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Cantlay Shoots for BMW

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DENVER – The BMW Championship is currently the only leg of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs that rotates venues each year. Patrick Cantlay has shown he can bag BMW wins no matter which course is up for its turn.

But the 2024 edition of the tournament presents an entirely different challenge: an 8,130-yard track at Castle Pines Golf Club in the thin air of Colorado.

Cantlay, the 2021 and 2022 champion at the BMW, and the rest of the 50-player field will need to prepare for the unusual distances their shots travel at altitude, plus the other trials that come with this course layout.

“It’s a longer walk, I’ll tell you that,” Cantlay said Tuesday. “There’s going to be some tired caddies at the end of this week with the uphill and the downhill and the 8,100 yards. The ball is going farther, but we’ve got to walk all that way.”

The course is set to become the longest in PGA Tour history, the result of golfers’ driving distance combined with the unique environmental circumstances in the Rocky Mountains. The BMW hasn’t been played in Colorado since 2014.

Castle Pines is 6,200 feet above sea level.

“I think the altitude, with all the help we have with the TrackMans and the devices, it’s pretty easy to see how far it’s going,” Cantlay said. “We learn new golf courses all the time, so I don’t think it’ll be too big of a change or too difficult.”

Cantlay had a memorable playoff win at the 2021 BMW Championship over Bryson DeChambeau. They both torched the course, Caves Valley in Maryland, for a 27-under final score. Cantlay went on to win the 2021 FedEx Cup and defended his BMW title the next year at Wilmington (Del.) Country Club.

 

 

The World No. 9 said he doesn’t know why he’s found particular success winning an event that changes scenery each year. He cited his history of playing well in the warm weather of August.

“This tournament in general is played on bentgrass greens, which I tend to putt well, and I’ve had some events, some BMW events where I’ve putted well, so this week is no different,” Cantlay added.

Cantlay hasn’t won on tour since that 2022 BMW. He enters the week ranked ninth in FedEx Cup points, guaranteed to make it to the tour’s season finale, the Tour Championship, next week for a chance at a second FedEx Cup title.

“I feel good about my game,” Cantlay said. “I’d say my results have been going in the right direction the last few months. Had a poor first round last week, but other than that, I played really well the last three days. So carry some of that momentum into this week.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Vegas Has Hot Hand

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BLAINE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas birdied six of the final eight holes for an 8-under-par 63 to surge into the lead after three rounds of the 3M Open on Saturday in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

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Matt Kuchar’s eagle on No. 18 gave him 63 and a temporary share of first place before Vegas, who’s at 16-under 197, birdied the last hole.

Vegas, who hasn’t won on the PGA Tour in seven years, had three birdies in a four-hole stretch to pull into a share of the lead after No. 14 and kept the momentum going.

Kuchar, who hasn’t won in more than five years and is aiming for his 10th career victory on the tour, will be contending in the final round at TPC Twin Cities. He nearly aced the par-3 17th before his final-hole eagle came with a short chip from in front of the green, with the ball bouncing a couple of times before clanking against the pin and dropping into the cup.

Maverick McNealy also shot 63 to move to 14 under, while Patrick Fishburn (63) and Sahith Theegala (66) share fourth place at 12 under.

Canada’s Adam Svensson (66), Matt NeSmith (70) and Australia’s Cam Davis (65) are tied for sixth at 11 under. Among Svensson’s highlights was sinking a shot from a sand trap for a birdie on the par-3 eighth

Canadian Taylor Pendrith, who led after the second round by two strokes, tumbled with a 2-over 73. He had a five-hole stretch at 5 over, ending with a double-bogey 6 at No. 11, though he made it through the last seven holes at 1 under. He’s tied for ninth at 10 under.

Fishburn emerged atop the leaderboard among early finishers before others caught up.

Pan, Rai Lead at John Deere Classic

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SILVIS – C.T. Pan currently shares his first 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR with Aaron Rai. For Pan, it’s his second lead after any round (R3/2023 RBC Canadian Open) when he finished T3.

John Deere Classic

Pan’s econd-round (63) fell one-stroke shy of his career-best (62/R4/2023 CJ CUP Byron Nelson/finished 4th) as he seeks his second all-time PGA TOUR victory in his 193rd start on TOUR. Pan won the 2019 RBC Heritage.

Rai shares his second-consecutive 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR this season as he held a share of 36-hole lead at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic and finished a career-high T2.

Rai also held a share of the 36-hole lead with partner David Lipsky at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (finished T23).

Rai’s (128) marks career-best opening 36-hole score on TOUR with the previous best as a (131) at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, a week ago.

Making his first start at the event since 2015, two-time John Deere Classic champion Jordan Spieth (T47/-6) was in danger of a MTC but rallied to card 4-under (67) and sits eight shots back after 36-holes.

The cutline advanced 76 professionals and one amateur at 5-under (137) from a field of 155 professionals and one amateur.

Jimmy Stanger withdrew prior to his second round due to an elbow injury.

John Deere Classic | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

T1 C.T. Pan 65 63 128 (-14)

T1 Aaron Rai 65 63 128 (-14)

3 Harry Hall 63 66 129 (-13)

T4 Six players 130 (-12)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour: Springer Shoots 59

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SILVIS – Hayden Springer had some fireworks for the crowds at the John Deere Classic. His opening round was highlighted by eight birdies and two eagles during his tournament debut, as the PGA TOUR rookie signed for a 12-under (59). He’s the 13th different player (14 times) to shoot a sub-60 round on the PGA TOUR. Jim Furyk is the only player with 58 and 59.

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Springer’s round included: Hitting 10-of-14 fairways, 14-of-18 greens in regulation and 21 total putts (sank 112’ 6” of putts).

His career-low round on TOUR came in his 19th start. His previous best was an 8-under (64) during R1/2024 American Express.

Finland’s Sami Valimaki carded a 10-under (61) in his first John Deere Classic start, good for solo-second. His PGA TOUR stint comes after earning exempt status to the gig by way of the Top 10 in the 2023 DP World Tour Eligibility Ranking category, seeks a second Top 10 of the season after finishing second at the Mexico Open at Vidanta.

Following last week’s T6 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Eric Cole (3rd/-9) is making his third John Deere Classic start (MC/2021, T42/2023). His opening round (62) fell a stroke shy of his career-best (61/R3/2023 RSM Classic).

The 2013 and 2015 John Deere Classic champion Jordan Spieth sits T90 after an opening-round 2-under (69). In successful rounds on his way to winning, Spieth opened with a 1-under (70) in 2013 and even-par (71) in 2015.

John Deere Classic | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

1 Hayden Springer 59 (-12)

2 Sami Valimaki 61 (-10)

3 Eric Cole 62 (-9)

T4 Four players 63 (-8)

PGA Tour: John Deere Classic

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SILVIS – The John Deere Classic is the 30th event of the FedEx Cup regular season. Only five weeks remain until the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. There are 119 players in the field who competed last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, including ten who finished in the Top 10 (Aaron Rai/T2, Davis Thompson/T2, Eric Cole/T6, Rico Hoey/T6, Luke Clanton/T10, Nick Dunlap/T10, J.J. Spaun/T10, Hayden Springer/T10, Sam Stevens/T10, Dylan Wu/T10).

John Deere Classic

The John Deere Classic is part of The Open Qualifying Series (OQS) and two spots will be available to qualify for the 152nd Open at Royal Troon.

Defending champion and World No. 24 Sepp Straka captured his second career TOUR title in 2023 following a final-round (62). Straka carded a 1-over (73) to sit T133 after the opening round last year, the lowest position for a PGA TOUR winner since 1983. Straka will attempt to become the first repeat winner at the John Deere Classic since Steve Stricker won three in a row from 2009-11.

The 2012 champion Zach Johnson will make his 22nd career start at the John Deere Classic, four more than any player on TOUR since 2002 (Jonathan Byrd, 18). Including his win, Johnson owns seven career Top-five finishes at TPC Deere Run. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native has made 15 consecutive cuts at the John Deere Classic (most recent MC: 2007) and enters the week tied with D.A. Weibring‘s for most total made cuts in tournament history (18). Johnson has recorded seven top-10s at the event, highlighted by a win in 2012 and runner-up finishes in 2009, 2013 and 2014.

The John Deere Classic | Tournament Facts

COURSE: TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois

YARDS/PAR: 7,289 yards/Par 71

ARCHITECTS: D.A. Weibring and Chris Gray

PRIZE Money – Purse/Winner’s Share: $8,000,000/$1,400,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Sepp Straka

PAST RESULTS: (link)

OVERVIEW: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @JDCLASSIC @JohnDeere

How to Watch: In case of changes, visit: (PGATourCom)

John Deere | The Basics

The Tee Times at the John Deere on Thursday begin at 7:45am (ET) and continue to 3:17pm (ET).

Weather: – Thursday will come along with mostly sunny skies but humidity high in the mid 70s% with a 24% chance of rain. Winds blowing at 16 mph.

World No. 1 Scheffler Wins Again

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CROMWELL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler won the first playoff hole with a par to capture the Travelers Championship on Sunday at TPC River Highlands, defeating South Korea’s Tom Kim.

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Scheffler and Kim finished at 22-under-par 258, two strokes clear of other contenders.

Scheffler won for the sixth time on the PGA Tour this year, all since the beginning of March. He prevailed for the second time in three weeks, capturing the Memorial Tournament prior to last week’s struggles at the U.S. Open.

Scheffler shot 5-under (65) in the final round, but Kim’s 66 with a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole forced the extra golf. On the last hole of regulation, Scheffler left his approach on the left fringe and two-putted from there. Kim’s approach shot was within a couple of inches of the hole before rolling back before he converted the must-make putt to extend the tournament.

The duo played No. 18 again in the playoff, with Kim’s approach short and in a bunker. After blasting out, he couldn’t roll in a long par putt.

Tom Hoge (62) and Sungjae Im (66) shared third place at 20 under.

Cameron Young, who shot 59 on Saturday, was off to a brilliant start with birdies on the first four holes in the final round and it looked like he might rise to the top. But he began the back side at 2 over through three holes, with a bogey on No. 10 and a double bogey at No. 12 before ending up with 66.

Young tied for ninth at 17 under with Shane Lowry of Ireland (67), Brian Harman (62) and Wyndham Clark (63).

Austria’s Sepp Straka had the day’s best score at 61, putting him at 12 under and tied for 23rd.

–Field Level Media

Tom Kim Holds Lead at Travelers

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CROMWELL – Tom Kim (62-65) at (-13) leads a group of players on the star-studded leaderboard by two strokes at the 2024 Travelers Championship in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut. The event is the last of the PGA Tour’s elevated “Signature” tournaments and pays out a purse of $20 million with $3.6m going to the winner. It is the 28th of 36 tournaments of the FedEx Cup regular season.

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Kim celebrated his 22nd birthday by posting his career low 36-hole score on the PGA TOUR (127) and holds his second 36-hole lead/colead on TOUR. He is 1-for-1 to date converting the halfway-point lead to victory (2022 Wyndham Championship).

Kim is seeking his fourth PGA TOUR win in his 63rd start (2022 Wyndham Championship, 2022 Shriners Children’s Open, 2023 Shriners Children’s Open) and owns two Asian Tour wins (2019 Panasonic Open India, 2022 Singapore International).

He finished T38 in 2023 in his one prior appearance at the Travelers Championship.

World No. 1 and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler (T2/-11) pulled within two strokes of the lead following a 6-under (64). Scheffler has improved in each of his four prior starts at the Travelers Championship (MC/2020; T47/2021; T13/2022; T4/2023) and is in search of his sixth win of the season and fourth in a Signature Event (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday). Of course, wins at The Masters and PLAYERS were his “other” two wins this year.

Collin Morikawa (T2/-11) cards 36-hole total of (129), which is second only to the 125 he posted at the 2023 TOUR Championship when he went on to finish T6 (FedExCup Starting Strokes). He is making fourth appearance at this event (T36/2019; MC/2020; MC/2023).

In his tournament debut, Akshay Bhatia (T2/-11) posted a career-best 36-hole score on the PGA TOUR (129). His previous best: (131) 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship/T20).

The Travelers | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

1 Tom Kim 62 65 127 (-13)

T2 Collin Morikawa 66 63 129 (-11)

T2 Akshay Bhatia 64 65 129 (-11)

T2 Scottie Scheffler 65 64 129 (-11)

5 Xander Schauffele 65 65 130 (-10)

Tom Kim Leads Travelers After 18

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CROMWELL – Tom Kim carded his lowest 18-hole score this season and holds his first 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR. Kim is celebrating his 22nd birthday today, June 21.

At his one prior appearance at the Travelers Championship last year, Kim shot rounds of 69-64-72-65 and finished T38.

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Kim is seeking his fourth PGA TOUR win in his 63rd start. Wins came at: (2022 Wyndham Championship, 2022 Shriners Children’s Open, 2023 Shriners Children’s Open). He owns two Asian Tour victories (2019 Panasonic Open India, 2022 Singapore International).

Making his tournament debut, Akshay Bhatia (T2/-6) posted his fourth round of (64) or better this season. In prior Travelers tournaments, two lefthanders have won the event in the last 25 years: Phil Mickelson (2001, 2002), Bubba Watson (2010, 2015, 2018). Both are on the LIV circuit now.

Rickie Fowler (T2/-6) carded his lowest opening round on TOUR since the 2023 U.S. Open (62). It marked his second opening round in the 60s in 17 starts this season (67/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). In six prior appearances at this event he owns three T13 finishes (2010, 2013, 2023) and three missed cuts (2009, 2021, 2022).

Kurt Kitayama (T2/-6) seeks his second Top-10 result this season (T8/WM Phoenix Open); makes second appearance at this event (MC/2023). Kitayama leads in Stokes Gained: Around The Green (2.580).

Making his tournament debut, Will Zalatoris (T2/-6) leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green (3.905). He recorded eight birdies, including seven in a nine-hole stretch on hole Nos. 7-15.

World No. 1 and FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler (T6/-5) hits 17 of 18 greens in regulation en route to a 5-under (65) to snap his streak of five consecutive over-par rounds. Scheffler is celebrating his 28th birthday.

The Travelers | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

1 Tom Kim 62

T2 Akshay Bhatia 64

T2 Rickie Fowler 64

T2 Kurt Kitayama 64

T2 Will Zalatoris 64

Home Sweet Home for Bradley

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CROMWELL – Back close to home, Keegan Bradley looks to defend his Travelers Championship title when he tees off this week at TPC River Highlands in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut.

The Woodstock, Vermont and Hopkinson, Massachusetts native carded an event-record 23-under finish to earn his sixth and most recent PGA Tour win here in 2023.

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“I have great memories of here throughout my whole entire life, so it’s fun to come back as a winner of the tournament,” said Bradley, returning to his favorite golf course.

“I can think of when I was a 12-, 13-year-old kid coming here to watch David Duval play. And then now getting to come as defending champion is pretty cool.”

Bradley has had an up-and-down 2024.

He missed the cut at three of four events across February and March, but he has posted a pair of T2 finishes, including last month’s Charles Schwab Challenge.

“It’s been a weird season,” Bradley said, adding that he has felt “really strong” over the last few months.

Bradley, though, has shot over par in each of his last two events. He followed his season-worst 9-over-par finish at the Memorial by shooting 7-over at last week’s U.S. Open.

Putting has been a struggle, Bradley said, but he feels like his short game is coming along as of late and returning to TPC River Highlands may give Bradley’s putter another boost.

“Sometimes coming to a course like this that you’ve had some success at is just what you need to maybe hopefully contend,” he said.

Asked if he had re-watched his victory from last year, Bradley said he was selective about it.

“I can watch up until about 13 or 14, and then I started whacking balls in the water and making bogeys, so we fast forwarded through that part,” he said.

Bradley said he’s proud to have the Travelers Championship represent his “home event” and relishes the nostalgia it delivers aside from last year’s win.

“This tournament really, it means a lot to me before I had won. I mean, like I say every week, this is a very important tournament to the Northeast and New England golfers,” Bradley said. “And a kid like me, this is the only chance I would get to come up here and watch professional golfers play. So this is an important week for the game of golf in this area.”

–Field Level Media

DeChambeau Earns U.S. Open Win

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PINEHURST – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Bryson DeChambeau parred the final three holes to complete a 1-over-par 71, and that was enough for a one-shot victory at the U.S. Open in North Carolina, winning the championship for the second time in five years.

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DeChambeau, who began the day with a three-shot lead, finished at 6-under 274, benefitting from Rory McIlroy’s late putting failures.

McIlroy, who gained the lead on the back side, bogeyed the last hole by missing a par putt from about 4 feet. Then DeChambeau, playing in the last group, clinched it with a par putt after blasting out of a greenside bunker on his third shot.

DeChambeau became the second former Southern Methodist University golfer to win a U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, with this title coming 25 years after Payne Stewart’s memorable championship.

McIlroy’s 69 was tainted by bogeys on three of the last four holes, and he finished as the U.S. Open runner-up for the second year in a row. McIlroy, who won the 2011 U.S. Open, was trying to secure his fifth major championship and his first since 2014.