After another memorable U.S. Open last weekend at the historic Los Angeles CC, the PGA Tour, along with its cavalcade of stars, packed up and headed 2,908 miles east to the TPC River Highlands Course in Cromwell, CT. for this week’s 2023 Travelers Championship. TPC River Highlands has been the host of the Travelers Championship since 1991. The Travelers Championship is the second-most attended PGA TOUR event annually and the only PGA TOUR event held in New England on a yearly basis.
At just 6,852 yards from the tips, playing to a par of 70, the TPC River Highlands is one of the shortest courses the Tour visits each year. It does not provide provide a stern test, and a record number of birdies were posted over the four-day event. The course was completely redesigned by the legendary Pete Dye in 1982 and again in 1989 by noted golf course architect Bobby Weed. The course has Bentgrass from tee-to-green surrounded by bluegrass fescue roughs. Numerous lakes and ponds add to the layout’s beauty.
The 2023 Travelers Championship and its $20 million purse mark the ninth and final designated event of the PGA Tour’s 2023 regular season. This was the tournament’s largest purse ever with last year’s total purse being $12.3 million. The winner’s share of this year’s purse was $3.6 million with 500 FedEx Points. 2nd place was $2.18 million with 300 Points, and 3rd place was $1.38 million with 190 Points.
Thursday started with a full field of 156 golfers, similar to last week, but the cutline rules returned to PGA Tour standards which is top 65 and ties following the first two rounds of action. Saturday morning found a number of top-ranked players heading home after missing Friday’s (-4) cut line. Jon Rahm (-2), Collin Morikawa (-3) and Max Homa (-3) Tommy Fleetwood (-2) were among the big names who missed the cut along with 85 other golfers.
The late Saturday morning split tees starts, due to heavy morning rains, found threesomes the order of the day and scores that reflected perfect playing conditions thanks to a receptive golf course and hardworking ground crews. The “pick, clean and place rule” was not used during the 3rd round. The stage was set for what could become a record setting Sunday at the Travelers Championship.
FRONT NINE
Going into Sunday’s final round, this was the leaderboard: 1st Keegan Bradley -21, 2nd Chez Reavie -20, 3rd Patrick Cantlay -16, 4th Rory McIlroy -15, Rickie Fowler -15, Adam Scott -15, Denny McCarthy -15. Sunny skies with temperature ranging in the low 80’s and southerly 7-9 MPH winds made playing conditions perfect for the final round at River Highlands. As the last group steps to the 1st tee, they are looking at some movement from the earlier tee times being led by Rory McIlroy who has moved up from 15th place to 4th place after 5 holes.
The leaderboard when the last twosome headed to the 5th hole, 1st Bradley -23, 2nd Reavie -20, 3rd McIlroy -16, Cantlay -16, Alex Smalley -16, and McCarthy -16. Putting had quickly become the nemesis for a number of players trying desperately to catch the leaders. Coming from out of the early starters Zac Blair -20 who was 7-under par for the day heading to the 17th hole had moved into sole 2nd place.
BACK NINE
As the final group headed to the 10th tee the leaderboard had changed significantly. 1st Bradley -24, 2nd Blair -20, 3rdMcIlroy -18, Reavie -18, Cantlay -18, 6th M.W. Lee -17, Smalley -17, and McCarthy -17. Zac Blair -20 was now our leader in the clubhouse. He missed about 21 months of competition following November 2020 shoulder surgery to repair two tears in his right labrum. He returned last July and is 16 starts into a major medical exemption. Brian Harman -19 had moved into sole 3rd place heading to the 16th hole. Harman -20 moved into a tie for 2nd with Blair with a birdie on the 16th. Bradley -25 bogeyed the 13th but still held on to 1st place by 5 strokes
The leaderboard looked like this when the last group headed to the 14th hole. 1st Bradley -25, 2nd Blair -20 (62), Harman -20, Cantlay -20, 5th McIlroy -18 (64). Bradley -24 has just bogeyed the 14th his second hole in a row. He’s now headed to the risk/reward 296 yards par 4 15th hole. Bradley -23 bogeyed the 16th hole while Cantlay is tied with the clubhouse leaders at -20 with one hole left to play. Bradley -23 headed down the 18th fairway ready to add a sixth PGA Victory to his resume. Cantlay -19 bogeyed the 18th and dropped into a tie for 4th place. Blair -20 (62) and Harman -20 (64) are tied for 2nd place. Keegan Bradley -23 (68) wins the 2023 Travelers Championship along with $3.6 million dollars and 500 FedEx Points.
CBS Golf Reporter Amanda Renner asked Keegan, “What does it mean to now be a winner at your hometown event?” He joyously responded, “You know this is for all the kids who grew up in New England got to sit through the winters and watch other people play golf and I’m just so proud to win this Travelers Tournament. Everyone involved with it puts on a first-class tournament it’s been like this for a decade and I’m just so proud to be the winner here.”
“I’m so lucky and thankful to be from this New England area. I just can’t believe it. This seems like a dream,” he said.
The win virtually guarantees Bradley a return trip to East Lake for the Tour Championship for the first time since 2018 when he won a FedEx Cup Playoff event. It also places him firmly in the mix for a return to the U.S. Ryder Cup team since 2014.
Keegan Bradley now has six PGA TOUR victories (1) 2011, HP Brian Nelson Championship, (2) PGA Championship. (3) 2012 World Golf Championship Bridgestone international. (4) 2018 BMW Championship. (5) 2023 ZoZo Championship. He is 15th in the FedEx Cup and 28th in the Official World Golf Rankings. He’s earned more than $36.7 million during his 15 year golfing career and has played in over 320 PGA events.
NOTEBOOK
Denny McCarthy’s -10 (60) gave him a first round two-shot lead… Rory McIlroy, 34, made his first-ever PGA Tour ace on the par-3, 215-yard eighth hole during the first round…Keegan Bradley -21 (63) and Denny McCarthy -21 (65) are now in the course history books as the 36-hole course record holders…1,245 Birdies were made thru the first 2 rounds. This was a course record and the most thru 36 holes on the PGA TOUR this season…Rickie Fowler’s -10 (60) and Patrick Cantlay’s -9 (61) were the lowest scores in the 3rd round…Keegan Bradley shot a 6 under (64) in the 3rd round to break the tournament (54) holes scoring record (189) at -21. Tied for 3rd best in PGA History.
On the web: TravelersChampionship.com
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