Bubba Watson wins by three at Travelers Championship

             

 

 

2018 Travelers Championship

(The 34^th of 44 events in the US PGA TOUR Season)

 

Cromwell, Connecticut.                    June 21-24, 2018               FedExCup Points: 500 to the winner

TPC River Highlands                        

Par/Yardage: 35-35—70/6,841                                        Purse: $7,000,000 ($1,260,000)

                                 Final-Round Notes – Sunday, June 24, 2018

 

Weather: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 81. Wind SW 8-15 mph.

 

Final-Round Leaderboard

Bubba Watson    70-63-67-63—263 (-17)

Stewart Cink        68-68-68-62—266 (-14)

Beau Hossler       65-67-68-66—266 (-14)

Paul Casey            65-67-62-72—266 (-14)

J.B. Holmes          66-68-65-67—266 (-14)

 

 

Eight Tournament Takeaways

• Paul Casey had claimed seven runner-up finishes before the 2018 Travelers Championship, most recently at the 2016 BMW Championship.
• Russell Henley played 62 holes without a bogey (from No. 5 in round one through No. 12 in round four).
   
  Kevin Tway’s T6 finish marked his third top-10 in his last five starts (T9/AT&T Byron Nelson, T5/Fort Worth Invitational).
• Defending champion Jordan Spieth posted scores of 63-73-71-69—276 (-4) to finish T42. Only tournament champion to successfully defend his title was Phil Mickelson (2001-02).
• Brooks Koepka posted rounds of 68-69-69-65 to finish at 9-under 271 (T19).
• In his second start at the Travelers Championship (T17/2017), World No. 7 Rory McIlroy finished 11-under 269 (T12).

 

Bubba Watson (-17/1^st)

Age: 39 (November 5, 1978)

Joined TOUR: 2006

 

• Claims his third Travelers Championship title (2010, 2015, 2018) and 12^th on the PGA TOUR in his 288^th TOUR start at the age of 39 years, 7 months, 19 days.
• Third win at the Travelers Championship (in 12 starts) is one shy of Billy Casper for the most Travelers Championship wins (1963, 1965, 1968, 1973).
• Becomes the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season’s first three-time winner (Genesis Open, World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play) and moves to No. 3 in the FedExCup standings.
• In a total of 44 rounds at TPC River Highlands, has recorded four scores of 63 or better and 25 rounds of 67 or better.
• Began the final round six strokes behind Paul Casey’s 16-under lead. En route to 2010 Travelers Championship win, was also six strokes back after 54 holes. Won in sudden death over Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank.
• The largest number of strokes an eventual Travelers Championship winner trailed by beginning the final round of the Travelers Championship remains seven (Brad Faxon/2005).
• Has now come from behind in the final round to win seven times (11 stroke-play victories).
• 2018 Travelers Championship marks the 14^th occasion (of 33) on which a player has come from behind to win in the final round on TOUR this season.
• Since 2000, only six 54-hole leaders/co-leaders have managed to win the Travelers Championship: Jordan Spieth (2017), Freddie Jacobson (2011), Stewart Cink (2008), J.J. Henry (2006), Peter Jacobsen (2003) and Phil Mickelson (2001).
• 2017-18 starts-made cuts-top-10s-wins: 15-13-5-3
• PGA TOUR career starts-made cuts-top-10s-wins: 288-210-61-12

 

Watson’s stats for the week:

R1 – 5 of 14 fairways, 12 of 18 greens in regulation, 3/6 scrambling, 30 putts.

R2 – 9 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens in regulation, 1/2 scrambling, 28 putts.

R3 – 6 of 14 fairways, 13 of 18 greens in regulation, 1/3 scrambling, 30 putts.

R4 – 9 of 14 fairways, 13 of 18 greens in regulation, 4/5 scrambling, 24 putts.

 

Paul Casey (-14/T2)

• Led by four strokes at 16-under 194 after 54 holes, before a 2-over 72 resulted in a T2 with Stewart Cink, Beau Hossler and J.B. Holmes.
• The loss of a four-stroke lead after 54 holes is the largest on the PGA TOUR since Dustin Johnson was not able to convert a six-stroke lead after three rounds at the 2017 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions.
• Claims his third top-five finish in his previous three starts at TPC River Highlands (T2/2018, T5/2017 and 2^nd/2015).
• Has now claimed eight runner-up finishes on the US PGA TOUR.
• Claims his fifth top-10 finish of the season, and 53^rd of his TOUR career.  
• Would have been the first Englishman to win the Travelers Championship.

 

J.B. Holmes (-14/T2)

• Posted a 3-under 67 to finish in a tie for second, his fifth runner-up finish on the PGA TOUR.
• In six Travelers Championship appearances, T2 finish supplants previous-best finish T37 in 2012.
• Was in search of his fifth TOUR win and most recent since the 2015 Houston Open.

 

Stewart Cink (-14/T2)

• 1997 and 2008 Travelers Championship winner birdied six of his first nine holes, and 10 total in the final round, en route to a career-low tying 8-under 62 (2016 The RSM Classic/R1/T10).
• T2 finish marks his best finish since winning the 2009 Open Championship.

• Six-time PGA TOUR winner was in search of his first title since the 2009 Open Championship.
• Needed just 22 putts Sunday to complete his round, seven fewer than any other round.

• Was making his 559^th career start on the PGA TOUR. Only five other current players have more TOUR starts.

  

 

 

Bogey-free rounds

R1: Beau Hossler (65), Matt Jones (65), Padraig Harrington (66), Danny Lee (67), Ryan Moore (68)  

R2: Dominic Bozzelli (64), Russell Henley (65), Zach Johnson (68), Denny McCarthy (68), Keith Mitchell (68)

R3: Paul Casey (62), Jamie Lovemark (64), Patrick Cantlay (65), Emiliano Grillo (66), Russell Henley (67), Chase Seiffert (67)

R4: Sam Ryder (64), Adam Hadwin (66)