Scheffler outlasts course intrusion, Tom Kim to win Travelers Championship for 6th victory of year

Leave a Comment / Golf, PGA Tour / By
Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler tees off on the 11th hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler beat Tom Kim on the first playoff hole to win the Travelers Championship on Sunday — waiting out a disruption by intruders who sprayed powder on the 18th green for his sixth win of the year.

That’s the most in one PGA Tour season since Tiger Woods won six in 2009.

And Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player, still has two months to go.

Scheffler
Golfers Tom Kim, left, of South Korea, Scottie Scheffler, center, and Akshay Bhatia, right, talk to an official after protesters ran onto the 18th green during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

It was Scheffler’s fourth victory of the year in the PGA Tour’s $20 million limited-field, no-cut signature events, earning him a payday of $3.6 million. He also won the Masters and The Players Championship.

Scheffler closed with a 5-under 65 for a four-day total of 22-under 258 at the TPC River Highlands. After the disruption on the 18th, which delayed play for about five minutes after police tackled the intruders, Scheffler left a 26-foot putt from the fringe on the edge of the cup and tapped in for par. Kim then made a 10-foot birdie putt to match Scheffler at 22 under.

Scheffler
A protester runs onto the course as Scottie Scheffler, right, watches on the 18th hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The hole location on the 18th was moved for the playoff to avoid the parts of the green affected by the intruders. Scheffler hit his approach to 11 feet while Kim found a plugged lie in a greenside bunker. Scheffler two-putted for par and the victory.

Coming off a tie for 41st in the U.S. Open – by far his worst finish of the year — Scheffler trailed Kim by three strokes after the first round, by two after the second round and by one heading to the tee on Sunday.