Jacobsen secures first PGA Tour win with Travelers victory

Swede Frederik Jacobsen secured his first PGA Tour title with a gritty performance to win the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands, Connecticut.

Jacobsen, leading by one shot entering the final round, put together a closing 68 – including his first bogey of the championship – to see off a string of challengers and close out the tournament with a 20-under par winning score, one shot ahead of American duo John Rollins and Ryan Moore who both came home with 63s; Moore missing a 4-foot putt on the last that would have earned him a playoff.

Jacobsen was attempting to win for the first time on the PGA Tour after a career that had brought three European Tour wins, and might have emulated the great Lee Trevino by going bogey-free for the duration of the tournament.

However, he spoilt his run after 63 consecutive par-or-better holes with a bogey at the 10th where he missed a 12-foot putt for par.

Jacobsen had promised his daughter Emmie that he would bring home a trophy this season, and he kept his promise.

“It’s been haunting me,” Jacobson said. “I’ve been on the board, I’ve been asked so many times from the kids, ‘Did you get a trophy this week daddy? Did you get a trophy this week?’ Nope, no trophy. So, I’m excited about that. I’m glad I’m not breaking that promise for her.”

Jacobsen finished T14 last week in the US Open and built on that performance at TPC River Highlands to hit all 28 fairways over the weekend and post an impressive 83.33% Greens In Regulation figure en-route to his win.

19-year old Patrick Cantlay, the amateur who posted a 60 on Friday to take a three-shot lead at halfway finished at 11-under for the weekend after a closing level-par round of 70.

Michael Thompson, a 31-year-old who came out of qualifying school this season, shot the best round of the day, a 62, including a 29 on the back nine. He finished fourth at 18 under.

After getting into a challenging position over the previous three days, the expected charges from tipster picks Webb Simpson and Hunter Mahan – 12-under and 10-under par respectively – never materialised.

Simspon battled back well from 4-over through 10 holes to post a 1-under par 69 and tied for 13th place, while Mahan stumbled to a 2-over par 72 to drop to 8-under par for the event and tied 43rd.

The third member of the tipster trio, Zach Johnson posted a closing 66 to share 24th on 11-under par, alongside Cantlay and Ian Poulter amongst others.

Jacobsen’s win earned him $1.08million and 500 FedEx Cup points. Plus his win means that one-third of PGA Tour events this season has been won by a first-time Tour winner. His winning 260 also set the lowest winning score on the Tour in 2011 – the previous best was 264, carded by Mark Wilson in the Sony Open.

Jacobsen in charge in Travelers Championship

US-based Swede Frederik Jacobsen carded a third-successive bogey free round to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands, Connecticut.

Jacobsen, who has three European Tour successes, pulled off a series of par-saves mixed with birdies to put together a 7-under par 63, including a 30-foot birdie putt on the last to add to his earlier rounds of 65-66 as he seeks his first PGA Tour win.

Amateur Patrick Cantlay had taken the halfway lead after a second round 60, but playing in the final group, he had trouble keeping the momentum going, and bogeyed his last two holes for a 2-over par 72 to drop into a tie for 10th place on 11-under par.

Bryce Molder matched Jacobsen all the way, and the American is just one behind. After mirroring the Swedes earlier rounds of 65-66, Molder shot a third round 64 as he – like Jacobsen – seeks to chalk up a first win on the Tour.

Behind Molder, however, challengers were stacking up. James Driscoll moved into third place after a 64 while six players shared 12-under, a further shot behind.

Among that group is tipster pick Webb Simpson who, despite three bogeys, still chalked up a round of 67. Joining him on 12-under par were fellow Americans Ryan Moore, John Rollins, Blake Adams and Ryder Cup star Nick Watney, as well as Argentinian Andres Romero.

Jacobson is trying to become the first player since Lee Trevino in the 1974 Greater New Orleans Open to play 72 holes without a bogey.

There’ll be no successful title defence from Bubba Watson, however, as the big-hitting left-hander could only card a level-par 70 to drop a full 10 shots off the lead. Afterwards, Bubba admitted he wasn’t playing as well as he can.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever checked the record books, but no one has ever won every tournament,” he said. “I’m not making the putts. I’m not hitting good iron shots when I need them.”

After two days of rain and drizzle, officials elected to play the third round in groups of three and it worked as all the players were able to finish their third rounds and get the tournament back on schedule for a Sunday finish.

While Webb Simpson spearheads the tipster challenge, fellow pick Hunter Mahan put together a 63 on the morning and backed it up with a 66 to move to 10-under par, while Zach Johnson struggled for birdies en-route to a 70 and a 7-under par total.

Course record 60 for amateur Cantlay yields 4-shot lead

The second day’s play of the Travelers Championship was suspended again, but this time only for darkness after a long, gruelling day saw many of the field complete their first rounds and begin their second rounds after day one was reduced to a washout following torrential rain.

At the end of the second day, US amateur Patrick Cantlay was four shots clear of the field after turning in a blistering second round 60 – 10-under par – to post a 13-under total. Cantlay had finished as the top amateur last week at the US Open and the 19-year old’s course record followed him finishing his first round earlier in the day, where he shot 67. His round of 60 was also the lowest PGA Tour ever by an amateur.

Indeed, an eagle on the last would have given him 59; but from 150 yards, his third shot came to rest just two feet from the pin for a tap-in birdie – his eighth of the day, in addition to an eagle at the 13th hole.

Four shots back were American trio D.J Trahan, Vaughn Taylor and tipster pick Webb Simpson who played 36-holes on Friday. After opening with a 66, Simpson went one better in his second round and carded 65 to close on 9-under par. Also on 9-under par were Brazilian Alexandre Rocha and Argentinian Andres Romero, although Romero had only played 5 holes of his second round before darkness forced him off the course.

After the torrential and persistent rains of Thursday, the weather was much more amenable on day two and players encountered perfect scoring conditions with little wind and rain-softened, receptive greens. Preferred lies were in operation and players were allowed to lift and clean their golf balls hit into the fairway.

As a result, the cutline was expected to fall around the -3 mark. Seventy-seven players are scheduled to complete the second round Saturday before the commencement of the third round, as officials battle to finish the event on Schedule on Sunday.

England’s Brian Davis was amongst a group of players on 8-under, while another nine players were a further stroke behind.

Former US Masters champion and Webb Simpson’s fellow tipster pick, Zach Johnson was level par through seven holes before coming off the course. He had finished his first round at 5-under par, while Hunter Mahan was 1-under for the day and level-par overall.

Should Cantlay go on to win, he would become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson won the 1991 Northern Telecom Open. He would then have to decide within 60 days whether to accept a spot on the Tour and the two-year exemption that accompanies it.

“I’m going to stay amateur definitely for the Walker Cup, and my plan is to stay amateur until I finish college,” he said. Cantlay finishes college in September.

Bradley leads washed-out Travelers Championship

Heavy and persistent rain washed out much of the first day’s play at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands, Connecticut.

Some play did manage to take place before play was suspended, and it was Michael Bradley who held the overall lead before being forced off the course with two holes to play. Bradley was six under before play was halted at 11.30am after half-an-inch of rain had fallen since the tournament had got underway.

Almost half the field didn’t even make it onto the first tee before play was halted, and only two groups managed to complete their first 18 holes. Of those six, Kris Blanks carded a 2-under par 68.

Leader Bradley was in scintillating form during the time he had spent on course, and posted six birdies in eight holes to follow an earlier gain at the second hole and a bogey at the fourth to take a one-shot lead over countrymen Chris Couch, Bryce Molder John Rollins and Bo Van Pelt, and Fijian Vijay Singh.

Former US Masters champion and tipster selection Zach Johnson was among a group one shot further back on 4-under par which also included Ben Crane and Nick Watney. After starting from the 10th and dropping a shot at the 11th hole, Johnson ran up five consecutive birdies from the next before adding another gain at the 18th to get to 5-under par, but dropped a shot on the 4th – his 13th hole. He parred the next hole before having to come off the course.

Johnson’s playing partner and fellow tipster pick Hunter Mahan was 2-over par, but the third member of the trio – Webb Simpson – was among the players yet to start before the rain delay.

Padraig Harrington was 1-over par through 14 holes, while defending champion Bubba Watson had yet to tee off.

Officials had hoped for some late play and reopened the driving range late in the afternoon. Groundstaff battled to clear bunkers of water and used squeegees on fairways in an attempt to get the course playable again, but a further heavy shower just before play was due to resume scuppered any notion of further play and the day was abandoned.

Officials now hope to restart play and to conclude the first round from early Friday morning but with more rain forecast, the event might struggle to reach a Sunday finish as scheduled.

Perhaps ironically, the logo for the Travelers Championship is an umbrella!

Travelers Championship Betting Preview

The PGA Tour leaves Maryland behind and heads to Connecticut and TPC River Highlands for this week’s event, the Travelers Championship. Unsurprisingly, last week’s US Open winner Rory McIlroy isn’t among the field and instead headed home to Northern Ireland to celebrate his success.

TPC River Highlands is a short layout by PGA Tour standards measuring at less than 7,000 yards and the longer players off the tee tend to do well here. Last year’s winner Bubba Watson emphasised that trend, although he had to do it in a playoff against Scott Verplank – not renowned for distance from the tee.

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