Travelers Championship Round 1: PGA Tour Stars Fire Low at TPC River Highlands
After the brutal test of Oakmont at the U.S. Open, the PGA Tour shifts to a much friendlier stop: the Travelers Championship Round 1 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. And what a shift it has been—birdies were flying all over the leaderboard.
Eckroat, Clark Go Low in the Morning Wave
Austin Eckroat took full advantage of the soft layout. He made six birdies and an eagle to shoot an opening 62, 8 under par, and claim the early lead.
Wyndham Clark, still under the spotlight after the locker room incident at Oakmont, also delivered a strong response. He posted 7 birdies in a round of 64, 6 under par.
Addressing last week’s controversy, Clark said:
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my career, especially this year some lows. I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I’m very sorry for what happened,” he said. “But I’d also like to move on, not only for myself but for Oakmont, for the USGA, and kind of focus on the rest of the year and things that come up.”
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Rory and Keegan Feed Off Each Other
Rory McIlroy has endured more struggles than success since winning the Masters. But he found something on Sunday at Oakmont—and brought it to Connecticut.
He shot a bogey-free 64 to finish two shots off the lead.
“I said yesterday, this is a nice tonic compared to last week in terms of it’s a slightly more benign golf course and the penalty for missing isn’t quite as severe. You can give yourself plenty of chances for birdies, which Keegan (Bradley) and I did today. Yeah, overall it was a good start to the tournament, and I think when you’re in a two-ball like that and we can sort of feed off one another a little bit, too, that’s nice, as well.”
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Keegan Bradley, the U.S. Ryder Cup Captain and defending Travelers record holder, matched Rory’s 64. The crowd loved it, cheering “U-S-A” throughout his round. His rivalry with Rory, a likely European captain, could define the next Ryder Cup.
Morikawa Tries a New Feel
Collin Morikawa added some flair to Round 1. He removed his glove for several iron shots and still shot a solid 67, 3 under par.
Asked about the move, he explained:
“Honestly, we’re crazy because we try a lot of things, but that’s what makes us really good is we’re trying to find the little things … Even though last week I think I was top-five or whatever in approach, it’s like, I know I can get better and feel more comfortable. Even though it ends up close, it’s a comfort factor of just being less stressed out there.”
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Spieth Withdraws Mid-Round
Jordan Spieth started the round, but his body didn’t cooperate. He tried to push through but withdrew on the 13th while sitting at +5. Later on he told that during warmups, his shoulder flared up.
“Everything was great in my gym session, and I’ve been very, very excited to go out and play. Things have been getting better and better, and then my right scap just kind of locked — like tightened midway through the warmup…
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It marks his first withdrawal in 297 PGA Tour events.
Scheffler Back on Top
Scottie Scheffler teed off in the afternoon and quickly jumped to the top. Four birdies in the first six holes set the tone. He reached -9 after 16 holes.
At the par-4 17th, he found the rough off the tee, went long over the green, and couldn’t save par. He finished with a bogey but still posted 62 to tie Eckroat at the top.
Young Recovers from a Rough Start
Cameron Young opened with a double bogey, but recovered well. He shot 65, 5 under par.
“I managed to get around Oakmont for four days with no doubles and I made it zero holes here,” Young said. “Typically that’s not kind of what you expect around here.”
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Tight Leaderboard, Hot Weather, and Low Scores
Out of 72 players in the no-cut field, 42 shot under par. Eight players are tied at -4, including:
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Jason Day
- Viktor Hovland
- Brian Harman
- Adam Hadwin
- Nick Taylor
Expect low scores to continue through the weekend. The Travelers Championship Round 1 set the tone. The fans now hope for a weekend showdown between Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the top two in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Who’s your pick this week on the PGA Tour? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation on social.
🎥 Video Highlights: Travelers Championship Round 1
Couldn’t catch all the action? Here are the top video clips from Travelers Championship Round 1.
