Eagle puts Jonas Blixt in lead as Na shoots 62

Brooks Koepka said he doesn’t consider Rory McIlroy to be a rival because the Northern Irishman hasn’t won a major championship since Koepka’s first full-time season on Tour in 2014.

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Rob Bolton lists five against-the-grain fantasy selections for this week’s event at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. John Huh … He’s performed his best on harder tracks where keeping one’s ball in play is at a premium. A T9 at Copperhead and a T22 at TPC San Antonio not only present evidence of that, those are also his top two results of 2017. While there’s an element of his game that suggests he doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well, it cannot be denied that he leads the PGA TOUR in scrambling. Within that angle, he ranks second (behind Sergio Garcia) in scrambling from inside 10 yards. Since TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm stretches just 7,107 yards and boasts smaller greens, Huh’s is a valuable skillset this week. David Hearn … Arrives having connected top 10s for the first time since he opened what was then known as the Fall Series in his rookie season of 2011 with a pair. With a T10 at TPC Southwind and a T8 at TPC River Highlands, the 38-year-old climbed from outside the top 150 in the FedExCup standings to his current slot at 122nd. Obviously not yet safe to plan for a Playoffs berth and to retain his card, he’ll be counting on the sum of his parts to carry him forward again this week. In each of his last two starts, he ranked inside the top 25 in the field in total driving, greens in regulation and scrambling. James Hahn … Closed out his last start at Muirfield Village like a boss with a third-round 65 that featured a pair of five-birdie bursts and a final-round 69 during which he walked off birdie-birdie. Finished that week seventh in birdies-or-better percentage but also T6 in scrambling. That latter performance was his best in relation to any field all season. His previous mark occurred just over a month ago at the AT&T Byron Nelson (T13 in scrambling) where he finished alone in third place. It’s also the safety net that will come in handy around TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms where he placed T36 in the Web.com Tour stop in 2012, but his tee-to-green game remains his most reliable asset. Sung Kang … It doesn’t hurt that he tied for sixth in the Web.com Tour event contested at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in 2013, but it’s not primary reason he’s included in this group. Rather, the 30-year-old has been a fixture on both weekends and on the minds of fans in recent months. Since a T12 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he’s 13-for-16 with six top 25s. He arrives at the Quicken Loans National with a modest consecutive cuts made streak of six in tow. Most comfortable on greens, but he’s turned a corner this season with his tee-to-green proficiency. Matt Jones … This close to keeping his head above water despite the challenge of procuring playing time on conditional status. The Aussie is 132nd in the FedExCup standings, but if he sat higher in the pecking order, he’d likely be coasting along. Five of his nine cuts made in only 13 starts have gone for a top 25, including a T18 in his last at TPC Southwind. Ranks 46th in adjusted scoring and 11th in scrambling.

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The Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands is the first event on the revised PGA TOUR schedule that will take place in its original spot on the calendar. The longtime TOUR event will feature a stout field that includes the top five golfers in the world and defending champion Chez Reavie. FIELD NOTES: Sungjae Im looks to extend his FedExCup lead while all of the top 10 in the FedExCup standings are set to play at TPC River Highlands… Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, and Dustin Johnson, the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking, will be in a PGA TOUR field for the third straight week… Phil Mickelson, who won back-to-back Travelers in 2001 and 2002, will play his first event as a 50-year-old… TOUR winners Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff return to the site of their professional debuts in 2019… Sahith Theegala, the winner of this year’s Haskins Award as the top player in college golf, was given an exemption and will play his first PGA TOUR event as a pro. He previously finished T49 in the 2017 Genesis Invitational and missed the cut in the 2017 U.S. Open… Fellow collegiate star Peter Kuest of BYU will also debut as a pro… Recent Travelers champions Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Russell Knox, Kevin Streelman, and Marc Leishman join Reavie in the field. FEDEXCUP: Winner gets 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: TPC River Highlands, 6,841 yards, par 70. This year marks the 37th for River Highlands as a PGA TOUR host. Pete Dye redesigned the course to TPC standards in the early 1980’s. It was renamed ‘TPC River Highlands’ after further remodeling in 1989, completed by Bobby Weed and in consultation with TOUR pros Roger Maltbie and Howard Twitty. STORYLINES: Bubba Watson looks to join Billy Casper as the only four-time winner of the Travelers. Watson won in 2010, 2015, and 2018… Phil Mickelson took the RBC Heritage off as he turned 50 on June 16th but will play his first event since becoming eligible for PGA TOUR Champions. Mickelson returned to TPC River Highlands in 2019 after a 15-year absence… TPC River Highlands has been home to some low scoring in the past including Jim Furyk’s 58 (in 2016) and Patrick Cantlay’s 60 (in 2011, the low score in PGA TOUR history by an amateur). 72-HOLE RECORD: 258, Kenny Perry (2009). 18-HOLE RECORD: 58, Jim Furyk (4th round, 2016). LAST TIME: Chez Reavie won by four shots over Zack Sucher and Keegan Bradley to end an 11-year winless drought on TOUR. Sucher was the feel-good story all week after gaining entry into the event via the alternate list. He was on the path to recovery after a near career-ending injury and nearly doubled his career earnings after he tied for second. After a 5-under 65 Sunday, Vaughn Taylor moved into solo fourth, while Paul Casey, Kevin Tway, and Joaquin Niemann finished T5. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups), Saturday-Sunday 7:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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