Reavie claims Travelers Championship
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Chez Reavie claimed his first PGA Tour title in more than a decade at the Travelers Championship
Despite a strong challenge from Keegan Bradley that saw his six shot lead diminish rapidly to just one, Reavie held on to win by four shots with a final round 69 to finish the tournament on 17-under-par.
“It means everything,” said Reavie. “I knew Keegan was going to come out firing today and ready to go. I’ve played a lot of golf with him. He’s a fantastic player.
“I just was fortunate enough to stay patient and make that big putt on 17 to give myself a little cushion on 18.”
Reavie’s six-shot overnight lead was whittled down to just a single stroke when playing-partner Bradley made his fourth birdie of the back nine at the 15th as the tournament developed into a two-horse race at TPC River Highlands.
But Bradley’s challenge came to an abrupt end when he double-bogeyed the 17th and Reavie birdied, and a steady 69, with 15 pars, two birdies and one bogey, was enough to earn the 37-year-old a four-shot win and his first silverware since he made his breakthrough at the Canadian Open back in 2008.
Reavie’s stunning back-nine 28 on Saturday had given him a commanding 54-hole lead, after which he insisted his goal was to shoot “five or six under par” on the final day, and he got off to a solid start with three straight pars before matching Bradley’s birdie at the fourth.
But while the leader continued to look assured from tee to green, his putting became understandably tentative and, after Bradley made his first mistake of the round at the seventh, Reavie tugged his tee shot left of the green at the short eighth and could not get up and down.
There appeared to be little cause for alarm as Reavie maintained his five-shot advantage at the turn, but Bradley began to apply the pressure with back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11, and another at the long 13th hauled him to within two of the lead when Reavie missed from 12 feet for a four.
Reavie missed further good chances from 10 feet on each of the next two holes, and his comfortable lead was reduced to one when Bradley did well to get down in two from over the back of the 15th green.
Bradley pulled off a clutch par save at the short 16th after again going long, and Reavie was unable to convert a bold tee shot which just cleared the water hazard before the tournament was effectively decided by a three-shot swing at the penultimate hole.
After tugging a hybrid into a fairway bunker, Bradley skulled his second and then compounded the error with a three-putt from inside 20 feet as he ran up a scrappy double-bogey six, with Reavie giving himself the luxury of a four-shot lead to take down the last when he finally got a birdie putt to drop following another flirtation with the water with his aggressive approach.
A disconsolate Bradley would go on to par the last for a 67 as he was forced to settle for a share of second with 36-hole leader Zack Sucher, who made four birdies in five holes from the 13th before chipping in to save par at the last to complete a 67 and the best result of his PGA Tour career.
Former Ryder Cup player Vaughn Taylor also enjoyed a flying finish as he birdied the final five holes to cap a 65 which lifted him to 12 under and one ahead of two-time runner-up Paul Casey, who also closed with a 65 which featured a superb eagle-two at the 15th and a birdie to finish.
