tournament like a major championship. Plus, the hospitality for players, volunteers, media, and fans alike is all top-notch, a true five-star experience.
Yet, we have an idea: what if the Travelers Championship became the Northeast’s premier Signature Event, rotating around a bevy of top courses within the region? Obviously, this region has plenty of capital. So, perhaps Bethpage Black hosts one year while Liberty National slides in during another. Maybe TPC Boston will get back in the mix. Or Aronimink in Philadelphia. Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey would be another viable candidate.
At any rate, the tour has an opportunity to take things a step further regarding its Signature Events by rotating courses in and out. Yes, the Hartford, Connecticut community would be heartbroken to see this tournament leave, but the Travelers Championship could always return to this area, too.
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 Travelers Championship saw another playoff finish, but before Scottie Scheffler could earn his sixth PGA Tour win, a distraction happened on the 18th green.
A group of protestors from the Extinction Rebellion interrupted Scheffler, Tom Kim and Akshay Bhatia’s group to run onto the course with colored smoke and powder substances.
Police tackled them and quickly put the group into custody. However, they still were able to cause some damage on the 18th green. The protestors did not stop once in handcuffs, though; they challenged officers all the way off the course.
As the agronomy team cleaned up the 18th green, fans chanted USA-USA-USA, sang the Star-Spangled Banner, and chanted profanities at the disrupters. The situation caused the agronomy team and officials to change the hole location for the playoff.
While things settled and the crew made the changes, golf fans on social media took the incident and ran with it. They were quick to make jokes about the situation at hand and even made a dig at the expense of Scheffler.
Check out some of the top-notch reactions to the protest at the Travelers Championship.
The Scheffler tracker gave a live look at the whole incident.
No Laying Up made jokes at Kim for playing slow and blamed the protest on him. Kim seemed to slow things down as the round continued, and watching him over the ball was brutal.
Another hilarious tweet was directed at Canadian golfer Adam Hadwin. Nick Taylor won last year’s RBC Canadian Open. Hadwin tried to celebrate by running onto the green, but instead, a policeman tackled him.
A reaction to this protest would not be the same without Kyle Porter’s “normal sport” joke. There are so many moments in golf that make fans scratch their head, and this protest was one of them.
Thankfully it does not seem anyone in attendance was harmed. The golf course took most of the blow, but nonetheless, fans got a good laugh as the Travelers Championship ended.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
Scottie Scheffler won his sixth PGA Tour event of the season as he beat Tom Kim at the Travelers Championship. He becomes the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six times on Tour before July 1st.
Scheffler also became the fourth player to record six or more wins in a season since 1983 and the first since Tiger Woods did it in 2009, per the PGA Tour communications team.
“It’s pretty special. It’s been a great season,” Scheffler said. “I’ve been fortunate to come away with some wins, and it’s been a lot of fun. Tom played his heart out today. He’s a great player, a great champion. It was fun battling him today.”
A bogey-free final round 5-under 64 got Scheffler to 22-under while Kim posted a 4-under 65. Scheffler came in looking to rebound off his uneventful performance at the U.S. Open.
Kim made a bogey on the par-3 8th, and it proved costly. The 22-year-old made a clutch putt on the 18th to birdie and tie Scheffler, sending the tournament into extra holes.
It only took one extra hole for Scheffler to seal the deal as he hit a perfect approach shot. Kim hit his second shot into the bunker and could not get it close enough to put the pressure on Scheffler.
The World No. 1 two-putted to defeat his friend.
Both players dealt with a weird incident as they wrapped up the 72nd hole.
A wild protest invasion on the 18th hole delayed things for the final group. Five “Extinction Rebellion” protestors disturbed the play as the final group approached the green. Police quickly arrested the individuals, but they still got white and red substances on the green.
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Blowers and towels cleared off the powder for the players to finish the 72nd hole. However, after assessing the green, the agronomy team and officials ultimately decided to move the hole for the playoff.
Thankfully, the disrupters did not target the athletes but still found a way to damage the track.
“It was definitely a bit weird,” Scheffler said. “When something like that happens, you don’t know what’s happening, so it can rattle you.
“There’s people and police officers running around the green and you don’t know if they’re peaceful. You have no idea what’s going on, so it can be stressful. I felt like Tom and I tried to calm each other down so we could give it our best shot there on 18.”
This win also marked Scheffler’s fourth Signature Event win of the season. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, The Memorial, and the Travelers Championship. Not to mention, Scheffler also took home the 2024 Masters and The Players titles.
The former Texas Longhorn earned $3.6 million for this victory, putting him at $27,696,858 in official money. There is still a lot of golf left to play this season as Scheffler continues to set the record for most money won in a single season.
Scheffler expressed that his next two events will be the Open Championship and the Olympics.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
Scottie Scheffler earned his sixth PGA Tour victory since January 1 on Sunday as he defeated Tom Kim to win the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.
He officially won four of the eight Signature Events with the Travelers over. The former Texas Longhorn’s other two wins include the 2024 Players Championship and a second Masters in three years.
The only way to put it is that Scheffler is on a heater.
He is on one historic run as he became the latest player to win six or more times in a single season since Tiger Woods in 2009. The 28-year-old also became the first player since Arnold Palmer did it in 1962 to win six times before July 1.
With this victory, Scheffler took home a $3.6 million check, bringing his 2024 total to $27,696,858.
He continues to break his single-season record. With the Open Championship and FedEx Cup playoffs, there is no telling what the final total could be.
Since his first Signature Event victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 10, Scheffler has won roughly $23 million.
Kim also took home a nice $2.6 million check for finishing second behind one of his best friends. Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas and Akshay Bhatia split fifth place, each winning $702,500.
This week’s tournament did not feature a cut, so everyone who played received a check.
With a $20 million purse, let’s break down how much each player made at the Travelers Championship.
2024 Travelers Championship Prize Money Payout
1: Scottie Scheffler: $3,600,000 2: Tom Kim: $2,160,000 T3: Tom Hoge: $1,160,000 T3: Sungjae Im: $1,160,000 T5: Patrick Cantlay: $702,500 T5: Tony Finau: $702,500 T5: Justin Thomas: $702,500 T5: Akshay Bhatia: $702,500 T9: Brian Harman: $520,000 T9: Wyndham Clark: $520,000 T9: Cameron Young: $520,000 T9: Shane Lowry: $520,000 T13: Xander Schauffele: $400,000 T13: Collin Morikawa: $400,000 15: Tommy Fleetwood: $360,000 T16: Patrick Rodgers: $310,000 T16: Robert MacIntyre: $310,000 T16: Adam Svensson: $310,000 T16: Matthieu Pavon: $310,000 T20: Seamus Power: $241,333.33 T20: Rickie Fowler: $241,333.33 T20: Viktor Hovland: $241,333.33 T23: Sepp Straka: $183,500 T23: Hideki Matsuyama: $183,500 T23: Christiaan Bezuidenhout: $183,500 T23: Taylor Pendrith: $183,500 T27: Corey Conners: $144,000 T27: Adam Hadwin: $144,000 T27: Austin Eckroat: $144,000 T27: Ludvig Åberg: $144,000 T31: Kurt Kitayama: $117,600 T31: Lee Hodges: $117,600 T31: Denny McCarthy: $117,600 T31: Stephan Jaeger: $117,600 T31: Si Woo Kim: $117,600 T36: Mackenzie Hughes: $97,333.34 T36: Brendon Todd: $97,333.34 T36: Matt Fitzpatrick: $97,333.34 T39: Adam Scott: $89,000 T39: Keegan Bradley: $89,000 T39: Michael Thorbjornsen: $89,000 T42: Nick Taylor: $75,000 T42: Will Zalatoris: $75,000 T44: Victor Perez: $63,000 T44: Lucas Glover: $63,000 T44: Andrew Putnam: $63,000 T44: Jason Day: $63,000 T48: Eric Cole: $49,285.71 T48: Russell Henley: $49,285.71 T48: Davis Riley: $49,285.71 T48: Cam Davis: $49,285.71 T48: Webb Simpson: $49.285.71 T48: Jake Knapp: $49,285.71 T48: Sahith Theegala: $49,285.71 T55: Adam Schenk: $44,750 T55: Billy Horschel: $44,750 T55: Emiliano Grillo: $44,750 T55: J.T. Poston: $44,750 T55: Thomas Detry: $44,750 T55: Sam Burns: $44,750 T61: Max Homa: $42,750 T61: Chris Gotterup: $42,750 T63: Harris English: $41,500 T63: Jordan Spieth: $41,500 T63: Chris Kirk: $41,500 66: Nick Dunlap: $40,500 67: Ben Griffin: $40,000 T68: Justin Rose: $39,250 T68: Taylor Moore: $39,250 70: Peter Malnati: $38,500
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
Jon Rahm is one of the most passionate professional golfers. He is also one of many LIV Golf players who use profanities.
His latest f-bomb came during the Sunday round of the LIV Golf Nashville tournament.
He started his round 3-under through his first five holes, then Rahm stepped on the sixth tee at The Grove.
A loud noise allegedly distracted the Spaniard. He hit his tee shot, causing the ball to go left and splash into the water.
Rahm looked back at the drone and lost it.
“Every tournament!” Rahm yelled. “It’s f—ing incredible! Right in my backswing! F—ing drones every time!”
The 2023 Masters winner double-bogeyed the par-4 6th. It dropped him to four shots behind his teammate and the Nashville leader Tyrrell Hatton.
He did get one of those strokes back with a birdie on seven.
This is not the first time Rahm has thrown an f-bomb around at a LIV Golf tournament; it has become a regular occurrence to hear him cuss.
He and Hatton both yelled the four-letter explicative at Augusta National, which caused Padraig Harrington to call them out. Last year, the duo were caught on hot mics at the Ryder Cup.
In February at LIV Golf Mayakoba, Rahm got caught again yelling the f-word.
When Rahm signed with his new tour last December, he was no stranger to how LIV does its tournaments. He knew what he signed up for, but that did not stop him from cussing.
LIV’s motto is “Golf, but Louder,” but at what point does it become too much for players?
How many hot mic moments have to happen for something to change, or will it at all?
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
Welcome to Playing Through’s new morning ritual: Golf Talk Today.
Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, in which the crew will discuss various elements of the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and other professional golf tournaments.
The final round of the Travelers Championship is here, and to no one’s surprise, Scottie Scheffler is in contention. His best friend, Tom Kim, continues to hold the lead by one stroke, but will he be able to hold off the two-time Masters winner?
Sunday will look different. The PGA Tour moved up tee times for the final round and put the guys into threesomes. With bad weather lurking in the afternoon, the leaders will tee off at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Kim, Scheffler and Akshay Bhatia are in the last group of the day. Let’s discuss Championship Sunday.
Travelers Championship’s final round will be wild:
Saturday saw Cameron Young shoot a historical 59, but his play quickly got overshadowed by Scheffler, Kim, and Bhatia’s play.
He finished tied with Kim at 13-under, but by the end of Saturday’s round, he trailed by five shots.
The afternoon wave fought another weather delay, but that did not matter as the conditions were so soft.
While Kim played well the first three days, Scheffler and Bhatia also did well. They all shot 65 or better in the first three rounds.
Determining a winner on Sunday will likely come down to who can limit mistakes and sign for the most birdies.
Scheffler already has five victories in 2024. He won three Signature Events, the most recent being The Memorial, the 2024 Masters, and The Players.
Can he earn his fourth Signature Event win? Scheffler is so hard to beat right now, so it will be interesting to see if two young bucks like Kim and Bhatia can keep up.
Not to mention, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Sungjae Im and Tony Finau lurk in the groups ahead.
Scheffler did not play well at the U.S. Open, but his game returned to normal on Thursday. Regardless, Championship Sunday will be wild for the Travelers as records could get broken.
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Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
Cameron Young took advantage of the soft conditions at TPC River Highlands for round 3 of the Travelers Championship. He fired off an 11-under 59 to tie Tom Kim for the lead at 13-under total.
Young became the first player since Scottie Scheffler in 2020 at TPC Boston to shoot a sub-60 round on the PGA Tour. He also became the 12th different player on Tour to shoot sub-60. Jim Furyk did it twice, including his historic 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
The 27-year-old’s previous best score was a 62 from the second round of the 2022 Genesis Invitational.
Young made over 115 feet of putts in the third round, including a 9-foot 7-inch par putt on 18 to secure the 59.
He took Moving Day seriously as Young jumped 42 spots to sit atop the leaderboard.
Young was 5-under through his first four holes after he made three birdies and an eagle on the par-4 3rd. Two more birdies at the 8th and 9th saw him go out in 28 strokes.
Another birdie at the par-5 13th, followed by his second eagle of the day at 15, put him at 10-under. He just needed one birdie to record a sub-60 round with three holes left. That birdie came on the par-4 17th as Young sank a 5-footer to tally his seventh birdie.
However, that par on 18 was his most crucial shot. It was not an easy putt, and Young had ice in his veins as he made it without hesitation.
Young has one runner-up finish this year, four top-10s, and five top-25s. However, he has not had his best form since the Masters.
Something clicked in Connecticut, though, as he joined an elite club of sub-60 golfers.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, 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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