Scottie Scheffler defeated Tom Kim in the Travelers Championship to win his sixth PGA TOUR victory of the season, becoming the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six tournaments by July 1.
Schaeffler also Record 6 or more wins According to the PGA Tour’s public relations team, this is the first season since 1983 and the first since Tiger Woods did it in 2009.
“It’s very special. It’s been a great season,” Scheffler said. “We’ve been fortunate to get some wins and it’s been a lot of fun. Tom played his hardest today. He’s a great player and a great champion. It was fun playing against him today.”
Scheffler shot a bogey-free final round of 5-under 64 to move to 22-under par, while Kim shot 4-under 65. Scheffler came into the day looking to bounce back from a mediocre performance at the U.S. Open.
A bogey on the par-3 eighth hole hurt Kim, but the 22-year-old made a crucial putt for birdie on the 18th hole to tie Scheffler and send the tournament into overtime.
It took just one more hole for Scheffler to hit a perfect approach shot to seal the victory, as Kim hit her second shot into the bunker and couldn’t get close enough to put pressure on Scheffler.
The world number one player beat his friend with two putts.
Both players encountered a strange occurrence as they completed the 72nd hole.
Play for the final group was delayed due to a violent protest at the 18th hole. As the final group approached the green, five Extinction Rebellion protesters disrupted play. Police quickly arrested the individuals, but white and red substances were still found on the green.
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Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Using blowers and towels to clear the powder, players finished the 72nd hole, but after assessing the condition of the green, the agronomy team and officials ultimately made the decision to move the hole for the playoff.
Luckily, the saboteurs weren’t targeting the athletes, but they still found a way to damage the truck.
“It was definitely a little strange,” Scheffler said. “When something like that happens, it’s unsettling and you don’t know what’s going on.
“There are people running around the green, there are police officers, you don’t know if they’re peaceful or not. It can be stressful because you never know what’s going on. I felt like Tom and I were just trying to calm each other down so we could play our best on the 18th hole.”
The win was also Scheffler’s fourth signature event victory this season. He has also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, The Memorial and Travelers Championship. Not to mention, Scheffler also won the 2024 Masters and The Players titles.
Scheffler, a former University of Texas Longhorn, earned $3.6 million for his win, bringing his official total to $27,696,858. Scheffler remains on the winnings list for most money won in a single season, with golf games remaining this season.
Scheffler said his next two tournaments would be the British Open and the Olympics.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports
