Saturday, June 27 Recap
It took a career round – two of them, actually – to reach the top of the 2020 Travelers Championship leaderboard on Saturday.
Brendon Todd and Dustin Johnson each shot 9-under-par 61 at TPC River Highlands, their lowest rounds ever in a PGA TOUR event. It pushed Todd to 18-under 192, with Johnson two strokes back at 16-under after three rounds of the Travelers Championship.
Kevin Streelman, who set a PGA TOUR record when he finished with seven consecutive birdies in the final round to win the 2014 Travelers Championship, was alone in third place at 15-under after shooting 63. Mackenzie Hughes shot 68 and was another shot back at 14-under in fourth place, with Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Na tied for fifth at 13-under after matching 65s on Saturday.
Third-round tee times were pushed up due to ominous weather forecast for Saturday afternoon, with the 68 players who made the cut going out in threesomes off both No. 1 and No. 10. Light rain fell during the final hour of play, but everyone was able to finish.
Two-time Travelers Championship winner Phil Mickelson began the round with a one-stroke lead, but shot a 1-over-par 71 to fall back into a tie for seventh at 12-under. That opened the door for Todd, already a two-time TOUR winner this season. He birdied the first hole, added four more birdies on the front nine to go out in 30, then made four back-nine birdies, including a 4-footer on the 15th hole to give him the lead, and an 11-footer on No. 17 to extend his advantage to two shots. For the second straight day Todd did not miss a fairway off the tee, and he leads the field in driving accuracy (41-of-42).
Johnson is looking to win a TOUR event for the 13th straight season. Like Todd he made nine birdies on Saturday, without a bogey.
Todd and Johnson will be in the final pairing for Sunday’s final round, going off at 2:05 p.m. Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the final round from 1-3 p.m. EDT, with CBS airing the final round from 3-6 p.m.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament is a TV-only event with no fans permitted on the grounds at TPC River Highlands.
