CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Keegan Bradley shot a 6-under 64 on Saturday to break the tournament 54-hole scoring record at 21 under in the Travelers Championship, while Rickie Fowler had the second 60 of the week at TPC River Highlands.
The previous three-round mark was 18 under, set by Brendan Todd on an empty course during the height of the pandemic in 2020. The four-round tournament record is 22 under, set by Kenny Perry in 2009.
Bradley missed a 20-foot putt on 18 that would have tied the PGA Tour’s 54-hole mark of 188 set by Steve Stricker in the 2010 John Deere Classic and matched by Justin Thomas in the 2017 Sony Open. Bradley opened with rounds of 62 and 63.
“I’ve wanted to win this tournament forever,” said Bradley, a Vermont native who also lived in Massachusetts and was playing in front of a large contingent of family and friends. “So, the feeling of wanting to push and win is something I need to fight against and just let myself go out and play.”
Chez Reavie was a shot back after a 63. He led for much of the back nine, but made a bogey on the par-3 16th, while Bradley hit his tee shot to 6 feet and converted the birdie putt for a three-stroke swing. Bradley finished second to Reavie in the 2019 Travelers.
“I had a big lead and then Keegan made a bunch of birdies throughout the beginning and middle part of the round to make it really close,” Reavie said. “Tomorrow is going to be the opposite. It’s going to be a shootout.”
Fowler just missed the 13th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history. After failing to convert from just off the green on his final hole, wound up tied for fourth at 15 under in the event where Jim Furyk shot a tour-record 58 in 2016.
“I hit a decent chip, just hit it a little soft,” Fowler said. “A tap in for 60 is never a bad thing. It’s better than a 61.”
Fowler was a shot behind Patrick Cantlay, who had a bogey-free 61 that included five birdies on his final seven holes. Cantlay was the first player to shoot a 60 on this course, doing it as a 19-year-old amateur in 2011.
“The scoring on this golf course is usually on the back nine in that middle stretch,” he said. “I played the front nine 4 under. If you can get the front nine you can shoot a real low one, so tomorrow with the scores low I imagine it’ll take another low one.”
Denny McCarthy opened with a 60 on Thursday and shared the second-round lead with Bradley at a tournament-record 125.
McCarthy fell back early Saturday, making three bogeys on the front nine for a 37. He shot 70, leaving him tied with Fowler and Adam Scott (65).
An almost half inch of rain delayed the start to the round until 11 a.m., with players going off in threesomes on both front and back nine. But it also kept the greens soft and the scoring low.
Fowler, who shot the first 62 in U.S. Open history last week, had seven birdies on his first 11 holes on Saturday.
He was at 7 under on the par-5 sixth hole when he hit a little chip shot from 60 feet that bounced onto the green and rolled straight into the hole for an eagle.
Thomas also put himself in contention Saturday with a 62, leaving him in a group at 14 under.
“I’ve felt very close for a while, just have had literally nothing to show for it,” Thomas said. “And you never know. I’m one round away tomorrow from kind of completely changing my focus and outlook on the year and the rest of the year.”
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler shot a 63 and was also in that group.
U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark had a 67 to get to 8 under.