U.S. Open could learn something from Travelers

Jamie Lovemark … As contemporary Rickie Fowler continues to work at shedding the label as one of best active golfers without a victory in a major, the 30-year-old Lovemark, who had a similarly impressive amateur pedigree, is still chasing his first trophy in a PGA TOUR event. He’s 0-for-130 as a professional. Not that it’s getting in the way of a fine career. Since returning to the big leagues full-time in 2015-16, he’s posted 12 top 10s and another 13 top 25s. He’s coming off his latest, a T19 at the Travelers Championship where his putting was on point. Yet, that’s arguably the weakest component of his generally well-rounded attack and he’s currently 44th in strokes gained: tee-to-green and 46th in adjusted scoring. Tom Hoge … The Web.com Tour Finals grad hasn’t wasted a strong start to his third season on the PGA TOUR. After opening 8-for-8 with four top 25s, he’d added a pair of top 15s – the more recent a T13 at Muirfield Village to open this month – and sits comfortably at 71st in the FedExCup standings. He’s also T71 in strokes gained: tee-to-green with assistance from slotting fifth in proximity to the hole. Tyler Duncan … If you’re an avid fan of the PGA TOUR, you may recall that he held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds of the season-opening Safeway Open before settling for a tie for fifth place. It was a classic carryover from the Web.com Tour Finals in which he went T24-T5-MC-T12 to secure his first TOUR card. Alas, that also remains his only top 10 in individual competition as a rookie, a designation that also has predictably resulted in one disappointment after another, but he’s righted the ship over the last two months. After the conclusion of the holiday break, the 28-year-old product of Purdue missed six straight cuts and nine of his first 10. However, since partnering with fellow rookie Adam Schenk for a T7 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Duncan is 7-for-7 to remain in control of his own destiny at 115th in the FedExCup standings. His strength is ball-striking, which caters to his consecutive cuts made streak extending at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. J.T. Poston … It’s rare when one PGA TOUR sophomore without a win playing on conditional status manages to finish inside the top 125 of the FedExCup standings, but both he (108th) and Trey Mullinax (74th) are getting the job done this season. Poston has scattered five top 20s in 15 starts, two of which in his last three. He ranks 37th in strokes gained: off-the-tee and 45th in greens in regulation. Jason Gore … Although TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm hosted a PGA TOUR event from 1987-2004 and in 2006, the record book reflects Nick Watney’s final-round 64 in last year’s Quicken Loans National as the course record. Indeed, it’s the lowest score in a TOUR event since the course was redone 10 years ago, but Gore owns a footnote in its history. In the opening round of the 2012 Neediest Kids Championship, he carded a 63, technically the lowest of four sanctioned tournaments, including the 2010 Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship. The following year, which was the second of two spins as host to the Web.com Tour, Gore placed T11. When he returned in 2017, he finished T13 at 3-under 277. That remains his only payday in his last 14 TOUR appearances dating back to July of 2016. After gaining entry as a sponsor exemption last year, look for him to make the most of the same invitation this week while smiling throughout.

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