Travelers Championship
The Travelers Championship, played at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut provided twists and turns all weekend and ended with a couple of feel good stories.
What started as a dream on Saturday for Zack Sucher, turned into a bittersweet defeat to Chez Reavie. In the space of 3 holes Sucher went from leading the tournament by 4 shots to trailing by 5.
Reavie’s magnificent 7-under 28 on the back nine of Saturday’s third round at the Travelers Championship propelled him to an eventual 4-stroke victory. Although the final winning margin ended up at 4-strokes, Sunday’s round was no leisurely stroll in the park for Chez.
On Sunday, Keegan Bradley came out firing and ran his round to 5-under par and within 1 stroke of Reavie heading into the 17th. However, a three-putt double bogey for Bradley and a birdie for Reavie on the penultimate hole took any air out of Keegan’s frantic comeback and sealed the tournament.
This is Reavie’s second career PGA Tour victory. His last Tour victory came 11 years ago at the RBC Canadian Open. He expressed his gratitude after the round and reflected on how his life has changed over the past decade as a professional.
Zack Sucher also expressed gratitude after the tournament. In his post-tournament press conference, he talked about his struggles with injuries and the hardships he endured trying to comeback and realize his dream of playing on the PGA Tour.
Chez Reavie plays a mixed bag of clubs, including the #1 Ball in Golf. These are the clubs he used to win the Travelers Championship. (As reported by PGATOUR):
TaylorMade P-750 Irons 5-PW
Shaft:
KBS Tour C-Taper
BMW International Open
Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, defending champion Matt Wallace, and homegrown favorite Martin Kaymer headlined the field at the popular European Tour stop, the BMW International Open.
Played at the Golfclub Muchen Eichenried in Munich, Germany, the defending champion and local rooting interest found success early, but in the end, it came down to a playoff between Italian Andrea Pavan and Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick.
On the second extra hole, Pavan’s third from the left rough carried a perfect distance, leaving him less than three feet for birdie. Fitzpatrick’s third shot from the greenside bunker was struck heavy leaving him a lengthy try for four.
Fitzpatrick could only muster a par and had to wait to see if Pavan could convert the birdie. After stalking the putt from many angles, Pavan confidently knocked the putt home for his second career European Tour Victory.
KMPG Women’s PGA Championship
It was major week for the women at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. Australian Hannah Green held off late challenges and a nervy finish on Sunday to go wire to wire at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for her first career major.
Green’s up and down final round saw many of the LGPA’s top competitors take a run at the lead. Players like Ariya Jutanugarn, Sung Hyun Park and Nelly Korda who are all no stranger to pressure packed situations were unable to best Green’s score or her nerves.
Four years ago, fellow countrywoman Karrie Webb awarded Hannah a scholarship to come watch and experience an LPGA major, now she’s a major champion.
This week, Webb stayed with Green and followed her final round outside the ropes, but once the 5-footer for par was sunk, Webb embraced Hannah on the 18th green with a giant congratulatory hug and soaking of beer, as the Australian tradition goes.
Keith Schneider
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