Tommy Fleetwood is on the brink of finally cracking America.
The DP World Tour star produced a sublime bogey-free 63 in Saturday’s third round of the Travelers Championship to take a commanding three-shot lead into the final day – and give himself a golden chance to end his winless drought on the PGA Tour.
Fleetwood, who’s had a record 41 top-10 finishes without lifting a trophy Stateside, moved to 16-under-par at TPC River Highlands, with Americans Russell Henley and Keegan Bradley tied for second at 13-under. Aussie Jason Day is lurking two further back.
Eagle-eyed Tommy takes charge
Fleetwood’s third round was pure magic: five birdies, a monster 30-foot eagle at the par-5 13th (his second eagle there in two days), and every fairway hit. Not that he realised it.
“I was so locked in I didn’t even notice,” he smiled. “It just felt really solid all day.”
His bogey-free streak now sits at 32 holes and counting.
‘Of course I want it’
A Ryder Cup hero and former Race to Dubai champ, Fleetwood is well aware of the stat that shadows him – most top-10s without a PGA Tour win.
“I’m on top of a lot of stat lines for people that haven’t won on the PGA Tour, so to always be No.1 at something is… interesting,” he joked.
“Yeah, of course I would love to win on the PGA Tour. This is my first real chance this year and I’m excited for it.”
And recent history is on his side – 20 of the last 22 players to lead by three or more after 54 holes on the PGA Tour have gone on to win.
Henley goes low, Bradley in the hunt
Russell Henley stormed up the leaderboard with a stunning 61, the low round of the week so far, making four birdies in his first six holes. Just 24 hours earlier, he’d called a penalty on himself when his ball moved “by a dimple” in the rough.
Keegan Bradley, the defending champ who set the tournament scoring record (257) last year, matched Fleetwood’s 63 and knows what Sunday will take.
“You’re going to have to shoot something in the mid-60s, probably lower,” he said. “You can’t afford a stretch of one-over around here – you’ll lose a million shots.”
Scheffler and Rory wobble
Birthday boy Scottie Scheffler had a horror start – a triple bogey at the opening hole – and stumbled to a two-over 72, dropping into a tie for eighth.
Rory McIlroy didn’t fare much better. The World No.2 fired a two-under 68 but had four bogeys on the front nine and a double at 12 to derail any real charge.
It was just the fifth over-par round in 55 starts this season for Scheffler, proof that even the game’s most reliable star can falter on TPC River Highlands’ narrow corridors.
Course built for fireworks
At just 6,844 yards and playing to a par 70, TPC River Highlands is the shortest course on the PGA Tour – and it’s playing even shorter in the hot, windless conditions.
Scoring is red hot: Jim Furyk’s iconic 58 still stands as the lowest round in Tour history, and Bradley’s 257 from 2023 remains the tournament benchmark.
With Saturday’s average score dipping below 68, expect another birdie blitz on Sunday.
One last hurdle for Fleetwood
Fleetwood’s credentials aren’t in doubt. Seven-time winner on the DP World Tour. Ryder Cup star. One of Europe’s most consistent ball-strikers. But that PGA Tour monkey has clung on for far too long.
A win on Sunday would be career-defining – and would place him alongside fellow Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose as recent champions in America.
It would also do wonders for his Ryder Cup prospects in 2025.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Fleetwood said. “I’ve been here before – now let’s go finish it.”
Could Sunday finally be Tommy’s day?
