Brendan Steele leads by one at ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Will Brooks Koepka, the two-time defending champion, make it three in a row? Will Dustin Johnson hang on to get his second major title? Or will someone else from a crowed leaderboard hoist the Wanamker Trophy? We make our picks.

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CROMWELL, Conn. – Geno Auriemma may deliver a more consistent annual product to this area, but he relies on a cast of players. Paul Casey depends on himself, with help from his trusty caddie with the long socks, Johnny McLaren. OK, maybe it’s not that fair a comparison. Auriemma’s University of Connecticut women’s basketball teams have, after all, won 11 national titles, while Casey has yet to prevail here at the Travelers Championship. But the point is, Casey on Thursday continued to produce with an uncanny consistency at TPC River Highlands, his 5-under 65 leaving him just a shot off the lead. Thus, did Casey’s running total at this par-70 golf course improve significantly: In 17 rounds, he has been in the 60s 15 times and he’s now a robust 52 under. No wonder he proclaimed that “it’s a joy to play this golf event.� For the record, that joy subsided for a few moments at the end of his round, for which Casey accepted full blame. Related: Featured Groups | Burgoon cards opening-round 64 | Cantlay stays positive, continues strong play | Rising stars take on Travelers “There was no reason to go at that pin,� he said of a front-left position at the par-4 18th. But from 148 yards away in the fairway, Casey indeed attacked, and he paid the price. Long and left, he failed to get it up-and-down from the rough, but even that hiccup – his only bogey of the day – helped tell the story of his brilliance at TPC River Highlands. Consider: In 306 holes of regulation, Casey has now made just 27 bogeys, two of them doubles. That’s an average of 1.58 per round and you’d be safe to say that’s a blueprint for affixing your name to the leaderboard. He’s just one off the lead, which is part of what is becoming an old story. Casey has been in the lead or within three after eight of his 17 rounds and never has he been more than six off the pace. “Some habits,� laughed Casey, “are good.� He would, of course, prefer to break one habit here. He hasn’t yet won. In his debut at the Travelers, in 2015, Casey shot 64-65 on the weekend, but lost in a playoff to Bubba Watson. He was joint fifth in 2017, then last year he took a four-stroke lead into Sunday but shot 72 and was passed by Watson’s 63. Brushing that frustration aside, Casey emphasizes the positive. He played late Thursday and through bursts of rain (“I don’t like the rain; that’s why I live in Arizona,� he laughed) and “even thought I finished with a bogey, I’m keen to get out there (Friday morning) and hopefully post a number for them to look at.� Considering his track record here, you’d have to think the odds are pretty good.

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