Birdies help keep Bradley in front at Travelers Championship

Keegan Bradley had six birdies and no bogeys on Saturday at the Travelers Championship.

CROMWELL, June 24, 2023 – Making birdies has kept Keegan Bradley in the lead at the Travelers Championship tournament at TPC-River Highlands.

Bradley and Chad Reavie dueled it out in a threesome on Saturday, combining to sink 13 birdies. Bradley shot a four-under-par 64 to take a one stroke lead after three rounds. Reavie, the 2019 tournament champion, shot a five-under-par 63 and trails Bradley by a stroke. A costly bogey on 16 cost Reavie a share of the lead.

As they did in 2019, Bradley and Reavie will play together in the final twosome. Four years ago, it was Reavie with a big lead after three rounds and he held off a surging Bradley to win the Travelers Championship.

Patrick Cantlay had nine birdies to shoot a 61 and pull within five shots of Bradley. Cantlay had birdies on five of the last seven holes on the back nine including 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17.

Rickie Fowler had a career-low of 60 on Saturday to move to -15, six shots off the pace. Fowler had eight birdies and a pair of eagles. Justin Thomas is also making a late surge at -14. Thomas struggled on the first day of the tournament with a two-over-par 70 but responded with consecutive rounds of 64 and 62, respectively.

“I made some nice shots, some nice putts,” Bradley said. ”I’m proud of the way I played.

“I’ve wanted to win this tournament forever, so the feeling of wanting to push and win is something I need to fight against and just let myself go out and play,” he said. It is Bradley’s 13th consecutive appearance in the tournament, the only PGA event in New England this season.

Russell Knox sinks a a putt at 17 in Saturday’s Travelers Champonship.

Bradley birdied three of the last five holes with birdies at 13, 15 and 16. He had the lead for much of the third round before Reavie took it from him and gave it away with his bogey at 16.

“Chez started to make a lot of birdies and there was a moment there where I could have gotten one, two, three back,” Bradley said. “Then all of a sudden, I had that putt to go two ahead, maybe even three if Chez missed that putt (on 16). He doesn’t miss those putts.

“And then I hit a great putt (for par) on 17 and I hit a great putt on 18 (to again save par),” he said.

Added Reavie, “You’ve got to make birdies and eagles tomorrow to win this golf tournament.”

Bradley’s 21 under par score is a new tournament record after 54 holes. The previous mark was 18 under set by Brendan Todd in 2020 during the pandemic with no fans on the course. The four-round record at TPC-River Highlands is 22 under set by Kenny Perry in 2009.

Cantlay once shot a 60 in this tournament as an 19-year-old amateur in 2011. He nearly did it again on Saturday but finished with a 61.

“I made all the momentum saves that I needed to,” Cantlay said. “Got up and down on 4 after hitting a poor iron shot and turned around and birdied next hole; and then had a tough up and down on 6 and got that up and down for birdie. At this place if you can get all your balls up and down and drive the ball in the fairway a lot you can make a bunch of birdies.”

The start of the third round was delayed by early-morning rain that certainly softened up the course. But it didn’t stop the fans from coming and rooting on their favorites.

“The crowds are always great here, and then I was surprised how many people were out this morning with the weather and the rain and stuff,” Fowler said. “But it was nice that rain decided to hold off after we got through our first hole.

“Yeah, we definitely had a good crowd, good energy. With (Justin Thomas) playing well in front of me and continuing to kind of move up the board, especially the last three, four holes, seemed like more and more people came out which was great.”

Travelers Championship
At Cromwell
Leaders after third round

2023 Travelers Championship results