Scottie Scheffler fired a final-round 65 and then edged Tom Kim in a playoff to claim victory at the 2024 Travelers Championship.
The 28-year-old Texan began the day at TPC River Highlands one shot off the pace of Kim, but after turning on 2-under 33, Scheffler had flipped the script and was one up on the North Korean star.
Kim tied things up quickly with a birdie on 10. He then fell one off the pace again after Scheffler reeled off three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15. Kim was only able to manage two gains in the same three-hole stretch. A final-hole birdie by Kim, though, forced a playoff with both sitting 22-under par.
The overtime lasted only one hole as Kim made a mess of 18, giving Scheffler the win – his sixth of the season.
“It was a fight. I felt like I did a lot of good things,” said Scheffler. “The putts were hanging right around the edge.
“I felt like I hit a lot of good putts today, especially on the back nine. Man, it was tough watching each one roll by the edge, but I kept fighting and stayed in it.”
With the victory, Scheffler becomes the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six times before the month of July. He’s also the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win six times in a PGA Tour season.
“Yeah, it’s pretty special. It’s been a great season. I’ve been fortunate to come away with some wins and it’s been a lot of fun,” said Scheffler. “Tom played his heart out today. He’s a great player, a great champion. It was fun battling him today.”
Runner-up Kim took solace in his four-round performance after nearly going wire-to-wire before succumbing to the world’s top-ranked golfer.
“Yeah, I fought hard. I really did,” said Kim. “I played really good this week. Unfortunately two bogeys that I had this week came from two 3-putts.
“The elite level for you to win out here, it’s very, very small and I’m not going to look back at this playoff and be like, man, you know, I screwed up.
“No, I played really good. Just to force a playoff, I felt like it was really good to get there, and I wish I would have had a bit more of a chance on 13 and a little wind switch, and hitting that kind of shot hurts, but I’m taking this as a huge leap in the season.”
Tom Hoge (62) and Sungjae Im (66) finished two shots back in a tie for third on 22 under, two clear of Patrick Cantlay (65), Tony Finau (66), Justin Thomas (66) and Akshay Bhatia (69).
A day after shooting a 59, Cam Young posted 66 to finish in a tie for ninth on 17 under, alongside Brian Harman (62), Wyndham Clark (63) and Shane Lowry (67).
2024 Travelers Championship
Final Round Leaderboard: Top-10
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 4)
1. Scottie Scheffler -22 (-5)
2. Tom Kim -22 (-4)
3. Tom Hoge -20 (-8)
3. Sungjae Im -20 (-4)
5. Patrick Cantlay -18 (-5)
5. Tony Finau -18 (-4)
5. Justin Thomas -18 (-4)
5. Akshay Bhatia -18 (-1)
9. Brian Harman -17 (-8)
9. Wyndham Clark -17 (-7)
9. Cam Young -17 (-4)
9. Shane Lowry -17 (-3)
Material from the PGA Tour Media was used to compile this report.
