Uncharacteristic Start Sinks World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s Travelers Hopes
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler entered Saturday’s third round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands as a co-leader and, for many, the overwhelming favorite. However, the script for “Moving Day” took a stunning turn from the very first hole, leading to an uncharacteristic stumble down the leaderboard.
Disaster Strikes on Hole 1
Scheffler’s challenging round began immediately on the 431-yard, par-4 opening hole. A rare misstep off the tee saw his drive miss the fairway left. His subsequent 119-yard approach shot fell well short, finding a greenside bunker. The troubles compounded from there; his bunker shot was clipped, sailing over the green and leaving him in a difficult position. The uphill chip that followed lacked pace and rolled back approximately 10 paces away. Unable to get up and down from this awkward spot, Scheffler carded a 7 – a triple bogey. This marked the first time in his PGA Tour career he had ever started a round with a triple bogey, highlighting the unexpected nature of the error.
Mid-Round Struggles Continue
Showing a flicker of the resilience he’s known for, Scheffler managed to bounce back slightly over the next six holes with two birdies against one bogey. However, his momentum was short-lived. More trouble arose on the par-3 eighth hole, where his tee shot found the water. After taking a penalty, he couldn’t save bogey, missing an 11-foot putt to record a double bogey 5. Notably, this third round marked the first time in his career Scottie Scheffler recorded both a triple bogey and a double bogey in the same round.
Finishing the Day and Leaderboard Impact
Despite the early and mid-round woes, Scheffler finished his inward nine holes strongly with three birdies and one bogey. This late recovery, however, couldn’t fully erase the damage done earlier. He finished the third round with a 2-over par 72.
The high score saw the reigning Masters champion plummet significantly down the Travelers Championship leaderboard. From sharing the lead entering the day, Scheffler finished Saturday tied for eighth place, a considerable nine shots behind the new leader.
Fleetwood Seizes Control as Contenders Falter
While Scheffler and fellow co-leader Justin Thomas (who also struggled, carding a 73 after a quadruple bogey on the 13th) faltered, England’s Tommy Fleetwood seized control. Fleetwood fired a brilliant bogey-free 7-under 63, highlighted by making eagle on the par-5 13th for the second consecutive day. His dominant performance, particularly contrasted with the struggles of the final group where Scheffler and Thomas combined to be 5-over par, propelled him to a commanding three-shot lead at 16-under par heading into the final round.
Fleetwood now sits three strokes ahead of closest challengers Keegan Bradley and Russell Henley, both tied at 13-under. The course played relatively easy on Saturday with no wind, making Scheffler’s uncharacteristic high score all the more surprising in a round dominated by low numbers from much of the field.
