Defending Champion Scottie Scheffler Takes Lead... Eyes Fourth Win of the Year

8-under-par in Travelers Championship Round 1
Tied for Lead with Eckroat, Two Shots Ahead
McIlroy in Third Place, Kim Joohyung and Im Sungjae Tied for 15th

World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler (USA) has laid the groundwork for his fourth win of the season.

On June 19 (local time), at TPC River Highlands (par 70, 6,844 yards) in Cromwell, Connecticut, USA, Scheffler shot an 8-under-par 62 in the first round of the Travelers Championship?the final signature event of the PGA Tour season with a total purse of $20 million?seizing the top spot on the leaderboard. He recorded one eagle, seven birdies, and one bogey. Scheffler is tied for the lead with Austin Eckroat (USA), two strokes ahead of the next closest competitors.

Scottie Scheffler is teeing off on the 1st hole of the 1st round at the Travelers Championship. Cromwell, USA - AP Yonhap News Photo by AP

This year, Scheffler has claimed three victories, including the major PGA Championship. He is also aiming to defend his Travelers Championship title. Last year, he won this tournament by reducing his score by five strokes in the final round and defeating Kim Joo-hyung in a playoff. Scheffler has demonstrated his dominance at the Travelers Championship, recording an average score of 64.88 over his last eight rounds at the event.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) carded six birdies without a single bogey. He is eyeing a comeback from a tie for third place at 6-under-par 64. Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley (both USA) are also in the group tied for third, while Cameron Young (USA) sits in sixth place at 5-under-par 65. Jason Day (Australia) and Tommy Fleetwood (England), among others, finished the first round tied for seventh at 4-under-par 66.

Last year’s runner-up Kim Joo-hyung started steadily, tying for 15th at 3-under-par 67 with six birdies and three bogeys. Im Sung-jae, who finished tied for third at this event last year, is also tied for 15th. An Byeong-hun is tied for 36th at 1-under-par 69 alongside Xander Schauffele (USA), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), and others, while Kim Si-woo is tied for 51st at 1-over-par 71.