Travelers Championship
Crowell, CT
Making his tournament debut, overnight leader and World No. 6 Jordan Spieth tossed up an even-par 34-36=70 in the final round of the Travelers to match Daniel Berger on 12-under 268, and then defeated him on the first playoff hole with a hole-out birdie-3 from a green side bunker.
Spieth, the pre-tourney fave outright (8/1), led after each of the first three rounds at TPC River Highlands before Berger erased a three-shot deficit with 67, one group ahead of Spieth.
On the final hole in regulation (par-4 18th), the duo matched up-and-down 4s out of the same bunker that Spieth would soon author the final dramatics from.
Back at the 444-yard finisher for sudden death, Berger went first and hit his tee ball 288 yards into the left rough, leaving 155 from the ankle-deep stuff.
Spieth went left as well, big time, straight into a tree, but it careened back into the fairway, amounting to a drive of just 213 yards and leaving 230 to the hole.
As most eventual champions do however, the Texan took advantage of this fortuitous break – which was the third of significance for him in the finale, all three involving errant tee shots and potential disaster.
With 5-iron, Spieth mustered 209 yards to the right green side bunker, 61’5” short of the target, while Berger conjured 151 yards to the left fairway, 49’5” away.
By now, you’ve seen the replays (ad nauseam) of what happened next.
After the minutes-long celebration and frenzy subsided and the duo exchanged a friendly low-five, Berger was game with the flat stick in his attempt to extend, skirting the left side of the cup, but alas, the caps came off.
Spieth, 23, turns 24 on July 27th. He claims a 10th TOUR title in 120 career events (112 pro), second this season in 16 starts, joining the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 12 starts ago – where he also was the 54-hole leader (by six), shot 2-under 70 and won by four.
In fact, in his last eight victories, he’s either led or co-led at the three-quarter mark and improves to 8-for-13 converting those, including eight of his last nine (T2, 2016 Masters).
Spieth improves his record in sudden death to 4 wins, 2 losses. His two “L’s” came at the 2015 Houston Open and the 2013 Wyndham.
Spieth won his first TOUR title at the 2013 John Deere Classic in extra time, holing out for birdie on the 72nd hole (also from a green side bunker) to join a three-man playoff with defending champ Zach Johnson and David Hearn.
That win came in his 24th career start (16th pro), was 19 years old at the time and a Special Temporary Member.
The hole-out birdie on the 72nd hole at TPC Deere Run capped a 6-under 65, erased a six-shot final-round deficit, and earned him the last spot into the following week’s Open Championship at Muirfield.
Spieth’s fifth TOUR title – and most recent playoff before Sunday – also came at the John Deere in 2015. That eventual win came in his 68th career start, also as 54-hole leader.
So, if this writer’s math is correct:
68 starts to win his first five; 52 starts to win his next five.
10th win in 120th career start
5th win in 68th career start
1st win in 24th career start
How He Won on Sunday:
After opening in 63-69-66, Spieth began with a one-shot lead over playing competitor Boo Weekley, who shot 72, and three clear of Berger.
He mustered seven (of 14) fairways and 12 greens in regulation (GIR), playing his first two holes in 2-under and his final 16 holes in 2-over.
Spieth exchanged bogeys at Nos. 4, 12 (3-putt from 51’9”) and 14, with birdies at 1, 2 and 15, the latter from 16’2”, taking advantage of one of those above-mentioned fortuitous breaks off the tee. His tee ball at the drivable par 4 was hooking toward the water but was stopped just short by the deep rough.
Two holes earlier, at the par-5 13th, Spieth pushed his tee shot right and most certainly was headed to the water, but again, the deep rough saved him, coming to rest on the bank instead.
In the end, the former Texas Longhorn’s stats in Round 4 don’t jump off the page:
SG: Off-the-Tee: -0.641
SG: Approach-the-Green: 0.775
SG: Around-the-Green: 0.582
SG: Putting: -1.635
SG: Tee-to-Green: 0.716
SG: Total: -0.919
Putts: 29
But, he did enough.
Spieth’s Position by Round:
R1: 1st
R2: 1st
R3: 1st
R4: T1
Spieth’s previous three starts on TOUR: T2, DEAN & DELUCA (title defense); T13, Memorial; and T35 last week at the U.S. Open (73-71-76-69).
He is the seventh straight winner on TOUR that checked in off a T35 or worse in their previous start.
The last winner to record a top 10 on TOUR prior to their respective win was Kevin Chappell at the Valero Texas Open (T7, Masters), nine tournaments ago.
Incidentally, Chappell was the most recent player to convert a 54-hole lead (also one shot), so Spieth’s conversion ends a streak of seven straight failures (not including Zurich (team)).
Spieth was the 14th player this season to hold a one-shot lead thru 54 holes and just the third to go on to victory (Chappell, Mackenzie Hughes, RSM)
Final Leaderboard:
P1- Jordan Spieth: 63-69-66-70 (-12)
P2- Daniel Berger: 68-67-66-67 (-12)
T3- Charley Hoffman: 69-67-68-66 (-10)
T3- Danny Lee: 68-67-68-67 (-10)
T5- Patrick Reed: 67-66-72-66 (-9)
T5- Paul Casey: 68-68-66-69 (-9)
T5- Boo Weekley: 66-68-65-72 (-9)
Note: Click on a player link to access their Rotoworld player page and read about their tournament/season performance.
As the 2015 U.S. Open winner, Spieth is already exempt on TOUR thru the 2020-21 season, and had already qualified for this year’s final two majors, the WGC-Bridgestone, and the 2018 SBS Tournament of Champions and 2018 Masters.
With a Strength of Field rating of 348 (up from 328 last year), Spieth banks 52.00 world-ranking points and bumps three places to 3rd in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
He collects 500 FedExCup (FEC) points for the victory and nudges two spots to 4th in the FEC standings.
This was the 66th playing of the Travelers and 27th at TPC River Highlands.
6,841 yards; par 70 (35-35)
Field Scoring Average:
R1: 70.045
R2: 70.824
R3: 70.329
R4: 69.081
Total: 70.199
Spieth and Berger posted 12.279 SG: Total
Spieth’s Weekly Stats (ranking of 74 players):
Birdies: 22 (1st)
Bogeys: 8 (T18)
Double Bogeys: 1 (T30)
Par-3 Scoring: 2.88 (T10)
Par-4 Scoring: 3.77 (1st)
Par-5 Scoring: 5.13 (T69 – last place)
Driving Distance (all drives): 284.0 yards (T38)
Driving Accuracy: 35/56 (T41) at 62.50 percent
GIR: 49/72 (T42) at 68.06 percent
Proximity to hole: 35’5” (T38)
Putts per GIR: 1.633 (3rd)
Total Putts: 109 (T4)
Putts by Round: 27-29-24-29
Scrambling: 15/23 (T19) at 65.22 percent
SG: Off-the-Tee: -1.032 (56th)
SG: Approach-the-Green: 4.966 (7th)
SG: Around-the-Green: 6.042 (2nd)
SG: Putting: 2.302 (30th)
SG: Tee-to-Green: 9.978 (1st)
Daniel Berger: Playing out of the penultimate twosome, the World No. 28 fashioned a 3-under-par 35-32=67 in the final round to match overnight leader Spieth on 12-under 268, and then lost on the first playoff hole, dropping to 0-2 in extra time (2015, Honda Classic).
After kicking off in 68-67-66, the 24-year-old began solo 3rd, three shy. He was going for his second win of the season in 18 events, second in his last three starts, and second after entering the final round three shots back, erasing that deficit at the FedEx St. Jude Classic with 4-under 66.
The Florida State product found nine (of 14) fairways and 12 GIR, scratching out 0.058 SGTTG.
He opened with bogey-5 at the first (failed scramble), but then played his final 17 in blemish-free 4-under, circling Nos. 2, 13, 15 and 17, all from inside of 11 feet.
The Floridian posted 1.750 putts per GIR and 2.023 SG: Putting, buoyed by three par-savers from between seven and 15 feet.
It’s his second straight top 5 at the Travelers in two visits, finishing T5 last year after leading by three thru 54 holes and closing with 74.
Had he won, it would’ve been his third TOUR title in 76 career starts, third in his last 26, but settles for his fourth career runner-up, second this season (WGC-HSBC Champions).
Berger checked in off a missed cut at the U.S. Open (78-75) and a 1st at the FESJC (70-68-66-66). He leaps 10 spots to a career-high 18th in OWGR and four places to 8th in the FEC standings.
Season Comparison:
Berger (age 24):
18 starts
13 made cuts
7 top 25s
5 top 10s
4 top 5s
1 win
Spieth (age 23):
16 starts
13 made cuts
11 top 25s
7 top 10s
6 top 5s (one team top 5)
2 wins (fourth multiple winner: Dustin Johnson x3, Justin Thomas x3, Hideki Matsuyama x2).
Draw:
A total of 85 pros from a field of 156 pros made the 36-hole cut of even-par:
45 (of 77) EARLY/late; 1 WD
40 (of 76) LATE/early; 2 WDs
54-hole cut: 1-over 211: 74 players
13 players finished in the top 10 with NINE of those EARLY/late, but the CHAMPION and runner-up came from the other side:
EARLY/late: Charley Hoffman (T3), Danny Lee (T3), Patrick Reed (T5), Paul Casey (T5), Boo Weekley (T5), Kevin Streelman (T8), Webb Simpson (T8), David Hearn (T8), Keegan Bradley (T8)
LATE/early: Jordan Spieth (P1), Daniel Berger (P2), Troy Merritt (T8), C.T. Pan (T8)
22 tourneys this season with a traditional draw.
WINNERS:
EARLY/late: 16 (72.7%)
LATE/early: 6
Yahoo! Low Rounds:
R1: Jordan Spieth (63)
R2: Anirban Lahiri (63)
R3: C.T. Pan (64)
R4: Rory McIlroy, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Streelman (64)
Weekend Bogey-free Rounds:
R3: C.T. Pan (64), Marc Leishman (68)
R4: Charley Hoffman (66), Mark Hubbard (69)
Leader/co-leaders by Round:
R1: Jordan Spieth. Improves to 2-for-6 as 18-hole leader/co-leader (2015 Masters)
R2: Jordan Spieth: Improves to 5-for-9, including two straight and 5 of his last 6.
R3: Jordan Spieth: Improves to 8-for-13, including three straight and 8 of his last 9.
Field Breakdown:
15 of the Top 50 in OWGR were in the field
5 finished in the top 10:
No. 6 Jordan Spieth (P1); top debutant
No. 16 Paul Casey (T5)
No. 17 Patrick Reed (T5)
No. 28 Daniel Berger (P2)
No. 49 Charley Hoffman (T3)
Others in Top 10:
No. 99 Danny Lee (T3)
No. 390 Boo Weekley (T5)
No. 139 Kevin Streelman (T8)
No. 341 Troy Merritt (T8)
No. 62 Webb Simpson (T8)
No. 221 David Hearn (T8)
No. 120 Keegan Bradley (T8)
No. 160 C.T. Pan (T8); top-rookie finisher
Average world ranking of top-10 finishers: 127th
First-timers and/or Rookies:
First-timers: 33
Top-10 finishes: 1
Jordan Spieth: The champion bags the only top-10 finish of the 33.
TOUR Rookies: 20
Top-10 finishes: 1
C.T. Pan: Making his second appearance (T25/2015), the 25-year-old back-pedaled with an even-par 36-34=70, falling four places into a six-way T8 on 8-under 272 (70-68-64-70).
On six (of 14) fairways and 11 GIR, he cancelled three birdies with three bogeys (failed scrambles), posting -2.492 SG: Around-the-Green and -4.145 SG: Tee-to-Green.
The University of Washington alum did record a tidy 3.226 SG: Putting, buoyed by two circles from between 20 and 24 feet and three par-savers from between six and 10 feet.
This is his third top 25 of the season in 23 starts, all three doubling as top 10s, and second time this season he’s been low rookie (career-best T2, Farmers).
Season Stats:
Consecutive top 10s on TOUR:
Charley Hoffman (T3-8th)
David Hearn (T8-T10)
Consecutive top-10 streaks ended:
Justin Thomas (CUT-T9-T4)
Leaders in Top-10 Finishes:
Justin Thomas (8 in 17 events)
Jordan Spieth (7 in 16 events)
Jon Rahm (7 in 16)
Brian Harman (6 in 22)
Dustin Johnson (6 in 12)
Kevin Kisner (6 in 18)
Rickie Fowler (6 in 13)
Hideki Matsuyama (5 in 15)
Daniel Berger (5 in 18)
Bud Cauley (5 in 21)
Charley Hoffman (5 in 22)
Brooks Koepka (5 in 17)
Paul Casey (5 in 17)
Graham DeLaet (5 in 18)
Pat Perez (5 in 19)
Updated Top 10 in OWGR (this week’s finish):
1. Dustin Johnson (idle)
2. Hideki Matsuyama (idle)
3. Jordan Spieth (P1); UP three
4. Rory McIlroy (T17); DOWN one
5. Jason Day (CUT); DOWN one
6. Sergio Garcia (T2 on Euro Tour); DOWN one
7. Henrik Stenson (T10 on Euro Tour)
8. Alex Noren (idle)
9. Rickie Fowler (idle)
10. Brooks Koepka (idle)
Updated Top 10 in FedExCup standings (points):
1. Dustin Johnson (2,270)
2. Hideki Matsuyama (2,145)
3. Justin Thomas (2,060)
4. Jordan Spieth (1,979); UP two
5. Jon Rahm (1,708); DOWN one
6. Brooks Koepka (1,534); DOWN one
7. Kevin Kisner (1,458)
8. Daniel Berger (1,450); UP four
9. Rickie Fowler (1,429); DOWN one
10. Pat Perez (1,426); DOWN one
Note: Brian Harman (T35), drops from 10th to 11th with 1,420 points.
Season Trends:
18 winners were in their 20s (Spieth’s age: 23)
11 were in their 30s
4 were in their 40s
17 winners had at least one week off prior to their respective wins
13 winners had a top-10 finish the start prior
4 had a missed cut (Mackenzie Hughes, Si Woo Kim, Billy Horschel (x4), and Jason Dufner)
20 of the 31 winners (minus Match Play and team-Zurich) have emerged out of the FINAL group on Sunday, including Spieth.
54-hole leaders/co-leaders performance:
Converted: Hideki Matsuyama (WGC-HSBC), Mackenzie Hughes (RSM Classic), Justin Thomas (SBS TOC), Justin Thomas (Sony), Jordan Spieth (AT&T Pro-Am), Dustin Johnson (Genesis), Rickie Fowler (Honda), Adam Hadwin (Valspar), Sergio Garcia (Masters), Kevin Chappell (VTO), Jordan Spieth (Travelers)
Failed: Patton Kizzire (Safeway), Anirban Lahiri (CIMB), Luke List, Chris Kirk (Sanderson Farms), Lucas Glover (Shriners), Gary Woodland (OHL), Adam Hadwin (CareerBuilder), Patrick Rodgers, Brandt Snedeker (FIO), Byeong Hun An (WMPO), Justin Thomas (WGC-Mexico), Kevin Kisner, Charley Hoffman (API), Chris Stroud (PRO), Sung Kang (SHO), Justin Rose (co-Masters), Jason Dufner (Heritage), Patrick Reed (Wells Fargo), J.B. Holmes, Kyle Stanley (PLAYERS), James Hahn (Byron Nelson), Webb Simpson (DDI), Daniel Summerhays (Memorial), Rafa Cabrera Bello, Stewart Cink, Ben Crane (FESJC), Brian Harman (U.S. Open)
Up Next:
The TOUR heads to Potomac, Maryland, for the 11th playing of the Quicken Loans National, first at the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms (7,107 yards; par 70).
Billy Hurley III won last year’s edition – at Congressional CC – as a sponsor invite and 54-hole leader. He closed with 2-under 69 to beat Hall of Famer Vijay Singh by three shots, good for his first TOUR win in his 104th career start.
Stay tuned to this space for all the latest player news and analysis as the TOUR readies for its 34th tournament of the season (of 47).
