Scheffler hits a perfect shot and plenty of great ones for a 62 to share lead at Travelers
CROMWELL, Connecticut: Scottie Scheffler had one of those rare rounds where he hit a shot so pure it makes his confidence soar. So many other shots were pretty good, too, and they added to an 8-under 62 to share the lead Thursday with Austin Eckroat in the Travelers Championship.
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
The week after a rough-and-tumble US Open was a welcome break for so many at the TPC River Highlands, even with the rough just as long (but not quite as thick) as soaked Oakmont.
Rory McIlroy played bogey-free for a 66 and didn't look to break too much of a sweat.
'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,' McIlroy said.
Scheffler faced the hot afternoon when a refreshing breeze turned into a strong wind, and he wasted no time getting in the mix with four birdies in six holes and a 30 on the front nine.
And then came the par-5 13th, 236 yards away into the wind, over a pond to a pin on the right. It was perfect — that's coming from golf's No. 1 player — and settled 10 feet away for birdie.
'That 3-iron I hit in there was really nice,' Scheffler said. 'It was pretty much exactly what I was trying to do. It was kind of one where I had to hit it really solid in order to get it there with the water short, and I just did pretty much exactly what I wanted to and it felt nice.'
McIlroy was at 64 along with Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark. Another shot back was Cameron Young. He was in the mix late on Sunday at Oakmont, and started the Travelers Championship by going from the rough to the bunker, and then a three-putt from 25 feet for a double bogey.
'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.'
Not to worry. He followed with eight birdies in a day with a new routine. His caddie went down with a stomach virus and the best option was to turn the bag over to his father, Dave Young, recently retired as the longtime pro at Sleepy Hollow.
The surprise was Eckroat, already a two-time winner on the PGA Tour but struggling so much this year that he has only two finishes in the top 20 and eight missed cuts. The last two weeks served him well, however, as Eckroat said he figured out how to eliminate the miss to the left.
He played the last six holes in 5-under par, starting with a 35-foot eagle putt on No. 13.
'I wasn't fearing the left ball today, which is huge, and then whenever you're feeling comfortable with other things, other things start to fall in line,' Eckroat said. 'Felt great over the putter, and just a really solid day, and I felt confident, which it was nice to feel that this season. It's been a while.'
US Open champion J.J. Spaun felt the fatigue, and the steamy heat didn't help the cause. Playing along Scheffler, he was hanging in there until it took him two chips and two putts to cover 40 feet for a double bogey on No. 12, and a bogey-bogey finish for a 73.
Jordan Spieth didn't even make it to the finish line. This was the first time Spieth didn't need a sponsor exemption for a $20 million signature event, and he only lasted 13 holes when his shoulder blade got tight on the range, spread across the back of his neck to the other side and left him no choice but to withdraw.
Scheffler saying he hit a great shot is worth paying attention to because it doesn't happen very often. He rarely hits it offline. But this was something special.
'Hit it really solid and really straight, just barely right of the pin, and kept it nice flat flight, get it to go through the wind, and it was good,' he said.
In fact, he could only recall two other shots in recent years — a 6-iron on the fifth hole in the final round at the 2022 Masters, a 9-iron he hit on the par-3 third hole in the final round of the 2023 Players Championship.
'Those are shots that kind of get lost in terms of the tournament,' he said. 'I'm not even sure if I birdied No. 3 at The Players, and I know I didn't birdie No. 5 during the Masters. But those are the shots when you're playing and you're in the moment, those are the ones that give me a lot of confidence.'
It's hard to imagine him needing much more of that. He hasn't finished out of the top 10 since The Players in March, a stretch of eight tournaments. He didn't hit the ball very well for two days at the US Open and still had an outside chance on the back nine
And in his 19th round at the TPC River Highlands, he posted his lowest score at 62.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Kurtz Does It Again With Homer Off Hader In 10th To Lift Athletics Over Astros
Nick Kurtz hit a two-run homer off closer Josh Hader in the 10th inning to give the Athletics a 6–4 victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday night. Willie McIver launched his first major league homer and drove in two runs for the Athletics. Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson also connected on solo shots as the A's won their fifth in seven games. The A's regrouped after blowing a 4–1 lead in the eighth when Victor Caratini hit a three-run homer with two outs on the first pitch from closer Mason Miller. Tyler Soderstrom began the bottom of the 10th as the automatic runner at second base and moved to third on a wild pitch. Hader (4–1) struck out Max Muncy before Kurtz smashed a 2–1 sinker to center field for his second game-ending homer against Houston in four days. Michael Kelly (1–0) retired three batters for the win. McIver, the A's rookie catcher who made a rare pitching appearance and threw a scoreless inning in relief Tuesday, had another memorable moment when he drilled a 2–0 fastball from Astros starter Colton Gordon over the fence in center. Two batters later, Butler connected for his 11th homer of the season. Key moment: After the A's put runners at the corners with nobody out in the eighth, Astros reliever Bryan Abreu got out of it with consecutive swinging strikeouts and a weak groundout. Key stat: The A's have allowed 70 home runs at Sutter Health Park, the most given up by a home team in the majors this season. Up next: Astros RHP Hunter Brown (8–3, 1.88 ERA) faces the Angels in Anaheim on Friday. Athletics LHP Jeffrey Springs (5–5, 4.52) pitches against the Guardians at home Friday.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Billionaire Mark Walter, set to own controlling stake in Lakers, built fortune in investing
The billionaire slated to take over the controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers has built a career leading businesses investing in everything from sports franchises to artificial intelligence. Mark Walter is CEO of the global investment and advisory company Guggenheim Partners, which is estimated to have more than $325 billion in assets. He's also co-founder and CEO of holding company TWG Global. Forbes estimates Walter's net worth is $6.1 billion. The publication ranked him at No. 216 on its Forbes 400 list last year. Walter received an undergraduate degree in business administration from Creighton University and a law degree from Northwestern University, but ultimately chose business over a career in law. In the mid-1990s, he co-founded Liberty Hampshire, an investment management firm in Chicago. That business became part of Guggenheim Partners, which Walter co-founded in the late 1990s. In addition to Guggenheim, Walter co-founded TWG Global with film producer Thomas Tull. The company holds a portfolio of finance and insurance sector companies, including Guggenheim Investments, Guggenheim Securities Group, 1001 Insurance, and Delaware Life. It also includes aerospace and defense technology company Shield AI. Last month, TWG Global announced a partnership with Palantir Technologies and Elon Musk's AI company xAI, maker of Grok, aimed at developing artificial intelligence for use in the financial services industry. TWG Global also includes investments in sports, media, and entertainment franchises, such as the controlling interest in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women's Hockey League, and – through TWG Motorsports – ownership of several auto racing teams, including Cadillac Formula 1. Beyond business, Walter and his wife, Kimbra, have founded or contributed to various philanthropic organizations, including the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, the Academy Group, Chicago Beyond, and OneGoal.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Why is Saudi Arabia playing against USA in the CONCACAF Gold Cup?
This month, overshadowed somewhat by the FIFA Club World Cup happening simultaneously, the best national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean are battling it out in the biennial CONCACAF Gold Cup. The 2025 edition also includes a more unfamiliar international side: Saudi Arabia is competing alongside the likes of the United States, Mexico, Canada, Haiti and Panama for the continental prize. Here, Al Arabiya English explains why Saudi Arabia is playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. What is the CONCACAF Gold Cup? The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the leading international football competition for teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Organized by the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the tournament determines the regional champion and plays a similar role to Asia's AFC Asian Cup, Europe's UEFA European Championship, South America's Copa America, or Africa's AFCON. Held every two years, the Gold Cup typically features 16 teams. The group stage progresses to knockout rounds, culminating in a final that crowns the continental champion. Mexico and the USA have had a near-exclusive duopoly on the competition since its inception in 1991, winning nine and seven titles respectively. The only other champion is Canada, which won in 2000 and is favorite to triumph in the current edition of the tournament having emerged as the region's strongest team in recent years. As well as being a prestigious continental competition, the Gold Cup is also a platform for national teams to test themselves in the high-pressure environment of tournament football as they plot a path towards the FIFA World Cup. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to take place across Mexico, Canada and the United States, the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup – also hosted in the USA and Canada – doubles up as a useful test event for next year's global showpiece. Why is Saudi Arabia playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup? Put simply, Saudi Arabia is competing because it was invited. In late 2024, CONCACAF signed a strategic agreement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), aimed at enhancing cooperation. One element of this was the extension of a formal invitation by CONCACAF to Saudi Arabia to participate as a guest nation in both the 2025 and 2027 editions of the Gold Cup – the latter of which will again be held in the United States. For CONCACAF, the Green Falcons' involvement brings a fresh competitive edge and increased international attention to the tournament. For Saudi Arabia, it offers the chance for coach Herve Renard and his players to test themselves against unfamiliar opponents as they build toward hopefully qualifying for – and playing in – the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia's next World Cup qualifiers will take place in October, meaning these summer matches – at least three of them in the Gold Cup group stage, and three more if the Green Falcons make it to the final – provide valuable opportunities for players to have competitive game time. Has a non-CONCACAF team ever competed before? Yes, though this is the first time that Saudi Arabia has participated in this – or any other – continental tournament outside of Asia. While Europe, Asia and Africa have never opened up their continental competitions to external entrants, both CONCACAF and CONMEBOL (South American football's governing body) have done so with some regularity over the past couple of decades. Qatar was the most recent non-CONCACAF nation to compete in the Gold Cup, reaching the semi-final in 2021 and quarter-final in 2023. Brazil has also competed twice – finishing as runner-up to Mexico in 1996 and in third place in 1998. Other South American competitors have included Colombia – a losing finalist to Canada in 2000, Peru (2000) and Ecuador (2002). South Korea became the first upcoming World Cup host to take part – doing so in 2000 and 2002 – before South Africa participated in 2005 and Qatar played in the last two editions; as 2034 FIFA World Cup host, Saudi Arabia follows in their footsteps. Beyond the Gold Cup, South America's Copa America has also welcomed national teams from other continents. Mexico has been the most regular invitee, featuring in 11 tournaments and twice losing the final, while Costa Rica (6), USA (5), Jamaica (3), Panama (2) and Japan (2) have all made multiple appearances. Haiti, Honduras, Qatar and Canada have all featured once in the Copa America. Could Saudi Arabia win the Gold Cup? Absolutely. And if it does, Saudi Arabia would make history as the first non-CONCACAF nation to triumph at the Gold Cup. Australia is currently the only nation to win a major continental title outside of its own continent, having claimed the AFC Asian Cup trophy in 2015 on home soil after switching from competing in Oceania's OFC Nations Cup. Should Renard's team go all the way and win the Gold Cup final on July 6 in Houston, Saudi Arabia – already a four-time continental champion in Asia – could emulate that achievement. The Green Falcons won their opening match 1-0 against Haiti, courtesy of a first-half penalty from Al Ittihad striker Saleh al-Shehri. Further matches against the United States (June 19) and Trinidad and Tobago (June 22) in Group D will determine whether Saudi Arabia reaches the quarterfinals. Renard's Gold Cup squad combines experienced players from top Saudi Pro League clubs with a handful of rising talents, but the French coach has been negatively impacted by the participation of Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup. Al Hilal's Saudi players were not prevented from competing in the tournament, which is happening concurrently – also in the United States. Green Falcons captain Salem al-Dawsari, defender Hassan al-Tambakti and midfielder Nasser al-Dawsari started Al Hilal's impressive 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on Wednesday, while team-mates Mohamed Kanno, Ali Lajami and Abdullah al-Hamdan would all likely have been picked to play for Saudi Arabia at the Gold Cup had they been available. Still, Renard has plenty of quality players to choose from and while winning the tournament may be a tall order, a deep run into the knockout stages feels like a realistic target for the Green Falcons.
