PGA TOUR
Travelers Championship
Schauffele Wins Travelers Championship After Final Hole Drama
Xander Schauffele claimed his sixth PGA Tour win at the Travelers Championship after gaining a three-shot swing at the final hole. The drama-filled conclusion began one hole earlier when Sahith Theegala thrust into the lead by one shot when he made an unlikely birdie at the 17th hole after finding a divot in the middle of the fairway from his tee shot. The world No. 120 struck a clean iron approach from 147 yards over water to rest 10 feet from the hole. Theegala calmly rolled in the birdie putt to take the narrow lead into the final hole. The storylines were nearly set with the 24-year-old PGA Tour rookie in position for his maiden PGA Tour win at his 38th career start.
Then, the plot thickened! Theegala, who was playing in the group ahead of Scahuffele, found the fairway bunker from his drive on the 72nd hole. He left his first attempt in the trap. Blasted his third shot short of the green. Hit his fourth shot from 86 yards to 12 feet of the hole. Then, he lipped out for a bogey, which would have left him in a share of the lead, at that time. Theegala scored only the second double bogey at the 18th hole by the field on Sunday. Schauffele, who playing in the final pairing, watched it all unfold. Between the time he teed off at the final hole to the time he stood over his approach shot into the final green, he went from a one-shot deficit to a holding a one-shot advantage. The 28-year-old delivered the final twist! Schauffele flushed his wedge approach from 105 yards to three feet from the pin for a tap in birdie at the 72nd hole and a two shot win. It was the first time from five chances he has gone on to convert a 54-hole lead. The world No. 5 claimed his first individual PGA Tour win since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions. He did win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Patrick Cantlay in April this year. Scauffele fired rounds of 63, 63, 67 and 68 at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut to reach 19-under. He found all 18 greens in regulation for the first time in his career on Thursday en route to an opening round of 7-under 63. The Olympic champion produced his career-best run of 48 holes without a bogey during the event.
Theegala, who made his PGA Tour debut at this event in 2020, carded a final round 3-under 67 to get to 17-under. The runner up performance was his best finish on the PGA Tour besting his T3 finish at the WM Phoenix Open in February. The rising star now owns five top 10s on the PGA Tour. Theegala was joined in second place by JT Poston. The 29-year-old American got to 17-under for the event after firing a superb bogey-free 6-under 64. Former US Junior Amateur champion Michael Thorbjornsen signed for a final round 4-under 66 to get to 15-under and take solo fourth place. It was the best finish by an amateur in the history of the Travelers Championship. The impressive 20-year-old is just the third amateur to make a PGA Tour cut in 2022.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler carded a final round 70 to finish at 10-under and in a tie for 14th place.
Rory McIlroy shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead and match his the lowest opening round of his PGA Tour career. The Northern Irishman, who won the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago, picked up just one shot over the closing three days to end at 9-under and in a tie for 19th place.
Cam Davis was the best-placed Australians in the field. The 27-year-old from Sydney made a promising start to the event opening with rounds of 65 and 66. The 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic winner closed with 73 and 74 to drop to 2-under for the event and finish in a tie for 56th place.
The PGA Tour moves to Illinois for the John Deere Classic staged at TPC Deere Run. America’s Lucas Glover is the defending champion.
Final Scores
Travelers Championship
1. Xander Schauffele -19
T2. Sahith Theegala -17
T2. JT Poston -17
4. Michael Thorbjornsen (a) -15
5. Chesson Hadley -14
6. Kevin Kisner -13
7. Keith Mitchell -12
Australians
T56. Cam Davis -2
MC. Marc Leishman
MC. Jason Day
MC. Brett Drewitt
Photo credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
