In the Travellers Championship, Keegan Bradley achieved a 6-under 64 on Saturday to break the 54-hole scoring record with a score of 21 under, while Rickie Fowler fired his second 60 of the week at TPC River Highlands.
Brendan Todd established the previous three-round record in 2020 at the height of the pandemic on a course that was deserted, shooting 18 under. Kenny Perry set the benchmark for the four rounds of the competition at 22 under in 2009.
The PGA TOUR’s 54-hole record of 188 was set by Steve Stricker in the 2010 John Deere Classic and matched by Justin Thomas in the 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii. Bradley missed a 20-foot putt on hole 18 that would have tied that record. Bradley’s first two rounds were 62 and 63.
“I’ve always wanted to win this competition. Therefore, I need to suppress the need to push myself and succeed and instead just allow myself to have fun,” said Bradley, a native of Vermont who also lives in Massachusetts , as he performed in front of a sizable group of relatives and friends.
After a 63, Chez Reavie recovered by one shot. He held the lead for the majority of the back nine, but after making a bogey on the 16th par-3, Bradley took the lead by three strokes after hitting his tee shot to 6 feet and converting the birdie putt. Reavie beat Bradley to second place in the 2019 Travellers.
“Keegan hit a number of birdies in the early and middle portions of the round, cutting my lead to a very small margin. The reverse will occur tomorrow. There will be a shootout.” Reavie said.
Fowler almost missed posting the 13th round under 60 in PGA TOUR history. He finished the tournament where Jim Furyk recorded a TOUR-record 58 in 2016 tied for fourth at 15 under after failing to convert from just off the green on his final hole.
“I made a good chip, but I struck it a touch too softly. There is never a terrible time to tap in for 60. It is superior to a 61.” said Fowler.
Patrick Cantlay, who played a bogey-free 61 and five birdies on his final seven holes, was one shot ahead of Fowler. Cantlay, a 19-year-old amateur, shot a 60 in 2011 to become the first golfer to do so on this course.
“On this golf course, the scoring typically occurs on the back nine during the middle section. I made a 4 under par on the first nine. Tomorrow with the scores low, I anticipate it will require another low one because if you can get the front nine, you can shoot a really low one.” he said.
Denny McCarthy shared the second-round lead with Bradley at a tournament-record 125 after starting the day with a 60 on Thursday.
McCarthy slipped early on Saturday, shooting a 37 with three bogeys on the front nine. He tied Adam Scott (65) and Fowler (70) with his score.
Players began the round in threesomes on both the front and back nine because of the nearly half inch of rain that fell overnight. However, it also kept the scoring modest and the greens soft.
On his opening 11 holes on Saturday, Fowler, who shot the first 62 at the U.S. Open last week, made seven birdies.
When he struck a little chip shot from 60 feet that bounced onto the green and rolled straight into the cup for an eagle on the sixth par-5 hole, he was at 7 under par.
Thomas added to the competition on Saturday by shooting 62 and joining a group at 14 under.
“For a while, I felt quite close, yet I literally have nothing to show for it. Moreover, you never know. My focus and attitude on the year and the rest of the year will change somewhat totally after the next round, which is tomorrow.” Thomas said.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, who also played in that group, had a score of 63. Wyndham Clark, the U.S. Open champion, shot a 67 to reach 8 under.
