Tommy Fleetwood played flawlessly, avoiding the mistakes that plagued Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas on Saturday. He capitalized on favorable scoring conditions to post a remarkable 7-under 63, leading by three strokes as he heads into the final round of the Travelers Championship.
Fleetwood, who has consistently ranked among the top 25 players for two years, aims to secure his first PGA Tour title, enhancing his impressive credentials, which include seven European Tour victories and three appearances in the Ryder Cup.
Challenging Fleetwood during the hot conditions at TPC River Highlands are New England’s own Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (63) and Russell Henley, who matched his career-best score of 61 the day after imposing a penalty on himself, despite uncertainty.
Fleetwood, Bradley, and Henley will form the final group on Sunday, following the PGA Tour’s decision to implement a split tee start for the final round due to weather considerations in Connecticut. Notably absent from this group are Scheffler and Thomas, both of whom were tied for the lead after 36 holes.
Scheffler, experiencing a disappointing 29th birthday, struggled early, hitting a triple bogey right off the bat—a first in his PGA Tour career. He never recovered and finished with a 72, marking the fifth time this season that he’s ended up over par, putting him nine shots off the leaderboard.
Thomas, a victor earlier this season at Hilton Head, was still within reach of Fleetwood until an unexpected mishap on the par-5 13th led to a quadruple bogey 9. He concluded the round with a 73, leaving him ten strokes behind the leader.
Despite the lack of wind, the course played to an average of about 68, with the final group of Scheffler and Thomas finishing at 5-over par. Fleetwood demonstrated excellent control and did not realize until after his round that he had not missed a single fairway, a critical component in setting up his birdie opportunities. His eagle on the 13th hole, his third of the week, enabled him to pull ahead of his nearest competitors.
At 16-under 194, Fleetwood holds his largest lead ever in a PGA Tour event, with a significant 20 out of 22 players leading by three or more strokes in the last two seasons going on to win. Desiring a PGA Tour victory, Fleetwood remarked humorously about his status among winless players on various stats, acknowledging his excitement for this opportunity.
