Travelers: Scottie Scheffler wins one other jacket; 5 takeaways

The Travelers Championship in Connecticut all the time delivers, and this 12 months’s version echoed that sentiment as soon as once more.

Scottie Scheffler received his sixth occasion of the 12 months, turning into the primary participant since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six PGA Tour occasions earlier than July 1 in a season. The win marks Scheffler’s fourth Signature Event title, alongside together with his spectacular victories at TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National.

But not like his 5 prior wins in 2024, Scheffler wanted to prevail in a playoff this time round. He defeated Tom Kim on the primary playoff gap—the par-4 18th. Kim dunked his strategy into the greenside bunker as his ball nestled in a buried lie. Scheffler, in the meantime, stuffed his second shot to 11 ft, which all however secured the title.

The 22-year-old Kim couldn’t rise up and down, and Scheffler lagged his putt subsequent to the opening—a recent cup because of the chaos that ensued on the 18th gap in regulation. Minutes earlier than, protestors invaded the inexperienced, spraying colourful substances all around the placing floor and leaving marks all over the place. Consequently, the PGA Tour’s agronomy staff needed to minimize a brand new pin location for the playoff: 11 steps on and 5 from the precise. The interruption paused play for quarter-hour.

Then, after police had subjugated the trespassers, Kim rolled in a 10-footer for birdie to drive a playoff with the top-ranked participant on the planet, who additionally dubs as one in every of his finest mates. It produced a surreal second at TPC River Highlands, one which each gamers will quickly not neglect.

Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour through Getty Images

5 Takeaways from Travelers Championship:

1. It’s Scottie Scheffler’s world

Scottie Scheffler bounced again with a vengeance after his worst efficiency of the season on the U.S. Open. He carded two rounds of 64 and a pair of 65s to complete at 22-under par in regulation, seven days after posting 7-over. Scheffler was locked in all week, primarily resulting from a putter that rebounded properly after a brutal week at Pinehurst No. 2.

The two-time Masters champion gained 2.540 strokes with the putter in Connecticut, good for sixteenth on this restricted discipline. To assist put that in perspective, Scheffler misplaced 1.51 strokes to the sphere final week, rating 71st of 74 gamers who made the minimize.

Granted, TPC River Highlands pales compared to No. 2 because it pertains to inexperienced complexes and general issue. But to win at this golf course, you must shoot 4-or-5-under daily to have a strong probability to win.

“You have an off day; impulsively, it’s a lot tougher to catch up,” Scheffler mentioned.

Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour through Getty Images

“I really feel like typically on the tougher golf programs, you possibly can pretend it round somewhat bit for a day or two and hold round and hold, however typically these golf programs once they’re somewhat bit softer and never as demanding, there’s all the time a whole lot of birdies, simply because the fields out listed here are so deep, and when you get behind, it may be tougher to catch up.”

Scheffler made the putts when he wanted to and didn’t make a single mistake down the stretch. He regarded unflappable for all 4 days, but Scheffler burned just a few lips on the again 9 on Sunday. Imagine if a pair extra of these putts had fallen.

Now, he’ll take three weeks off to relaxation and recuperate earlier than The Open Championship at Royal Troon, main lots of Scheffler’s fellow professionals to breathe a sigh of reduction.

2. Tom Kim is right here to remain

Kudos to Tom Kim, who introduced the World No. 1 to the brink on Sunday in Connecticut. Kim held a bit of the lead on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, a powerful feat at any PGA Tour occasion—not to mention the eighth consecutive one you’ve got performed.

He didn’t have his finest stuff with him early, as his even par 35 on the entrance 9 mirrored that. Despite that, Kim performed spectacularly on the again 9. He obtained a giant increase of momentum on the par-4 tenth, the place he knocked his strategy to 9 ft and subsequently drained the putt for birdie.

Three extra birdies for Kim adopted, none extra essential than the one on the 72nd gap. But Kim additionally took benefit of the scorable holes on the again 9: the par-5 thirteenth and the drivable par-4 fifteenth. You should make birdie on these holes, or you’ll lose strokes to the sphere. Look no additional than Akshay Bhatia, who was within the combine however light because of lackluster pars on the thirteenth and fifteenth.

Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images

Kim didn’t fade from the limelight, nevertheless. He shined in it, proving that he can tackle any participant on the planet head-on. The Seoul, South Korea native will solely get higher from right here.

“I fought exhausting. I actually did. I performed very well this week,” Kim mentioned.

“I used to be actually shut, actually, actually shut, however I used to be only a shot brief. Unfortunately, if you’re going in opposition to Scottie, who I do know very, very properly, I knew that I needed to play actually good golf [on Sunday], and I felt like I did. It obtained robust on the market with the wind, however I fought exhausting. It was simply shy, however I’m taking some optimistic issues going into the remainder of the season.”

Unlike Scheffler, Kim will hold the pedal to the steel on the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Detroit-area match that can mark his ninth match in a row.

3. Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay: shut, however no cigar… once more

At one level late within the day, you noticed Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay’s names pop up in the direction of the leaderboard. Finau tied the lead at 20-under with a birdie on the fifteenth gap, whereas Cantlay crept as much as 19-under, because of back-to-back birdies on the thirteenth and 14th holes.

Could this be the week for Finau, who has not received because the 2023 Mexico Open? Or may Cantlay choose up his first trophy because the 2022 BMW Championship?

But their destiny was sealed on the par-3 sixteenth, which measured solely 158 yards on Sunday. The massive pond in entrance of the inexperienced, coupled with a entrance left-hole location and a devilish swirling wind, made issues practically unattainable. It turned this brief par-3 right into a bear late within the day on Sunday, rating because the second most difficult gap throughout the remaining spherical.

Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images

Cantlay performed within the group forward of Finau and pulled his iron shot lengthy and left. It settled up in opposition to the tough whereas sitting beneath the placing floor, thus making all of it however unattainable to save lots of par. A bogey there dropped him again to 18-under, as he in the end tied for fifth. Cantlay tied for third at Pinehurst No. 2 final week, his finest profession end in a serious. He might be somebody to be careful for at Royal Troon, as his sport lastly seems to be in form.

Finau, in the meantime, got here up woefully brief from the tee, as his watery demise led to a double-bogey 5. He went on to tie for fifth, one week after tying for third on the U.S. Open. But, like final week, a mistake price Finau an opportunity at glory. The chipping and placing errors did him in on the thirteenth gap on Saturday, whereas a poorly struck strategy into the wind price him in the present day. At any charge, Finau might be again. It’s a matter of when, not if, he wins once more.

4. Signature Events want work

We want extra gamers in Signature Events.

I perceive that the PGA Tour needs prime gamers to compete in opposition to the perfect, however 71 gamers usually are not sufficient in one of many season’s marquee occasions. At a minimal, 100 gamers must play. Too a lot expertise in skilled golf exists for the PGA Tour to roll out the pink carpet for under a 3rd of its members. Plus, golf is probably the most random sport of all of them. Anything can occur on any given spherical on any given day, so why not add to the drama and broaden Signature Events by 30 folks or so?

So, in 2025, when the Travelers Championship will as soon as once more act as a Signature Event on the heels of the U.S. Open, I hope to see greater than 72 gamers within the discipline. One hundred has a pleasant spherical quantity to it; plus, it’s not as if there’s a night-and-day distinction between the 72nd-ranked participant and the 102nd. Heck, anybody of the highest 1,000 gamers on the planet realistically has the sport to contend in a PGA Tour occasion. Just ask ninth-alternate John Daly.

Nevertheless, the Signature Event mannequin is right here to remain, but it surely definitely may use some enhancements. Adding extra gamers who deserve a possibility could be an excellent begin.

Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour through Getty Images

5. TPC River Highlands: too simple?

Once once more, TPC River Highlands yielded loads of birdies and never a whole lot of bogies. That’s effective in case you like surreal scoring, hoping anyone wins at 30-under par. But it simply doesn’t present the leisure worth that different demanding programs do.

As Scottie Scheffler alluded to in his post-round presser, it’s nearly extra of a problem to set ‘par’ at a 5-under 65, figuring out that if you don’t shoot a 65, you’re shedding strokes to the sphere. Look at Tom Kim, who shot a 4-under 66 because the final-round chief and misplaced—a tricky capsule to swallow.

But at 6,835 yards, the trendy sport has probably handed TPC River Highlands by. With that mentioned, this course has dedicated itself to internet hosting the PGA Tour’s finest as soon as once more in 2025 and will accomplish that as soon as once more. It deserves it. The format is spectacular, with the ultimate 4 holes all the time producing drama. And the group embraces this match like a serious championship. Plus, the hospitality for gamers, volunteers, media, and followers alike is all top-notch, a real five-star expertise.

Yet, we’ve an thought: what if the Travelers Championship grew to become the Northeast’s premier Signature Event, rotating round a bevy of prime programs throughout the area? Obviously, this area has loads of capital. So, maybe Bethpage Black hosts one 12 months whereas Liberty National slides in throughout one other. Maybe TPC Boston will get again within the combine. Or Aronimink in Philadelphia. Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey could be one other viable candidate.

At any charge, the tour has a possibility to take issues a step additional concerning its Signature Events by rotating programs out and in. Yes, the Hartford, Connecticut group could be heartbroken to see this match depart, however the Travelers Championship may all the time return to this space, too.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be positive to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You can comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.