Before focusing on golf this week, Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim gorged themselves on pizza to wrap up their joint birthday party.
They will be battling for the lead at the Travelers Championship when they tee it up on the big day.
Kim took a two-stroke lead in the last restricted field, no-cut Signature Event on the PGA TOUR program this year after shooting an 8-under-par 62 on Thursday at the TPC River Highlands. The top player in the world, Scheffler, was three strokes down and tied for sixth.
This Friday is Kim’s 22nd birthday, and Scheffler is precisely six years older. Residents in the Dallas region celebrated the event ahead of time by traveling to Sally’s, a New Haven landmark, which is located approximately 30 miles south.
“I devoured a large pizza. Although it’s my birthday and we kind of have a tradition, I wouldn’t do it in a competition. Since Scottie and I share the same birthday, we celebrated it early.”Kim said.
At the 6,835-yard, par-70 course, Kim birdied the final two holes to pull away from the four men tied at 6-under: Rickie Fowler, Akshay Bhatia, Kurt Kitayama, and Will Zalatoris.
A week after finishing tied for 41st at Pinehurst No. 2, his worst round of the year, Scheffler was one of seven players at 5-under, looking like the finest golfer in the world once again. Another shot back at 4-under was Wyndham Clark, who tied for 56th in his U.S. Open defense.
With five victories so far this year, Scheffler has only twice finished outside the top 10, the most recent being this week, when he had his lowest result in nine majors since failing to make the cut at the 2022 PGA Championship.
“I can tell that my swing is much improved than last week. It’s pleasant to arrive here on some well-known terrain, make some solid putts, and watch some balls go in.” Scheffler said.
At Pinehurst No. 2, Kim started the round even par and tied for ninth, but he closed with a 76 to tie for 26th. On Thursday, he scored five birdies on the back nine of a bogey-free round in the mid-90s with little wind.
“Sunday was undoubtedly difficult, but I wasn’t playing poorly. I had a decent week, but I lost the week because of a poor round. That makes me feel like I can go out and play well; I’m just trying to maintain this momentum.”he said.
Kim only struggled for one round. A week from now, Scheffler’s may be done. Fowler wants to end his season-long slump.
This year, the six-time PGA TOUR champion has only one top-25 finish and none in the top 10. However, he may find solace in the fact that the current state of affairs in Detroit is not as dire as it was during a four-year losing streak that came to an end last year.
“I make an effort not to think about those days too much. While unquestionably not quite as severe as it was a few years ago, there are certain parallels. After going through it, handling it, and eventually returning to play well, I can handle almost anything.”Fowler said.
“Since it’s kind of downhill from there, there are moments when I would almost prefer (do) that than birdie the first hole. Got off to a good start, then. I’ve started to see some balls go in, and making putts allows you to relax and not feel like you have to be flawless the remainder of the game.”he said.
Zalatoris made a fleeting appearance at 7-under after birdying 8 of the 10th hole after the turn and five of the opening six on the back nine. The 157-yard, par-3 16th hole was bogeyed by him; he flew the green with his tee shot and then two-putted from 55 feet.
Zalatoris took the lead on the 18th hole with an 8-foot birdie putt and sent the ball wide right to earn a 6-under 64.
