SEAMUS POWER’S DROPPED down the leaderboard at the Travelers Championship overnight, as Chez Reavie hit seven back-nine birdies to seize a six-shot lead on the PGA Tour.
Waterford’s Power carded a one-over-par to head into the final round three-under par, and 13 shots behind runaway leader Reavie, who is bidding for his first Tour win since 2008.
Overnight leader Zack Sucher endured a costly stumble after he was sailing along with a five-shot lead, before disaster hit on the back nine at TPC River Highlands.
He had stretched his lead with four front-nine birdies before a bogey at the 10th. That was followed by a double-bogey at the par-three 11th, where he needed two shots to get out of a bunker, finally firing 30 feet past the pin.
Sucher found a fairway bunker off the tee at 12 and was in a greenside bunker with his third shot, finally two-putting for another double-bogey that dropped him to 10-under.
Meanwhile, Reavie, coming off a tie for third at the US Open at Pebble Beach, was roaring home.
He started the day tied for second, two off Sucher’s lead and had one birdie and one bogey on the front nine, trailing by as many as six.
“It was crazy,” Reavie said. “Zack came out he was making birdies early. I was just trying to hang in there.
“It was playing really tough and I was just trying to hit as many greens as I could and give myself some looks.”
∙ Ties the back-nine scoring record
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 23, 2019
∙ -8 in his last 11 holes
∙ Low round of the day (63)
Chez Reavie, who enters Sunday with a 6-shot lead @TravelersChamp, is looking for his second win on TOUR. pic.twitter.com/cxmYoL0dDk
Reavie opened the back nine with four straight birdies, launching the run with a 24-foot birdie putt at the 10th and capping it by getting up and down for birdie from a bunker at 13.
He added another birdie at 15 before closing with back-to-back birdies for a 16-under par total of 194, six shots clear of Sucher, who signed for a one-over 71 and was tied on 200 with Keegan Bradley, who carded a 69.
“I think we got the wind really dialled in on the back nine,” Reavie said. “I was able to just kind of roll with it. Using the good energy, making a few putts, having the people cheering you on — it’s a lot of fun.”
He had room to spare a thought for Sucher, who was sidelined all of 2018 after left knee and ankle surgery.
“Zack, I feel bad for him,” Reavie said. “He had some tough breaks, didn’t really hit that bad of shots.”
It was a further stroke back to Australian Jason Day (68) and Mexico’s Roberto Diaz (67) on 201.
Sucher had company in the tough day department as world number one Brooks Koepka had four bogeys and a double-bogey in a two-over 72 that left him 15 shots adrift.
Koepka making his third start in as many weeks and coming off a runner-up finish to Gary Woodland at the US Open, admitted he was “fried”.
“My body is starting to ache, too,” said Koepka, who finished tied for second behind Tiger Woods at the Masters and won the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black in May.
He admitted the torrid pace of the revamped schedule had caught up with him, although he wasn’t sorry since the fatigue was the price of contending frequently.
“If you’re in contention you’re going to be drained,” said Koepka, who added he planned to give the gym a miss on Saturday afternoon.
“Probably go take a nap,” he said.
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