Scheffler Part Of 3-Way Tie For Lead At Travelers With Fleetwood And Thomas
Scottie Scheffler's late double bogey opened the door for Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas. Fleetwood capitalized with two eagles in three holes, while Thomas sank five consecutive birdies. The trio ended Friday tied for the lead at the Travelers Championship, facing a blustery TPC River Highlands with a tightly packed leaderboard.
Scheffler, comfortably ahead before his misfortune, saw his tee shot on the par-4 17th land in a fairway bunker due to an unexpected wind shift. After a subsequent shot into the water, he finished with a double bogey and a 1-under 69. Fleetwood's 9-wood shot on the par-5 13th perfectly rode the capricious wind, setting up an eagle. He added another eagle on the 15th, finishing with a 65. 'I just sort of caught the right moment,' Fleetwood said. 'Came off perfect and then beautiful putt.' Thomas, despite some struggles off the tee, capitalized on the back nine with five straight birdies, carding a 64.
Jason Day sits one shot back after a 66. Rory McIlroy, initially struggling at 3-over through four holes, rallied to finish with a 71, just four shots off the lead. His recovery included a fortunate bounce on the 17th when a thinly struck bunker shot skipped out of the water. 'The conditions today definitely bunched the entire field together and should make for an exciting weekend,' McIlroy observed. The wind, gusting up to 30 miles per hour, significantly impacted the second round, raising the average score to 70.7, the highest at the Travelers since 2017.
The unpredictable wind proved a major challenge. Scheffler commented on his 17th hole mishap: 'The tee shot I hit exactly the way I wanted to. Somehow the wind either stops or goes back…Then I catch it a hair fat and all of a sudden I'm dropping and hitting my fourth shot.' He added, 'You can't get every one correct. You just do your best to manage your way around the golf course.'
Day's round featured a rollercoaster front nine with three pars, three birdies, and three bogeys, before a strong back nine 31 put him in contention. Denny McCarthy (64) and Austin Eckroat (71) are at 7-under 133, followed by Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (70) and Nick Taylor (68). Patrick Cantlay, despite a double bogey, shot 68 and joined McIlroy at 135. Luke Clanton, playing solo after Jordan Spieth's withdrawal, carded a 72.
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