Fleetwood grabs PGA Travelers lead as top-ranked stars fade

New Straits Times

7 days ago

NEW YORK: England's Tommy Fleetwood, seeking his first PGA Tour title, fired a seven-under par 63 to seize a three-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the Travelers Championship.
The 34-year-old Merseysider eagled the par-five 13th for the second consecutive day on the way to standing on 16-under 194 after 54 holes at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
American Russell Henley, who won his fifth career PGA title in March at Bay Hill, matched his career-low PGA round with a bogey-free 61 to share second on 197 with US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, who shot 63.
"It'll come down to a bunch of things really," Fleetwood said. "Being in the last group, I'm really happy with that.
"I'm happy with the work I've done. It's just an amazing opportunity to go out here tomorrow and hopefully it's my time."
World number one Scottie Scheffler, second-ranked Rory McIlroy and world number five Justin Thomas stumbled to fall well back, Scheffler and Thomas having shared the 36-hole lead with Fleetwood.
Paris Olympic runner-up Fleetwood, ranked 17th, has seven DP World Tour wins but none on the PGA despite 41 top-10 finishes.
Fleetwood sank a birdie putt from just inside 13 feet at the third hole and rolled in a 66-foot birdie putt, his season long, at the par-three fifth.
At the par-five sixth, Fleetwood dropped his approach inches from the hole and tapped in for birdie.
Fleetwood made a 19-foot birdie putt at the 10th then eagled 13, sinking a 30-foot putt from just off the green -- "13 has been very kind to me so far. I'd like to keep up with that."
Fleetwood, who had two eagles on the season when the week began, has made three in the past two days and only one bogey this week.
After driving the green at the par-four 15th to set up a a tap-in birdie, Fleetwood closed with three pars.
"It was nice to get off to a good start," Fleetwood said. " Bogey free is always good."
Henley made five birdies on the front nine to move within two of the lead and stayed on Fleetwood's heels most of the day, adding a 14-foot birdie putt at the 12th, a seven-footer for birdie at 13, a four-footer to birdie 14 and a closing birdie from just outside five feet.
"I did everything really well," said Henley. "It was a really solid round, hit a lot of great shots. Hope I can continue to do that."
Bradley, the 2023 Travelers winner, birdied four of the first seven holes, three of his birdie putts from outside 15 feet, and birdied three of the last six holes, a five-footer at the last grabbing a share of second.
"Every one counts because we're going to have to go out and shoot another low one tomorrow," Bradley said.
Defending champion Scheffler struggled on his 29th birthday, making an triple bogey and a double bogey in the same round for the first time in his career in firing a 72 to stand on 203.
Scheffler made his first triple bogey since last August, missing the first green from a nearby bunker, then finding the rough.
Last month's PGA Championship winner found water off the eighth tee on the way to a double bogey.
Thomas, a two-time major winner, took a quadruple-bogey nine at the 13th, losing his tee shot into left rough and needing three shots to escape greenside rough, on the way to shooting 73 to stand on 204.
McIlroy fired a 68 to stand on 203. He birdied four of the first eight holes, his longest putt among them from 11 feet at the fourth, before a double bogey at 12 dropped him back, taking four to reach the green after going long with his approach. - AFP