Scottie Scheffler cards 59 at THE NORTHERN TRUST

CROMWELL, Conn. – Bubba Watson didn’t like the attitude he displayed during the first three days of this week’s Travelers Championship. He was miserable about his opening even-par 70, feeling he gave away too many shots due to mental mistakes on a TPC River Highlands course that has treated him so well. Not even a second-round 63, a score that allowed him to make the cut, was enough to cheer his spirits. “Even that day, I was upset,â€� he said. So on Saturday night after his third-round 67 that wasn’t nearly as productive as he hoped, he sent caddie Ted Scott a voice text – “I can’t spell, so I voice text,â€� Watson said – to apologize. Bubba said his attitude needed to be better. Scott texted back and told Watson not to worry, to just keep his head down and move forward. “You’re playing great,â€� Scott told him. “Let’s just have fun out there tomorrow and see what happens.â€� Indeed, Bubba and his caddie had plenty of fun Sunday. Starting the day six-shots behind leader Paul Casey, Watson posted his second 63 of the week to zoom past the Englishman to win his third Travelers title. It’s also his third win of the PGA TOUR season, the most of any player as he climbs to third in the FedExCup standings. Of course, Watson needed help, specifically from Casey, who started his round with a four-shot lead but fought his swing all day and made just one birdie, on the opening hole. Casey’s 2-over 72 opened the door for someone to make a move. No surprise that it was Watson, whose second Travelers title in 2015 also came at Casey’s expense in a playoff. “I didn’t get it taken care of today,â€� Casey said. “Credit to his great play. I would have loved to have won outright or at least have another go at him in a playoff would have been nice. But not to be.â€� Watson had made up just two shots on Casey at the turn, but a hole-out from the greenside rough at the 10th started turning things serious. When he reached the 16th tee box, Watson – playing four groups ahead — had caught Casey. Still, the outcome remained in doubt when Watson stood over his approach on the 18th fairway, a downwind, tight lie from 77 yards. It was difficult to get any spin on his shot, but Watson found a way, setting up a 3-foot birdie that sealed the deal. Scott put his arm around Watson and simply said, “Amazing shot.â€� Watson’s first Travelers win – and the first of his TOUR career – came in 2010. Since then, he and wife Angie have adopted two kids, Caleb and Dakota. He’s won two majors and now has 12 career wins. Things have changed. Big, positive changes. But his growth as a person continues. Perhaps the apology to Scott on Saturday night is one small indication of that. “Our joke as a team is I’ve changed more than anybody in the world from when I got on TOUR to now,â€� Watson said. “You know, it’s just growing up. We’re going to make mistakes. I’m going to three-putt, I’m going to duff chips. I’m going to do a lot of things on the golf course bad and off the golf course bad and I’m going to have to apologize. Like I said earlier, I’m the fastest to apologize. “I’ve got two kids now. They’re watching me. They’re going to see. They’re going to find out YouTube at some point. They’re going to see old videos and hear things. … It’s a learning curve for me, but it’s also helping me. It’s helping me grow. I’ve been able to grow as a person and as a man.â€� He’s certainly grown as a player. Three wins and counting this season. And if he has to apologize for something along the way, no worries. Even that works out pretty well. NOTABLES Stewart Cink’s wife Lisa, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, has been traveling with her husband quite a bit this season. But she wasn’t in town earlier this week, arriving only this weekend. Cink said the difference was palpable – he started Sunday feeling very peaceful. “I just felt like I had a good vibe out there from the get-go,â€� he said. Cink birdied six of his first seven holes en route to an 8-under 62 that ties his career low score on TOUR. His 10 birdies, meanwhile, was his most in any round, as he finished tied for second. “I never really thought I had the chance to win the tournament,â€� said Cink, a two-time Travelers winner, “but I knew my position gave me a chance to really shoot up and pass a lot of guys today, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen.â€� Rory McIlroy ranked first this week in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. But after finishing his tournament at 11 under and a tie for 12th, McIlroy wasn’t entirely happy with his swing this week. “I wasn’t really in control of my golf ball much,â€� McIlroy said after finishing with a 3-under 67. “My iron play especially … it just didn’t feel that comfortable.â€� He did say he was happy with the new driver he put into his bag this week. Defending champ Jordan Spieth opened with a 63 to share the first-round lead but was a non-factor the rest of the week. He was 3 over for the final three rounds to finish T-42. Originally planning to take the next three weeks off before defending his title at the Open Championship, Spieth said he now may add a start to his schedule (although he will take next week off). “I don’t feel like I have to, but it certainly could help,â€� he said. Brooks Koepka admitted this week he was exhausted after winning his second straight U.S. Open, but he played well Sunday, shooting a 65 to finish T-19. He’ll put away the clubs for the next few days but it doesn’t sound like he’ll get much rest. He’s hanging out in Boston with a bunch of friends this week, then heads back to his Florida home for a night, then off to a bachelor party for a friend. “I was really hoping to get some rest, but I don’t know how much that will happen.â€� He said. Chase Seiffert finished T-9 after a final-round 64 – a huge result for the Monday qualifier who has no status on any TOUR. It means he’s automatically in the field for A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. “I was telling my instructor and caddie David there, today is my Monday qualifier for The Greenbrier,â€� Seiffert said. “If I play well today, I can kind of get myself in, so I went out that and tried to attack.â€� He’s the fourth Monday qualifier to finish in the top 10 this season. QUOTABLES I wasn’t thinking about victory today. I was just playing golf. I fought my golf swing all day.I thought about 59. SUPERLATIVES Lowest round: Stewart Cink’s 8-under 62. Longest drive: Rory McIlroy’s 381-yard tee shot at the par-4 seventh. Longest putt: Brett Stegmaier’s putt from 44 feet, 1 inch for birdie at the par-4 ninth. Hardest hole: The 171-yard par-3 16th played to a stroke average of 3.135, with 12 birdies against 17 bogeys, 1 double and 1 other. Easiest hole: The 574-yard par-5 sixth played to a stroke average of 4.689, with 1 eagle and 28 birdies against just five bogeys and 1 double. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of next week’s Quicken Loans Invitational, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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Michael Thompson … Look no further than the 34-year-old for evidence of how Golf Club of Houston rewards all styles of attack. In 2017, he finished a personal-best T12 by ranking second in Strokes Gained: Putting. He converted all 62 attempts inside 10 feet in leading the field in one-putt percentage. The following year, he paced the field in greens in regulation, missing only nine all week. A classically strong up-and-down game landed him second in scrambling; the aggregate effort planted him T14 on the leaderboard. While he placed T23 two weeks ago at Silverado, his fit is as a horse in Houston. Doc Redman … While other 21-year-olds have taken the PGA TOUR by storm, especially with a flawlessness with the putter that defies conventional wisdom given the challenge of reading greens on this stage, he’s taken the conventional on-ramp to the learning curve as a ball-striker. Currently 22nd in total driving, 25th in greens hit, T14 in proximity to the hole and 37th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, that strength is rewarded in Houston. And he’s already 3-for-4 on the season with one top 25 and 12 (of 14) rounds under par. Zach Sucher … Six months ago, if you’d have asked him if he foresaw even as high as conditional status on the PGA TOUR this season, he likely would have been pleased with it. Now that he has it, he’s put it to good use in the tournaments into which he’s gained entry. With a T24 at Greenbrier and a T18 in Mississippi, he’s 44th in the FedExCup, but Golf Club of Houston presents perhaps his best fit as a tee-to-green talent. Xinjun Zhang … After riding two wins and another three podium finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour to the top spot in earnings during the regular season, he made no noise during the Finals and surrendered his lead to tumble into the reshuffle in his return to the PGA TOUR. No matter now, though. After a slow start, he went T7-T16 at Safeway and the Shriners to climb to 21st in the FedExCup standings. He arrived in Houston with an active streak of eight red numbers and he ranks T41 in greens in regulation and 25th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. Peter Uihlein … Didn’t get the job done during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals where he settled for 35th of those chasing the last 25 cards, but he’s opened the PGA TOUR season by going 3-for-3 with one top 25 on conditional status. Golf Club of Houston can benefit his average approach game, but he’ll need to bring his A-game off the tee to have a puncher’s chance. His skill set is suited for tracks that reward touch around an on greens, but he rose to finish T23 here in 2017 thanks in part to ranking T9 in greens in regulation and T2 in par-5 scoring. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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The 2018-19 PGA TOUR season moves into the Asia Swing this week with the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It’s the second of 43 regular season events, to be followed by the reformatted three-event FedExCup Playoffs next August. The Golf Channel will provide live coverage for all four rounds, with the first two rounds starting at 10:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. local time) on Wednesday and Thursday. The final rounds will begin at 11:00 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday. Here’s a look at the Featured Groups for the first two rounds (FedExCup ranking in parentheses): Keegan Bradley (T84) – Hot off his victory in last season’s FedExCup Playoffs the former major champion is set for a resurgent year. Three top 10s here in four starts including runner up last season. Kevin Na (T84) – Looking to make it five trips to the season finale in six years with another good season. Three top 10s here in six starts. Gary Woodland (T84) – Runner up here in 2014 and 2015. Returned to winners circle last season and enjoyed the taste of victory. Tee times: Rd. 1 (9:40 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (8:30 p.m. ET) Brandt Snedeker (T2) – Heartbreaking fade over the back nine Sunday last week has him fired up to atone in the heat of Malaysia. Paul Casey (T84) – Buoyed by Europe’s Ryder Cup win Casey is set to prove last season’s win in Tampa was not his final act. Marc Leishman (T84) – His breakout 2016-17 season was followed by a solid, yet winless, 2017-18 leaving the Aussie motivated to find a higher gear once more. Tee times: Rd. 1 (9:50 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (8:40 p.m. ET) Kevin Tway (1) – Riding high after a breakout maiden PGA TOUR win last week at the Safeway Open. Billy Horschel (T84) – Just as his beloved Florida Gators continue to improve Horschel’s intensity is lifting for the start of a new season. Si Woo Kim (T84) – Former PLAYERS champion looking for a fast start in Asia to better his 55th place finish in the FedExCup last season. Tee times: Rd. 1 (8:40 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (9:40 p.m. ET) Justin Thomas (T84) – Two-time winner of the event after coming out on top in 2016 and 2017. Gave up his FedExCup crown last season and wasn’t happy about it. Can kickstart his chase here. Pat Perez (T84) – Defending champion who played insane golf a year ago. Scoring average an incredible 66 over the four days. Ryan Moore (T2) – His last four trips here include two wins and another top 10. Worst result was T17. Oh … and he’s coming off a T2 playoff loss in Napa. Primed. Tee times: Rd. 1 (8:50 p.m. ET); Rd. 2 (9:50 p.m. ET)

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