Saturday, June 26, 2021 – Round 3 Recap
Bubba Watson moved one step closer to tournament history, shooting a 2-under-par 68 at TPC River Highlands on Saturday to pull into a tie for the lead with Kramer Hickok after three rounds of the 2021 Travelers Championship.
Watson has won this tournament three times, in 2010, 2015 and 2018. He is trying to join Billy Casper as the only four-time winners. Casper won in 1963, 1965, 1968 and 1973.
Through 54 holes, Watson and Hickok are at 10-under-par 200, one shot in front of Cameron Smith, Russell Henley and Jason Day, who held the lead after two rounds. A bogey at the 18th hole dropped Day out of a share of the lead and gave him a Saturday 70. Smith shot 66 and Henley had 68.
Playing with Day in the final group, Watson grabbed a share of the lead after birdies at Numbers 2 and 3. Day birdied the first hole to reach 10-under. Watson added a birdie at the par-4 seventh hole to claim the outright lead at 11-under.
Hickok, who is looking for his first career victory on the PGA TOUR, used back-nine birdies at the par-3 11th, par-4 14th and par-4 15th to take a two-shot lead at 12-under. Bogeys at the last two holes dropped him back into a tie with Watson and Day, who then fell out of the lead when he bogeyed No. 18.
There are 38 players within five shots of the lead. Defending champion Dustin Johnson shot a 5-under-par 65 to jump into contention. He’s at 7-under, three shots back and in a tie for ninth. He’s joined there by Bryson DeChambeau, who shot a 68.
Abraham Ancer and Kyle Stanley provided the early fireworks. Playing five groups apart, both players made a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth hole, using a 7-iron from 179 yards.
The final round is scheduled for Sunday, with Golf Channel providing live early coverage from 1 to 3 p.m. EDT, followed by CBS from 3 to 6 p.m. EDT.
