TOKYO OLYMPIC CHAMPION Xander Schauffele birdied the final hole on Sunday to win the Travelers Championship, holding off Sahith Theegala for his sixth career US PGA Tour title.
The 28-year-old American fired a two-under par 68 to finish on 19-under 261 after 72 holes at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
That was enough to defeat Theegala, who fell from the lead with a closing double bogey, and fellow American J.T. Poston, who shared second on 263.
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It marked the first time Schauffele had converted a 54-hole PGA lead into a triumph, but that happened only after Theegala seized the lead with a birdie at the 17th — and then found a bunker off the 18th tee to set up a nightmare finish.
“It’s incredible,” Schauffele said. “I was looking at birdie just getting into a playoff. I saw a little hiccup for Sahith and I knew I had to get it into the cup.”
Rory McIlroy finished strong with an impressive round of 67, ending up in a tie for 19th and a nine-under total, while Seamus Power signed off a shot first her back in joint 25th after a 70 today.
World number 15 Schauffele captured his fifth US PGA title in April at the pairs event in New Orleans with pal Patrick Cantlay.
Schauffele had not won a solo tour event since the 2019 Tournament of Champions.
US amateur Michael Thorbjornsen fired his second consecutive 66 to finish fourth on 265, the top amateur showing in tournament history.
“It was surreal. It was crazy,” he said. “I think it was louder than last week at the US Open. It was special. I felt pretty comfortable out there.”
World number 120 Theegala settled for his best PGA finish, improving on his share of third from February’s Phoenix Open.
- Dramatic finish -
Schauffele and Theegala were deadlocked on 18-under with two holes remaining.
Theegala then sank a birdie putt from just inside 11 feet at 17 to seize the lead at 19-under, pumping his fist in celebration while Schauffele watched stoically from the fairway.
While Schauffele two-putted from 25 feet for par at 17, Theegala found a fairway bunker near a high slope at the par-4 18th and tried to blast out.
Instead, Theegala left the ball in the sand at his feet before punching it out into the fairway with his third shot and pitching to 12 feet from the cup.
His bogey putt lipped out off the left edge and he tapped in for double bogey, falling one adrift of Schauffele, who was comfortably in the 18th fairway.
Schauffele dropped his approach just beyond three feet from the cup and sank the clutch putt for the triumph.
- Mixed start for Xander -
Schauffele never found the fairway in making bogey at the second but he answered with birdie putts of 15 feet at the par-4 fourth and just inside 11 feet at the par-5 sixth.
He rolled in a 26-foot birdie putt at the par-3 11th but was way left off beyond a cart path at the 12th tee on his way to a bogey.
Theegala, who sank a 10-footer to birdie the first and a 24-footer to birdie the ninth, made a tap-in birdie at the par-5 13th to stand only one back of Schauffele, in the final group just behind him.
After blasting out of a bunker and saving par from nine feet at the 14th, Theegala drove the green at the par-4 15th and sank a four-foot birdie putt to match Schauffele for the lead at 18-under.
Schauffele also drove the 15th but settled for par, his first three-putt in 155 holes, to stay level with Theegala as the closing drama began.
