Written by Paul Hodowanic @PaulHodowanic
CROMWELL, Conn. – The final round of the Travelers Championship is set to be a test of will more than skill.
Thunderstorms delayed the proceedings on Friday and Saturday, and tee times were moved up on Sunday in anticipation of more weather. Most of the field is playing for at least the third consecutive week, following grueling tests at Muirfield Village and Pinehurst No. 2. Whoever emerges from a crowded leaderboard at TPC River Highlands will have aced a proper mental and physical examination.
Tom Kim (18-under) leads by one over Scottie Scheffler and Akshay Bhatia. The fourth round will be played in threesomes, with the final group of Kim, Scheffler and Bhatia teeing off at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Here are five storylines to follow in anticipation of a chaotic Sunday at TPC River Highlands, where anything can happen with numerous players in the mix.
1. Can Scottie make it six?
Scottie Scheffler’s shortcomings are becoming much more interesting than his successes. He struggled at Pinehurst last week and spent the early part of Travelers week explaining why. He wasn’t comfortable with the waste areas and didn’t know where to miss. When he reached the greens, he couldn’t see his lines well on the turtleback slopes. All that added up to an anomaly: Scheffler out of contention.
It appears to be just a one-week blip. Scheffler is 17-under through three rounds, one shot back. He birdied his final four holes to secure a spot in the final group. And that has the Travelers feeling familiar.
Scottie Scheffler's approach to 1 inch sets up birdie at Travelers
We’ve seen this story play out at THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters, and RBC Heritage, where the leaderboard shuffles between top names before one man emerges and makes us believe it was never in doubt at all.
That’s the most likely outcome for Sunday. The betting markets show it and the golfing world feels it. But a lot can still happen in 18 holes.
If Scheffler emerges from the crowd of contenders to claim his sixth win, it’s a significant mile marker in a historic season. The list of players with six wins in a season is short. Since 1983, it’s been done eight times by three people. Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Nick Price are the only ones who have reached this milestone.
Scheffler’s season feels fitting of that company. He’s one round away from securing it.
2. Will Akshay Bhatia and Tom Kim run out of steam?
Worrying about a 22-year-old running out of energy might be a fool’s errand, but Sunday at Travelers presents the circumstances to make that possible.
Bhatia is playing his seventh consecutive week on TOUR; Kim is making his eighth. Both have contended in that time, an extra weight. Now both will play in the final group with Scheffler world No. 1.
Those stakes are enough to suck the energy out of anybody, but Bhatia and Kim might have the track record to withstand it. Bhatia played alongside Scheffler on Saturday, and both shot 65. Bhatia admitted there were nerves on the first tee, but it didn’t show much.
“It’s kind of my first time playing in that many, in front of that many people,” Bhatia said. It was really cool. It was 90 percent Scottie, 10 percent me, which is all right, but it was awesome.”
“I think it's going to get easier from here,” Bhatia added.
Akshay Bhatia goes flag hunting to set up birdie at Travelers
Kim knows the pressure Scheffler can put on you as a competitor, seeing it weekly in Dallas, where they both reside. Playing on Sunday in the final round of a Signature Event will be a different animal, but he’s as comfortable as possible.
Tom Kim's quality tee shot leads to birdie at Travelers
They won’t be allowed any time to settle in – required to make birdies in bunches. You're going backward if you’re making pars at TPC River Highlands.
3. Can Collin Morikawa knock the victory door down?
Consistently contending is more draining mentally than physically. The steps accumulate, but the stress lingers. Morikawa has consistently put himself within earshot of victory this season. He played in the final group on Sunday at the Masters, the PGA Championship and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. He was also in contention at the RBC Heritage and Wells Fargo Championship.
He left each tournament tired and unsatisfied. It’s impressive that Morikawa has continually bounced back from those bouts of disappointment and he’s playing well again this week, currently 15-under, three back of Kim.
The last hurdle to clear is mental, Morikawa said. His swing is finally in a good place. Now, it’s about making the right decisions and being present for every shot. That’s the final differentiator.
“The biggest thing for me if I want to stay in contention is just not letting my mind kind of wander,” Morikawa said. “It's been a long stretch, it's hot, but I want to win and I'm going to stay as sharp as possible.”
Collin Morikawa buries 19-foot birdie at Travelers
Morikawa won the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP last fall, his lone win since August 2021. In the two years prior, Morikawa won five times. The latter pace is what Morikawa expects, but he hasn’t played well enough in the biggest moments.
Morikawa ranks 130th in final round scoring average (70.92) this season. He will need much better than even-par to win the Travelers.
4. Can Cam Young conjure an encore?
Nobody is feeling better entering Sunday than Cameron Young. The American shot 59 on Saturday to vault his way to 13-under, on the fringes of contention. Even better, he didn’t have to wait out the afternoon rain delay.
Every shot from Cameron Young’s 59 at Travelers
They say it’s difficult to follow up a low round with another, but that’s what Young will hope to do. He was thrilled to join the exclusive club of TOUR pros to shoot 59 but acknowledged the accomplishment is fleeting without a victory.
“There's some full tournaments that I probably would rank above it in terms of just like overall achievement,” Young said. “I feel like one day doesn't necessarily warrant like a crowning achievement of a career or -- it's certainly my high of the month. But, I mean, I'm sure I will pretty much try to forget by tomorrow.”
So what will Sunday bring? He won’t forget the 59 if it aids his path to a PGA TOUR victory. That Young has not won yet on TOUR is confounding, given his talent and pedigree. Perhaps the 59 will break that dam.
“If I'm going to have any chance to win I'm sure I would have to shoot another low one,” Young said.
5. Who will charge up and go low?
Young’s 59 enabled him to jump more than 30 spots on the leaderboard. With soft conditions expected Sunday, TPC River Highlands will again be vulnerable to low scores and the leaderboard will be primed for disruption.
Nine players are within four shots of the lead, and 16 are within six, offering chaotic context for the final round.
Xander Schauffele, Sungjae Im, Tony Finau, Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas and Ludvig Åberg are among the chasers. That should offer plenty of theater.
