Scottie Scheffler continued his white hot 2024 season on Sunday winning the Travelers Championship, the final Signature Event of the 2024 PGA Tour Season. The title, his sixth of the season, makes him the fourth to win 6x on Tour in the last 40 years joining Tiger Woods (6x), Vijay Singh and Nick Price. He is the first golfer to win 6x on the Tour prior to July 1st since Arnold Palmer accomplished the feat in 1962.

Scheffler’s win concluded a dramatic week that saw Cameron Young on Saturday become the 13th player in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59 in competition in a round where he eagled 2 par 4’s. Young started his final round making birdie on his first four holes. Tom Hoge made 8 birdies on Sunday to finish solo 3rd. At one point on the back nine 5 golfers were tied for the lead. Rounds 2 and 3 saw lengthy weather delays with 3 spectators injured by lightning on Saturday. Tom Kim, who turned 22 on Friday, led the field at the end of each of the first three rounds and found himself on the 18th green one stroke behind Scheffler needing a birdie to force a playoff.

Protestors Delay the 72nd Hole

Things turned chaotic on the 18th green as Scheffler, Kim and Ashkay Bhatia were lining up their putts. Six members of a radical environmental group, Extinction Rebellion NYC, stormed the course from various directions. The protestors ran thru a bunker and onto the green throwing paint onto the green surface. Officers of the Cromwell Police Department quickly tackled and subdued each of the intruders.

While it is difficult to know what was going through Scheffler’s head as he saw all the police running onto the course in his general direction, Bhatia was very specific about his reaction. “I was scared for my life. I didn’t even really know what was happening. I was in shock and my heart rate was high. It got low and then once that kind of happened I was just freaked out, I just tried [to] get over where everyone was.”

As a result of the paint on the green, Bhatia with the assistance of a Rules Official had to relocate his mark to an area where the paint was not in his line of play. A birdie would have made him solo 4th. He two putted to finish T-5.

Scheffler putting from the right fringe missed his birdie opportunity, tapped in for par and awaited Kim’s birdie try. Kim rolled his uphill 9 footer and confidently walked it into the cup for a tying birdie.

Advertisement

Due to the damage caused by the environmental extremists, the Tournament Committee decided to move the hole location to the front right of the green, just over a bunker. In an almost anti-climactic finish, on the 73 hole Scottie reached the green in two while Kim came up short finding himself with a buried lie in the bunker. His bunker shot ended well past the hole and he wasn’t able to complete the up and down for par. Scheffler easily 2 putted to take home his sixth trophy this year.

Advertisement

Sectional qualifying day for the US Open, often referred to as “Golf’s Longest Day,” never disappoints for providing drama and great highs and lows. The 2024 iteration lived up to the hype. We saw the longest majors played streak potentially come to an end. Amateurs beating PGA Tournament winners and LIV stars. Pros who have toiled on mini-tours for years finally earning a ticket to shine on golf’s biggest stage.

Yesterday’s Sectional Qualifiers took place at 10 sites throughout the US and Canada. There were a total of 672 competing for 44 spots in the field at Pinehurst. The number of qualifiers per site varied by the strength of the field as determined by the USGA.

Adam Scott’s 91 Consecutive Major Streak in Jeopardy

Ranked 60th in the world and not in the field this week for the Memorial (any golfer ranked in the top 60 at the completion of this week’s tournaments not otherwise in the field is given an invitation), Adam Scott teed it up at Springfield Country Club in Ohio as one of 64 players competing for four spots. Scott finished at 7 under in a tie with fellow Aussie Cam Davis (ranked 66th) for the fourth and final qualifying spot. Scott chipped in for birdie on the first playoff hole only to watch Davis roll in a putt for birdie to keep the playoff going. Davis defeated his childhood hero to take the final spot. Scott’s streak that began in 2001 may end unless he somehow remains in the top 60 of the world ranking or makes it into the field as an alternate.

LIV Golf League Disappoints

19 LIV Golf League members attempted to qualify for Pinehurst. Only 3 succeeded. Dean Burmester qualified in Florida and David Puig earned medalist honors at Lake Merced in California. Recently touted as “the best golfer in the world” Joaquin Niemann finished one stroke off the pace and was defeated by 3 amateurs at the Bear Club in Florida.

Higgs Continues His Hot Play

Harry Higgs won the final the final spot at the Duke University Course. In a playoff. This continues his run that began with Monday qualifying into a Korn Ferry Tour event that he went on to win in a playoff. He followed that win with a second consecutive playoff win on the KFT before earning his place in the field at Pinehurst.

Dreams Realized

A number of NCAA students were among those who achieved their dream of entry into the US Open. Among those was FSU standout Luke Clanton who earned one of the 7 spots available in Florida. “Making the first US Open is pretty sweet. I’m pretty excited.”

“Its about damn time.” The emotional words of John Chin who will be playing in his first major next week. “The last couple of years have been a grind. I’m super excited and happy.”

One of the more interesting amateurs who earned their way into the championship is Colin Prater, a high school teacher and golf coach from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Prater was an All-American in college who chose not to pursue a professional golf career and instead was drawn to teaching and coaching high school students.

Advertisement

The asterisk isn’t because Talor Gooch was not given a special invitation by the United States Golf Association. It is not because world #1 Nelly Korda failed to make the cut after taking a disastrous 10 on the par 3 12th early Thursday. Rather, Asterisk Talley is this week’s teenager shining on the big stage of professional golf.

With rounds of 70 and 71, the 15-year-old enters the weekend sitting T-5, just 5 shots off the lead held by Thai golfer Wichanee Meechai. Asterisk (“little starr” in Greek) earned her spot in the field by shooting 5 under in the Fresno, California qualifier. (One of only 2 spots available). Earlier this season, she finished 8th in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and, along with Sarah Lim, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.

The 15 year old high school freshman has been both a pleasure to watch on the course and has been the darling of the press tent. She has answered every question directly, usually with a smile on her face. Her goal this week was initially “to make the cut.” After her one over second round on Friday that goal shifted to “being low amateur, a goal I think I can still obtain.” Asterisk, when asked her thoughts on the experience at her first major, “I’m having the best time of my life.” In a week where 29 year old Lexi Thompson has likely played her last round in her 18th U.S. Women’s Open, Asterisk will hopefully take the advice that Lexi would have told her 12 year old self, “always have fun. Remember its just a game and enjoy all the moments.”

“I Shot 68”

During the 2nd round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s UNC Health Championship, Kevin Velo followed up a first round 1 over 71 with a 2 under 68. Below is his second round scorecard: