Sleeper Picks: 3M Open

Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent curled in a short birdie putt on the first hole of a four-man playoff on Monday to become the ninth freshman to win the NCAA individual title.

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The PGA TOUR has released the four featured groupings for Thursday-Friday at this week’s Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Groupings and starting times for the first two rounds at the Travelers Championship will be released officially at approximately 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 18. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured groups). Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6 p.m. (featured holes). International subscribers (via GOLF.tv): Thursday-Friday, 11:030 to 22:00 GMT. Saturday-Sunday, 13:00 to 22:00.  RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.COM). FEATURED GROUPS Bubba Watson/Brooks Koepka/Tony Finau • Watson closed the 2018 Travelers Championship with a 63 to win his third title at the event, one shy of Billy Casper’s record of four. • With two wins (THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, PGA Championship) and coming off his third runner-up of the season at last week’s U.S. Open, World No. 1 Koepka is No. 3 in the FedExCup standings. • In search of his second career PGA TOUR victory, Finau has five runner-up finishes since the start of the 2017-18 season, tied with Koepka for most of any player in that span. Phil Mickelson/Jordan Spieth/Marc Leishman • A two-time winner of the event, Mickelson has not played in the Travelers Championship since 2003. • Spieth is in search of his first victory since The 2017 Open Championship, which came in his first start following his playoff win at the Travelers Championship. • Leishman, winner of the 2012 Travelers Championship, leads the Presidents Cup International Team standings. Paul Casey/Jason Day/Bryson DeChambeau • Casey, a winner this season at the Valspar Championship, has three top-fives in four starts in the Travelers Championship, including a playoff loss to Watson in 2015, and a T2 in 2018. • Day has four top-fives in 15 starts during the 2018-19 season as he seeks first win of the season. • DeChambeau, a five-time winner on the PGA TOUR, opened with a pair of 66s en route to a top-10 at the 2018 Travelers Championship (T9). Patrick Cantlay/Francesco Molinari/Justin Thomas • Three weeks removed from his win at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, Cantlay returns to the site where he posted a 60 as a 19-year-old at the 2011 Travelers Championship, the lowest 18-hole score by an amateur in PGA TOUR history. • Molinari has three top-fives in the 2018-19 season, including his third PGA TOUR victory, coming at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. • Thomas has made five career starts at the Travelers, highlighted by a T3 in 2016.

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Kevin Streelman, a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, approached Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers before the start of their first round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I respect the heck out of you,â€� Streelman told Rodgers, “but you’ve been beating the crap out of my Bears for 12 years.â€� On Thursday, Streelman pretty much beat the crap out of everybody who played Spyglass Hill, the toughest of the three courses in the tournament rotation. His 7-under 65 gave him a share of the lead with Beau Hossler, whose 65 came at Pebble Beach. Streelman’s amateur partner is Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Rodgers is partnering with Packers fans Jerry Kelly. Their group was the first off the No. 1 tee Thursday morning at Spyglass. It couldn’t have been a better day. Streelman not only went low, but he and Fitzgerald combined to go 14 under to lead the team portion by three shots. Plus, it was sunny, the pace of play was quick (by tournament standards) and the banter was light. “It’s a round I’ll remember, just because we played in under five hours in this event, we had a perfect day weather-wise, we were the first group out,â€� said Streelman, who credited a recent putting adjustment as a key to his bogey-free round. “They’re such great guys.â€� Fitzgerald certainly was impressed by his partner’s performance. He and Streelman are members of the same club in Arizona, so they’re quite comfortable as a team. “You just don’t see many people shoot 65 at Spyglass,â€� said Fitzgerald, a 13 handicapper. “That’s crazy.â€� Asked what his gameplan was once he saw Streelman was in the zone, Fitzgerald replied: “Just get out of his way. Don’t do anything that will get him out of his flow.â€� Mission accomplished. Streelman finally gave his Bears a measure of revenge. NOTABLES Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot even-par 72 at Spyglass. He made one early birdie at the fourth hole, gave the stroke back at the sixth hole, then parred out from there. Four-time AT&T Pebble Beach champ Phil Mickelson started off slow, suffering three bogeys in his first seven holes at Spyglass. But he made five birdies in his final eight holes to shoot 69. “A nice way to finish after not getting off to a great start,â€� Mickelson said. “It can be a difficult golf course but it’s also a course you play well, you’ll make some birdies. Unfortunately, I saw both ends of it today.â€� Mickelson was playing with Rory McIlroy, making his tournament debut this week. McIlroy shot 68, with birdies on each of the par 5s. McIlroy is playing with his dad, Gerry. Rory was taking his driver away on the 7th tee when he saw his dad’s shadow move, so he backed off the shot. He then blocked the tee shot way right, then sent his second shot into the water. He gritted his teeth and didn’t say anything to his dad. Rory’s reward? He chipped in for birdie. “So I was like, you’re forgiven,â€� Rory smiled. Jason Day is playing with Bachelor host Chris Harrison. When Day chipped in for birdie at the par-3 fifth at Spyglass, Harrison gave him a rose. “I was pretty happy with that,â€� said Day, who shot 69. Adam Scott, making his first start in this event in eight years, made the turn in 40 en route to a 5-over 77 at Spyglass Hill. “It wasn’t exactly what I wanted today, but it’s a process,â€� said Scott, who’s hoping to fine-tune his game going into next week’s event at Riviera. “The swing didn’t feel too bad, but I hit my clubs the wrong distances at times and left myself in bad spots. Didn’t leave myself easy chips and hit average putts from tough spots so it wasn’t good.” QUOTABLES I’ve definitely been trending in the right direction. I think I’ve kind of been one round away the last few weeks from having a pretty high finish.â€� It was just a full 8-iron and I hit it right where I was looking and it just fell in. Usually most courses, if you hit the fairway and hit the green and make the putt, it turns out all right. But with greens as good as they are here, there’s really not a whole lot of excuse. It’s just the most beautiful place in the world. It’s fantastic. It’s so relaxing to be by the ocean and play a fantastic golf course. It really is special.  SUPERLATIVES Lowest rounds (at each course) – Kevin Streelman’s 65 at Spyglass Hill; Beau Hossler’s 65 at Pebble Beach; Aaron Wise’s 66 at Monterey Peninsula Longest drive – 400 yards by Brendon de Jonge at the ninth hole at Pebble Beach. The next 14 longest drives were all on the 10th hole at Monterey Peninsula, led by Corey Conners’ 391 yards Longest putt – Branden Grace had a 55-foot birdie putt on the third hole at Pebble Beach en route to a 4-under 68 Hardest holes (at each course) – par-3 7th at Monterey Peninsula (3.250 stroke average); par-4 16th at Spyglass Hill (4.231); par-4 10th at Pebble Beach (4.212); Easiest holes (at each course) – par-4 10th at Monterey Peninsula (4.365); par-5 2nd at Pebble Beach (4.365); par-5 11th at Spyglass Hill (4.558). CALL OF THE DAY

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