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USA Today
3 hours ago
- Health
- USA Today
U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun's health issues posed greater threat than Oakmont
U.S. Open winner J.J. Spaun's health issues posed greater threat than Oakmont As soon as J.J. Spaun won the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont on Sunday, Andy Bessette fired off an email to Spaun to congratulate him. 'For a man with Type 1 diabetes to win the U.S. Open with four days of pressure – pressure is the enemy of Type I diabetes – I said with your burden there is nothing more amazing than you winning the U.S. Open,' said Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Travelers and a hammer thrower on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. 'To me, it's one of the greatest accomplishments in sports given the burden he lives with.' In the fall of 2018, Spaun was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. 'I wasn't feeling great, so I knew something was up,' he said Wednesday during his press conference ahead of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. The 34-year-old started taking medicine for Type 2 but still felt lethargic, kept losing weight and, most concerning, losing distance. By mid-2021 his ranking dipped to No. 584 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Before COVID canceled the 2020 Players Championship, Bessette was chatting with pro Harold Varner III, who expressed his concern that his pal Spaun was struggling with diabetes. Bessette's son, Chris, had been diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 18, and Bessette was familiar with the disease – the beta cells in the pancreas stop working and produce zero insulin. Spaun goes into insulin shock if he doesn't control his insulin levels. Varner called Spaun via FaceTime to connect him with Bessette, who listened to his list of symptoms. 'I said, 'Are you sure you have Type 2?' You should get yourself checked by a good endocrinologist to make sure,' Bessette recalled advising. He made some calls on Spaun's behalf to the CEO of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (since renamed Breakthrough T1D), which funds research for the development of new therapies and treatments for type 1 diabetes. Spaun eventually discovered he was misdiagnosed. 'I just was kind of going through the whole learning experience of what diabetes is and how to treat it and how to approach this disease,' Spaun said. He has been approved by the Tour to wear a Libre blood-sugar monitor and check his levels while competing. If his blood sugar is low, he can faint. If it gets too high, his vision starts to blur. Later that year at the Travelers Championship, Spaun wedged to 19 inches in a closest-to-the-pin contest at the red floating umbrella in the middle of a lake dubbed hole No. 15 ½ at TPC River Highlands. As the winner, Spaun could donate $10,000 to the charity of his choice. He chose JDRF. Bessette was touched by Spaun's gesture and personally matched the donation. 'So that initiated our connection,' Spaun said. 'He's kind of been there for me the whole way, where if it was doctors I needed to get in touch with or CEOs of JDRF, it's been nice to have that connection and his network to kind of help me along this journey because I had just been diagnosed with it, but diagnosed incorrectly. Even when I got my diagnosis corrected, I guess, it was even more so helpful to have JDRF and Andy on my side to kind of help me navigate another new territory.' Bessette was moved again Sunday when Spaun achieved a career-defining moment at Oakmont – Type I Diabetes be damned. 'It changed his life,' Bessette said of being diagnosed correctly. 'It's a brutal disease.'
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Travelers second round live updates: Leaderboard, highlights from TPC River Highlands
Travelers second round live updates: Leaderboard, highlights from TPC River Highlands It's time for Friday at the 2025 Travelers Championship. The final signature event of the 2025 PGA Tour season is underway at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, where World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion and in contention after the first round. Follow along below for live updates and highlights from Friday's second round at the Travelers: Travelers Championship 2025 live leaderboard Keep up with the latest scores on our USA TODAY Sports leaderboard. Travelers Championship 2025 Friday second round tee times 8:00 AM – Daniel Berger, Sam Stevens – Daniel Berger, Sam Stevens 8:10 AM – Jhonattan Vegas, Gary Woodland – Jhonattan Vegas, Gary Woodland 8:20 AM – Rickie Fowler, Michael Kim – Rickie Fowler, Michael Kim 8:30 AM – Maverick McNealy, Ryan Gerard – Maverick McNealy, Ryan Gerard 8:40 AM – Russell Henley, Nick Dunlap – Russell Henley, Nick Dunlap 8:50 AM – Patrick Cantlay, Sungjae Im – Patrick Cantlay, Sungjae Im 9:00 AM – Cam Davis, Alex Noren – Cam Davis, Alex Noren 9:10 AM – Taylor Pendrith, Eric Cole – Taylor Pendrith, Eric Cole 9:20 AM – Thomas Detry, Si Woo Kim – Thomas Detry, Si Woo Kim 9:35 AM – Brian Harman, Akshay Bhatia – Brian Harman, Akshay Bhatia 9:45 AM – Sepp Straka, Aaron Rai – Sepp Straka, Aaron Rai 9:55 AM – Shane Lowry, Denny McCarthy – Shane Lowry, Denny McCarthy 10:05 AM – J.T. Poston, Matt Fitzpatrick – J.T. Poston, Matt Fitzpatrick 10:15 AM – Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama – Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama 10:25 AM – Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa – Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa 10:35 AM – J.J. Spaun, Scottie Scheffler – J.J. Spaun, Scottie Scheffler 10:45 AM – Luke Clanton – Luke Clanton 10:55 AM – Andrew Novak, Jacob Bridgeman – Andrew Novak, Jacob Bridgeman 11:10 AM – Davis Riley, Bud Cauley – Davis Riley, Bud Cauley 11:20 AM – Nick Taylor, Kevin Yu – Nick Taylor, Kevin Yu 11:30 AM – Joe Highsmith, Tom Kim – Joe Highsmith, Tom Kim 11:40 AM – Min Woo Lee, Harry Hall – Min Woo Lee, Harry Hall 11:50 AM – Mackenzie Hughes, Matti Schmid – Mackenzie Hughes, Matti Schmid 12:00 PM – Tony Finau, Christiaan Bezuidenhout – Tony Finau, Christiaan Bezuidenhout 12:10 PM – Wyndham Clark, Matthieu Pavon – Wyndham Clark, Matthieu Pavon 12:20 PM – Jason Day, Max Homa – Jason Day, Max Homa 12:30 PM – Austin Eckroat, Byeong Hun An – Austin Eckroat, Byeong Hun An 12:45 PM – Davis Thompson, Stephan Jaeger – Davis Thompson, Stephan Jaeger 12:55 PM – Adam Hadwin, Max Greyserman – Adam Hadwin, Max Greyserman 1:05 PM – Tom Hoge, Tommy Fleetwood – Tom Hoge, Tommy Fleetwood 1:15 PM – Adam Scott, Cameron Young – Adam Scott, Cameron Young 1:25 PM – Viktor Hovland, Robert MacIntyre – Viktor Hovland, Robert MacIntyre 1:35 PM – Ludvig Åberg, Sam Burns – Ludvig Åberg, Sam Burns 1:45 PM – Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley – Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley 1:55 PM – Ryan Fox, Ben Griffin – Ryan Fox, Ben Griffin 2:05 PM – Harris English, Lucas Glover How to watch the 2025 Travelers Championship This is the TV channel, streaming and radio schedule, with Golf Channel, CBS, ESPN+, Paramount+ and PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM all teaming up for the coverage. All times listed are ET. Second round, Friday, June 20 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m., PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ 12-6 p.m., SiriusXM PGA Tour radio 3-6 p.m., Golf Channel, NBC Sports app Third round, Saturday, June 21 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m., PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ 1-6:30 p.m., SiriusXM PGA Tour radio 1-3 p.m., Golf Channel, NBC Sports app 3-6:30 p.m., CBS, Paramount+ Final round, Sunday, June 22 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m., PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ 1-6 p.m., SiriusXM PGA Tour radio 1-3 p.m., Golf Channel, NBC Sports app 3-6 p.m., CBS, Paramount+ What is the purse, prize money at Travelers Championship? The Travelers purse is $20 million, with $3.6 million going to the winner in addition to 700 FedEx Cup Past Travelers Championship winners Scottie Scheffler (2024); Keegan Bradley (2023); Xander Schauffele (2022); Harris English (2021); Dustin Johnson (2020) Is there a cut at the 2025 Travelers Championship? No, there is not a cut at the Travelers Championship. All 72 players will play all four rounds.
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Scottie Scheffler's frank response to silly scoring talk and pace of play gripes
World No.1 debates discussion over Travelers track and talks about quicker play Sizzling Scottie Scheffler ripped TPC River Highlands apart and then claimed it's silly to merely measure course strength by winning scores. At the same time, the current king of the game waded into the pace of play debate which is irritating golf fans. The World No.1 once again displayed his stunning skills with a magnificent 62 in the opening round of the Travelers Championship. Two-timers Masters king and current PGA champion Scheffler threatened a 59 at one point only to bogey the penultimate hole of his first 18 which meant he had to settle for an eight-under par score and share of the day-one lead. It was another awesome exhibition of his brilliance, but he refuted the notion it was easy and says it's wrong to judge the standard of a test simply by the amount of shots under-par which starts are carding. Scheffler, who shot two better than Rory McIlroy, explained: 'The conditions were really challenging out there. When I got out here to have breakfast this morning it was very calm. When I came out to do my warm-up it was still pretty calm. By the time I got to the first tee, it was blowing 20 miles an hour and it was sustained at that for most of our round. 'With the way I play golf, the more rough typically is going to be better for me. I hit a lot of fairways and a course like Oakmont [at US Open] I thought suited me really well just in terms of. Good ball-striking was going to be rewarded there. I just wasn't able to do it. I've always had a preference for the tougher tests that we have. That's always been my preference since I was a young kid.' Subsequently asked if he enjoyed winning the CJ CUP Byron Nelson with a 31-under final total, he stated: 'Yeah, and to be fair, I won by a significant margin. I could have won it at 23-under. Also the PGA, same thing. It was still a pretty sizeable cushion. So I think to call the winning score when it's that big of a margin I think is a bit silly. 30-under? Actually, no. I won by eight.' Scheffler also spoke about speed of play at TPC River Highlands which, with two-balls as opposed to three on day one as it was at Oakmont, were significantly faster than the painful six-hours slogs at the US Open which annoyed players and turned-off fans. He said: 'I think if you're going to look at the pace of play debate, I think twosomes makes a significant difference in terms of what we can do for pace of play. You also have two completely different golf courses between Oakmont and this one. The distance between tees on this golf course is much shorter. The holes are also shorter. It's simpler to get around this place. Oakmont is a big piece of property where the tee boxes are far apart. The holes go back and forth, but you finish one hole and you walk 100 yards back to the next tee and it's also so difficult, you're hitting a lot more shots as well.'
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Travelers leader admits PGA Tour shock and taking inspiration from Euro hero
Austin Eckroat motivated by the magic of ex-landlord and Euro Ryder Cup ace Austin Eckroat admits the inspiration of Euro pal Viktor Hovland remains key in overcoming the shock and enormity of the PGA Tour. The 26-year-old displayed his obvious prowess by matching Scottie Scheffler's opening 62 at the Travelers Championship. Eckroat is a two-time winner on the main circuit having turned pro five years ago, but says he still has pinch-me moments amongst the elite. Progressed through Oklahoma State College, he and Ryder Cup Hovland are big pals and he used to rent a room from the Norwegian in his house. Eckroat explained: 'It's funny, a lot of Wednesdays I've felt really good going into the tournament and then Thursday comes around and it hasn't been there. I don't know if it's just the stress of playing in a PGA Tour. 'I wouldn't say they were role models, but my team-mates came out here immediately and had success, Viktor and Matt Wolff, and they kind of gave me the confidence going in at the time that I knew compete with them so I knew I could compete out here. 'But it's a different ball game out here. Week in, week out, you're having to grind. The mental aspect of it with playing in front of people with cameras and all that stuff, I'd say I was aware of it just because I had two buddies that had just done it, but it's still a shock when you get out here. 'This is one of my favorite events of the year outside of that, but then add in on top of that they gave me a sponsor exemption, gave me an opportunity to play with the best players in the world back in 2021 and just really thankful for Travelers and everybody involved in this event to give me that opportunity. I played well that week. I just have great memories coming back here, and it's definitely one of my favorite stops of the year. 'It's funny, the weeks that we play, they all run together now, but I remember doing a little media thing for Travelers and every now and then it'll pop up on my social media, like come back around. I don't have any logos on my shirt, I'm wearing just standard clothing. It's funny just looking back on what's happened since then. It's pretty cool. 'My college coach when I was at Oklahoma State used to always say, when you're off, you're never that far from playing good golf. And whenever you're on, you're not that far from playing bad golf. You're playing on a fine line and confidence plays a huge part in it. 'I've felt close all year and that's why I kept playing. I felt like a week was coming and it was just all going to click. I just needed one good round and I was going to be good. It just hadn't happened yet.'
Wales Online
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
PGA Tour star who has wife with 23-year age gap could win £2.6m at Rory McIlroy's expense
PGA Tour star who has wife with 23-year age gap could win £2.6m at Rory McIlroy's expense Tommy Fleetwood has never won a title on the PGA Tour, but that could all change this weekend as the Travelers Championship continues to unfold at TPC River Highlands Rory McIlroy is playing well at the Travelers Championship (Image: Getty Images ) Tommy Fleetwood could win £2.6million at this weekend's Travelers Championship should he achieve his first win on the PGA Tour. The 34-year-old Southport-born star has never tasted success on the Tour, despite holding professional status for 15 years now. However, that could all change on Sunday should Fleetwood improve on his fantastic start at TPC River Highlands. Fleetwood currently sits at T7 after the opening round of the Travelers, with an incredibly respectable score of four-under-par. For context, that's just two strokes behind career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy, who is T3 at six-under. And as he is just four shots behind joint-leaders Austin Eckroat and Scottie Scheffler, he may find himself embroiled in a battle for the ages to clinch the Travelers by the end of Sunday's play. With four top 10 finishes to his name in 2025 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Truist Championship, the RBC Heritage and the Genesis Invitational, it seems as though a win is incredibly close for Fleetwood at present. However, he'll face stiff competition in seeing such a feat at the Travelers, given the achievements of McIlroy and Scheffler this year. McIlroy added a long-awaited Masters title to his collection of trophies in April to become the sixth man in history to achieve all four major championships. He has also won twice on the PGA Tour. Article continues below However, McIlroy's form has dwindled ever so slightly as of late, settling for a T47 at the PGA Championship, missing the cut completely at the Canadian Open and seeing a T19 placement at last weekend's US Open. World No. 1 Scheffler, meanwhile, won the PGA Championship in May before adding another win to his name at the Memorial earlier this month - and seems to be the man to beat this weekend. Tommy Fleetwood has impressed at the Travelers (Image: Getty Images ) Should Fleetwood fend off stiff competition, he will be awarded a hefty £2.6m payday for lifting the title at the Travelers - adding to his incredible £21.7m career earnings on the PGA Tour thus far. It's clear that Fleetwood's wife of eight years, Clare, will be cheering on the Briton this weekend as he shoots for the first win on the Tour. Fleetwood and Clare initially met in 2015 when the golfer switched to Hambric Sports Management, instantly hitting it off before a romantic relationship developed off the greens and the fairways, despite initial apprehension from Clare given she is 23 years his senior as well as his manager. The two eventually began courting before tying the knot in 2017, and have been happily married ever since. It comes after McIlroy has seemingly had a change of attitude at the Travelers this week. Tommy Fleetwood has been married to Clare since 2017 (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror ) Article continues below The 36-year-old faced criticism for his actions at the US Open, spotted throwing his club in frustration and smashing up a tee-box marker in frustration as the greens and fairways of Oakmont Country Club got the better of him. Meanwhile, McIlroy decided to snub the media during his opening rounds, while claiming that he had "earned the right" to pick and choose his engagements with reporters. However, McIlroy has seemed cheerful this week thus far, telling the media after his opening round: "Yeah, it was good. 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."
