Tom Kim clings to a 1-shot lead over Scheffler and Bhatia in rain-delayed Travelers
Scottie Scheffler reacts after missing a putt on the 12th green during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Cromwell,
Scottie Scheffler hits from the 13th tee during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Saturday, June 22, 2024,
Tom Kim lines up a shot on the 12th green during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Cromwell,
Tom Kim made enough birdies on a soft, vulnerable course to stay in front Saturday in the rain-delayed Travelers Championship, getting up-and-down for par on the last hole in near darkness for a 5-under 65 and a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and Akshay Bhatia.
The tone of this pitch-and-putt day at the TPC River Highlands was set long before thunderstorms halted play for nearly three hours. Cameron Young shot 59, the 13th sub-60 round on the PGA Tour and first in nearly four years.
And then the rain made it even softer, and the wind subsided late in the evening as Kim, Scheffler and Xander Schauffele raced to beat darkness.
Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player coming off a rare pedestrian performance at the U.S. Open, was slowed by a pair of soft bogeys — his putter from fringe on No. 11, a bad drive into mangled weeds on No. 14 — and answered with four straight birdies.
“I was pretty frustrated after that bogey on 14, felt like I was putting myself out of the tournament,” Scheffler said. “So it was nice to bounce back and finish it the way I did.”
His wedge on the 18th rolled back within an inch of the cup, which he tapped in for 64. He played with Bhatia, who has two PGA Tour titles in the last 12 months. He poured in a 25-foot birdie putt to match Scheffler at 64.