5 Travelers Championship takeaways: Scottie Scheffler wins another jacket; Tom Kim shines

The Travelers Championship in Connecticut all the time delivers, and this 12 months’s version echoed that sentiment as soon as once more.

Scottie Scheffler gained his sixth occasion of the 12 months, changing into the primary participant since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six PGA Tour occasions earlier than July 1 in a season. The win marks Scheffler’s fourth Signature Event title, alongside together with his spectacular victories at TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National.

But in contrast to his 5 prior wins in 2024, Scheffler wanted to prevail in a playoff this time round. He defeated Tom Kim on the primary playoff gap—the par-4 18th. Kim dunked his method into the greenside bunker as his ball nestled in a buried lie. Scheffler, in the meantime, stuffed his second shot to 11 ft, which all however secured the title.

The 22-year-old Kim couldn’t rise up and down, and Scheffler lagged his putt subsequent to the outlet—a recent cup due to the chaos that ensued on the 18th gap in regulation. Minutes earlier than, protestors invaded the inexperienced, spraying colourful substances all around the placing floor and leaving marks all over the place. Consequently, the PGA Tour’s agronomy staff needed to reduce a brand new pin location for the playoff: 11 steps on and 5 from the suitable. The interruption paused play for quarter-hour.

Then, after police had subjugated the trespassers, Kim rolled in a 10-footer for birdie to drive a playoff with the top-ranked participant on the planet, who additionally dubs as one in every of his greatest associates. It produced a surreal second at TPC River Highlands, one which each gamers will quickly not overlook.

5 Takeaways from Travelers Championship:

1. It’s Scottie Scheffler’s world

Scottie Scheffler bounced again with a vengeance after his worst efficiency of the season on the U.S. Open. He carded two rounds of 64 and a pair of 65s to complete at 22-under par in regulation, seven days after posting 7-over. Scheffler was locked in all week, primarily resulting from a putter that rebounded properly after a brutal week at Pinehurst No. 2.

The two-time Masters champion gained 2.540 strokes with the putter in Connecticut, good for sixteenth on this restricted discipline. To assist put that in perspective, Scheffler misplaced 1.51 strokes to the sector final week, rating 71st of 74 gamers who made the reduce.

Granted, TPC River Highlands pales compared to No. 2 because it pertains to inexperienced complexes and general problem. But to win at this golf course, it’s important to shoot 4-or-5-under day-after-day to have a strong likelihood to win.

“You have an off day; all of a sudden, it’s much harder to catch up,” Scheffler stated.

Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour through Getty Images

“I feel like sometimes at the harder golf courses, you can fake it around a little bit for a day or two and hang around and hang, but sometimes these golf courses when they’re a little bit softer and not as demanding, there’s always a lot of birdies, just because the fields out here are so deep, and once you get behind, it can be harder to catch up.”

Scheffler made the putts when he wanted to and didn’t make a single mistake down the stretch. He appeared unflappable for all 4 days, but Scheffler burned a number of lips on the again 9 on Sunday. Imagine if a pair extra of these putts had fallen.

Now, he’ll take three weeks off to relaxation and recuperate earlier than The Open Championship at Royal Troon, main lots of Scheffler’s fellow professionals to breathe a sigh of reduction.

2. Tom Kim is right here to remain

Kudos to Tom Kim, who introduced the World No. 1 to the brink on Sunday in Connecticut. Kim held a chunk of the lead on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, a formidable feat at any PGA Tour occasion—not to mention the eighth consecutive one you’ve got performed.

He didn’t have his greatest stuff with him early, as his even par 35 on the entrance 9 mirrored that. Despite that, Kim performed spectacularly on the again 9. He received an enormous increase of momentum on the par-4 tenth, the place he knocked his method to 9 ft and subsequently drained the putt for birdie.

Three extra birdies for Kim adopted, none extra necessary than the one on the 72nd gap. But Kim additionally took benefit of the scorable holes on the again 9: the par-5 thirteenth and the drivable par-4 fifteenth. You need to make birdie on these holes, or you’ll lose strokes to the sector. Look no additional than Akshay Bhatia, who was within the combine however light due to lackluster pars on the thirteenth and fifteenth.

Kim didn’t fade from the limelight, nonetheless. He shined in it, proving that he can tackle any participant on the planet head-on. The Seoul, South Korea native will solely get higher from right here.

“I fought hard. I really did. I played really well this week,” Kim stated.

“I was really close, really, really close, but I was just a shot short. Unfortunately, when you’re going against Scottie, who I know very, very well, I knew that I had to play really good golf [on Sunday], and I felt like I did. It got tough out there with the wind, but I fought hard. It was just shy, but I’m taking some positive things going into the rest of the season.”

Unlike Scheffler, Kim will maintain the pedal to the metallic on the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Detroit-area event that can mark his ninth event in a row.

3. Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay: shut, however no cigar… once more

At one level late within the day, you noticed Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay’s names pop up in direction of the leaderboard. Finau tied the lead at 20-under with a birdie on the fifteenth gap, whereas Cantlay crept as much as 19-under, due to back-to-back birdies on the thirteenth and 14th holes.

Could this be the week for Finau, who has not gained for the reason that 2023 Mexico Open? Or may Cantlay decide up his first trophy for the reason that 2022 BMW Championship?

But their destiny was sealed on the par-3 sixteenth, which measured solely 158 yards on Sunday. The giant pond in entrance of the inexperienced, coupled with a entrance left-hole location and a devilish swirling wind, made issues practically inconceivable. It turned this brief par-3 right into a bear late within the day on Sunday, rating because the second most difficult gap through the remaining spherical.

Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images

Cantlay performed within the group forward of Finau and pulled his iron shot lengthy and left. It settled up in opposition to the tough whereas sitting beneath the placing floor, thus making all of it however inconceivable to save lots of par. A bogey there dropped him again to 18-under, as he finally tied for fifth. Cantlay tied for third at Pinehurst No. 2 final week, his greatest profession end in a serious. He could possibly be somebody to be careful for at Royal Troon, as his sport lastly seems to be to be in form.

Finau, in the meantime, got here up woefully brief from the tee, as his watery demise led to a double-bogey 5. He went on to tie for fifth, one week after tying for third on the U.S. Open. But, like final week, a mistake price Finau an opportunity at glory. The chipping and placing errors did him in on the thirteenth gap on Saturday, whereas a poorly struck method into the wind price him as we speak. At any charge, Finau might be again. It’s a matter of when, not if, he wins once more.

4. Signature Events want work

We want extra gamers in Signature Events.

I perceive that the PGA Tour desires prime gamers to compete in opposition to the most effective, however 71 gamers usually are not sufficient in one of many season’s marquee occasions. At a minimal, 100 gamers must play. Too a lot expertise in skilled golf exists for the PGA Tour to roll out the crimson carpet for less than a 3rd of its members. Plus, golf is essentially the most random sport of all of them. Anything can occur on any given spherical on any given day, so why not add to the drama and broaden Signature Events by 30 individuals or so?

So, in 2025, when the Travelers Championship will as soon as once more act as a Signature Event on the heels of the U.S. Open, I hope to see greater than 72 gamers within the discipline. One hundred has a pleasant spherical quantity to it; plus, it’s not as if there’s a night-and-day distinction between the 72nd-ranked participant and the 102nd. Heck, anybody of the highest 1,000 gamers on the planet realistically has the sport to contend in a PGA Tour occasion. Just ask ninth-alternate John Daly.

Nevertheless, the Signature Event mannequin is right here to remain, however it actually may use some enhancements. Adding extra gamers who deserve a chance could be a very good begin.

Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour through Getty Images

5. TPC River Highlands: too straightforward?

Once once more, TPC River Highlands yielded loads of birdies and never a whole lot of bogies. That’s high-quality if you happen to like surreal scoring, hoping someone wins at 30-under par. But it simply doesn’t present the leisure worth that different demanding programs do.

As Scottie Scheffler alluded to in his post-round presser, it’s virtually extra of a problem to set ‘par’ at a 5-under 65, realizing that if you don’t shoot a 65, you’re dropping strokes to the sector. Look at Tom Kim, who shot a 4-under 66 because the final-round chief and misplaced—a troublesome capsule to swallow.

But at 6,835 yards, the trendy sport has probably handed TPC River Highlands by. With that stated, this course has dedicated itself to internet hosting the PGA Tour’s greatest as soon as once more in 2025 and will achieve this as soon as once more. It deserves it. The format is spectacular, with the ultimate 4 holes all the time producing drama. And the group embraces this event like a serious championship. Plus, the hospitality for gamers, volunteers, media, and followers alike is all top-notch, a real five-star expertise.

Yet, we’ve an thought: what if the Travelers Championship turned the Northeast’s premier Signature Event, rotating round a bevy of prime programs inside the area? Obviously, this area has loads of capital. So, maybe Bethpage Black hosts one 12 months whereas Liberty National slides in throughout another. Maybe TPC Boston will get again within the combine. Or Aronimink in Philadelphia. Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey could be another viable candidate.

At any charge, the tour has a chance to take issues a step additional relating to its Signature Events by rotating programs out and in. Yes, the Hartford, Connecticut group could be heartbroken to see this event go away, however the Travelers Championship may all the time return to this space, too.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be certain to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.