The Travelers

CROMWELL – What was the song of the day on Friday at the 2025 Travelers Championship?

“Who’s peekin’ out from under a stairway

Callin’ a name that’s lighter than air?

Who’s bendin’ down to give me a rainbow?

Everyone knows it’s Windy.”

With apologies to The Association (music group of the ‘60s), yes, it was quite windy on Friday, especially when Scottie Scheffler was on the course.

Scheffler remains T-1st along with scorching hot Justin Thomas (64) and veteran Tommy Fleetwood (65), who each dodged the windy conditions to post big time scores to roll into contention for the $4m first place prize this weekend at beautiful TPC River Highlands.

Thomas carded five consecutive birdies (Nos. 11-15) en route to his (64), his ninth consecutive round in the 60s at TPC River Highlands. It’s his 15th career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR and second this season (RBC Heritage/Won) and he’s batting .500, 7-for-14 in converting to victory to date.

Thomas’ 4-under (31) tied his lowest back-nine score at this event (fifth time) and he’s a remarkable 34-under in his last nine rounds at Travelers Championship.

Tommy Fleetwood is the only player with multiple eagles through 36 holes (Nos. 13 and 15/R2). Friday marked his seventh career stroke-play round on TOUR with multiple eagles (most recent: 2023 U.S. Open/R4)

Fleetwood’s is a cumulative 6-under on holes No. 13 and 15 combined through 36 holes.

General Notes:

First-round co-leader Austin Eckroat (T5/-7) made his fourth start at the Travelers Championship (T47/2021, T24/2023, T27/2024). He made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2021 Travelers Championship on a sponsor exemption.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (T9/-5) was 3-over through four holes en route to carding a 1-over (71). McIlroy has finished in the Top-20 in five previous starts at the Travelers Championship (best: T7/2023).

Popular 13-time PGA TOUR winner Jason Day’s (4th/-8) is on track for his best result in 10 appearances at Travelers Championship is T8/2019. His best finish in 11 starts this season was a T3/American Express.

The 70.686 scoring average Friday marked the highest single-round scoring average at Travelers Championship since 2017 (70.824/R2).

Si Woo Kim withdrew during the second round with a back injury.

The Travelers | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

T1 Justin Thomas 67 64 131 (-9)

T1 Scottie Scheffler 62 69 131 (-9)

T1 Tommy Fleetwood 66 65 131 (-9)

4 Jason Day 66 66 132 (-8)

CROMWELL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Scottie Scheffler needs no more reminders that his caddie, Ted Scott, was on Bubba Watson’s bag when he won the Travelers Championship three times.

“After a few holes, that can get pretty annoying listening to Teddy talk about when Bubba won,” Scheffler joked with reporters Tuesday about his practice rounds with Scott at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn.

How annoying?

“If you keep saying when Bubba won here, I’m going to hit you with my club,” Scheffler said with a laugh.

The top-ranked Scheffler is the defending champion this week at the Travelers Championship, where he defeated Tom Kim in a playoff last year. He is coming off a T7 finish at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club on Sunday and has won three of his last five events, including the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

In all seriousness, and even though Watson (Travelers champion in 2010, 2015 and 2018) is left-handed, Scheffler said Scott has helped him to put the signature event’s 6,844-yard, par-70 layout in perspective.

“What we talk about on that golf course is I think there’s a stigma around it that you have to make a ton of birdies, but it’s really about getting the most looks,” Scheffler said. “There’s certain holes where you have to play really conservative and play to the middle of the green and just get as many looks for birdie as possible.”

Scheffler shot 65-64-64-65 to finish 22 under par last year, then bested Kim on the first playoff hole with a par at the 18th.

“The Travelers is a great golf course in the sense you get very rewarded for good shots,” he said. “If you start hitting offline, you can be punished pretty severely. The closing stretch enhances that, and that’s why you have such great finishes there year after year.”

Scheffler, 28, said he appreciates the small-town atmosphere and friendly reception from the fans in Connecticut.

“I think playing in front of the crowds that we get out there is really fun for us. The crowd is always really, really good there,” he said.

“… It’s great. You get such a big crowd, and they’re always rowdy and they’re having fun, and it gets loud in there. You have those finishing holes like 18, the scene around 18 green every year is always so special for us.

“I always dreamt of winning that tournament. I remember Jordan (Spieth) hitting that bunker shot when I was in college (in 2017) and trying to become a pro. It’s just one of those golf courses where there’s really great opportunity for you to have a very special finish.”

–Field Level Media

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.

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

CROMWELL – Xander Schauffele is seeking his sixth career PGA Tour title today and his first individual stroke-play victory since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions. Patrick Cantlay, who partnered with Schauffele to win this season’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, is in pursuit of his eighth career Tour victory and seventh Top-5 finish of the season after carding the low score of the day on Saturday with a (63).

Schauffele and Cantlay will play in the final round together for the second time in their careers on Tour.

After making his professional debut at the 2020 Travelers Championship (MC), Sahith Theegala seeks his first career Tour title in his 38th start. He can become the second rookie winner on Tour this season.

In only his third PGA Tour start, 20-year-old amateur Michael Thorbjornsen(T-7) is playing to become first amateur to win on Tour since Phil Mickelsonat 1991 Northern Telecom Open.

Travelers Championship | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Xander Schauffele 63-63-67—193 (-17)

Patrick Cantlay 64-67-63—194 (-16)

Sahith Theegala 67-65-64—196 (-14)

Kevin Kisner 67-64-66—197 (-13)