The PGA Tour continued this weekend with the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Things were set up for a competitive Sunday round.
Brendon Todd entered the day with a 2-stroke lead over Dustin Johnson, but that quickly went away. Todd had an even front nine, then went 5 over par on the back. He dropped, ending up finishing tied for 11th.
Dustin Johnson stayed the course and finished with a final round of 67 (-3), which was good enough to win the tournament. He was -19 for the weekend, just a 1-stroke victory over Kevin Streelman who was at -18.
“I’ve had a few missed cuts, so to come back and finish a solo second is nice. But to be that close and perform and be right there, I’m just a little disappointed right now,” Streelman said.
But the weekend went to Dustin Johnson. He secured his 13th straight season with a win on the tour. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus both won 17 consecutive years, so he will be chasing that number.
“I’m definitely proud of myself for continuing the streak, and I want to keep it going,” Johnson said. “It was a long time between wins, though, and so hopefully it won’t be that long for the next one.”
Johnson was able to get out of trouble several times, including one shot that was inches from the water hazard. This win ended one of his longer droughts since being on tour but, nevertheless, he managed to win his 21st PGA Tour title. This will be good for momentum as they enter a stretch with many majors to play.
Phil and Rory
Phil Mickelson had a strong first two days, shooting a 64 on Thursday and 63 on Friday. However, he didn’t carry that play into the weekend. He finished shooting a 71 on each of the last two days.
This was Mickelson’s first golf tournament since turning 50-years-old.
“I’m looking at this week as progress,” he said. “Certainly, the goal is to win golf tournaments, but keep in mind I’ve missed a bunch of cuts. I haven’t played to the level I’ve wanted to, and this week I came in and had a lot of great finds. I hit a lot of good shots, hit a lot of good tee shots. My misses were much better.”
The top-ranked golfer in the world, Rory McIlroy, stayed in contention most of the week, finishing tied for 11th at -13. He was coming in at -15 but ended up with a double bogey on the 17th hole.
COVID-19
There were some issues this weekend with coronavirus that the PGA had to handle. Seven players had to withdraw for positive COVID-19 tests.
Since some of those players were on the course before testing positive, there are going to be some changes made to the protocols. Players, caddies, and other essential personnel will have to test negative before entering the grounds of the golf club.
These new rules will begin this upcoming weekend in Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
