Travelers Championship. Bubba & Kramer Lead.

Bubba Watson and Kramer Hickok share top spot on the Travelers Championship leaderboard after 54 holes at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut.

Bubba and Kramer both carded third rounds of -2 under par 68 to top the Travelers Championship leaderboard at -10 under par;

Bubba has won here three times;

“When you’re playing in the afternoon you know the challenge ahead of you.”

“You don’t want to play safe. In my stage of my career if I have a chance to win I’m going to go for it. That’s the key. I’m not going to worry about third or fourth place. I am going to try to go for it if I can.”

Kramer went fly fishing on the nearby Farmington River after the first round, to calm his nerves

“I thought I’d be a lot more nervous than I am, I know those nerves are going to be there. It’s just embracing those nerves, not trying to fight it.”

“I’ve been in contention before, obviously, this is a bigger stage, but it’s just about going out there and playing golf, and I play my best when I’m relaxed.”

Tied in third spot at -9 under par are, Cameron Smith, Australia, -4 under par 66 today, Russell Henley, -2 under 68, and yesterdays leader Jason Day, with a much quieter round of even par 70 today after his 62 second round.

Travelers Championship. Jason Day Leads.

Jason Day of Australia leads the Travelers Championship after 36 holes at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut.

Jason fired a bogey free -8 under par 62 to lead the Travelers Championship by one stroke at -9 under par for 36 holes, his troublesome back problem not holding him back;

“Sometimes when you do have sort of an injury or stiffness, even if you’re sick, sometimes you can come out and play some good golf.”

“I was fortunate enough to not really get in my own way today.”

Sharing second place at -8 under were Bubba Watson with another -4 under 66 today, and Kramer Hickok -3 under 69.

Bubba broke the head off his driver today, had to play a couple of holes without a driver, until his replacement driver came along. The ball went straight down the fairway without problem;

“Luckily it didn’t reach the crowd so nobody got hurt.”

 “Nobody in my group knew were the ball was. Once you hit, you’re focused on where the driver head goes.

“It’s one of those things that happened before and I always have a backup.”

“They brought me the backup two holes later and I played with that the rest of the day.”

“I knew there was only a couple drivers left, so really wasn’t too big a deal.”

Justin Rose, even par yesterday and -7 under today, is in the group of seven players at -7 under par;

“Guys who’ve obviously got nothing to lose are tightening up their lines into the greens.”

“The golf course is tricky enough, where when they start putting the pins near the edges of the greens, there are some tricky little swales and run-offs.”

“Maybe then, if you are playing with the lead, you start off being a little conservative with your approach play.”

Webb Wins Waste Management Open.

Webb Simpson wins the Waste Management Open, defeating Tony Finau in play-off for the title at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.Webb / getty

Webb tied Tony at the top of the Waste Management Open leaderboard on the last hole of regulation, both players at -17 under.

Webb finished his last round with three three’s on the card, for -2 under 69, while Tony was at -1 under 70. The play-off was on the par four 18th, and Webb won with another birdie there. Tony missed his chance of a win in regulation, he needed a birdie.

Webb said the course played tough today;

“Today was a lot different. Today played tougher.”

“I thought the pins were very tough, by far the toughest day of pins, course was longer, we had wind. We hadn’t had wind all week, so everything today was harder.”

“It’s hard. He is a great friend, our wives are friends and he’s one of the best guys on tour. So it is a bit tough.”

Tony spoke about the two missed putts;

“I hit good putts, the first one I hit really good, I thought I made it.”

“Second one, similar line, a little bit farther, decided to play a little bit more break and it didn’t break.”

“I definitely didn’t give him the tournament, unfortunately, it’s how the cookie crumbles.”

“I love Webb. I think the camaraderie that I have with him as being one of my best friends out here, it would have been hard for either one of us to take this victory from each other. He got the upper hand this time, but I love that guy.”

Justin Thomas, last round of -6 under 65, Bubba Watson, -5 under 66, and Nate Lashley, with -3 under 68, shared third place all with -14 under totals.

Justin loves the craziness of the tournament;

“It’s always a fun week here in Phoenix, somehow it gets crazier every year.”

WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Rampant Rahm Leads.

A rampant Jon Rahm, from Spain, leads the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational after the first round at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jon / getty

Jon fired a bogey free first round -8 under par 62, to lead the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational by three strokes at TPC Southwind, good putting was the key, he needed just 23 putts;

“It’s not the easiest thing but I just wanted my mind to be fresh. We putt on this speed of green so often that we’re used to it, it’s just coming back.”

“I did a little bit of putting after I played nine just to get the feel for them and when I went out there today I felt pretty good about it.

“That was the key today, holing those putts. I managed to put the ball in positions where the putts didn’t have much break.”

“That’s why I think I was able to make so many, I don’t think I hit a putt where the break was more than a foot.”

Fives players are tied in second place at -5 under par, following rounds of 65,  Patrick Cantlay and Bubba Watson from the USA, Cameron Smith, Australia, with Hideki Matsuyama and Shugo Imahira from Japan.

Arnold Palmer Invitational. Rafa Cabrera Bello Leads.

Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain leads the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Florida.Rafa / getty

Rafa shot a bogey free first round -7 under par 65 to lead the Arnold Palmer Invitational by two shots;

“I really didn’t know what to expect.”

“I know how nice and tough the course is and I think it’s a course with many, many daunting shots.”

“So I feel the more you play it, probably the better. So I wasn’t really having much high expectations as opposed to just getting out there and playing my golf.”

Keegan Bradley is in second place at -5 under after his bogey free opening round of 67.

Five players are then tied in third place at -4 under after rounds of 68, Patrick Rogers, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, Billy Horschel and Graeme McDowell who is from Northern Ireland.

Phil had an interesting day, his tee shot on ten ended up against an out of bounds wire fence, with enough of the ball protruding to make it playable without penalty. As only Phil would do, he elected to play it right handed from the other side with an inverted 9 iron, it ended up out of bounds, costing Phil a double bogey six;

“I was able to get clear, I thought, clean contact on it from a right-handed shot perspective.”

“I thought I hit it pretty good.”

“It didn’t turn out the best.”

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Sony Open in Hawaii. Kooch Leads.

Matt Kuchar leads the Sony Open in Hawaii after 36 holes at Waialae Country Club in Hawaii by one shot.Kooch / getty

Kooch has carded consecutive rounds of -7 under par 63 to lead the Sony Open in Hawaii by one shot at -14 under par;

“Just two great days. To shoot 7-under back to back is unexpected, but certainly awfully excited.”

 “I want to say last year I probably ground harder than I’ve done in the past.”

“Close to Ryder Cup I was on the outside of a couple things and felt like I hadn’t been used to being in that situation.”

“So now being in good shape it’s certainly a nice place to be. Freed up? I’m not sure. I still kind of attack the game the same way.”

“Love the golf course. It’s a challenging one. If you play well you can make birdies; if you don’t you’re going to make bogeys.”

“The golf course gets tough when you’re playing from the rough. Even if you have short clubs in your hand it’s challenging.”

Andrew Putnam is one shot back at -13 under par after his second round -5 under 65.

Chez Reavie, -5 under 65 today, and Stewart Cink, -8 under 62 share third place at -10 under par.

Chez remarkably had more Eagles than birdies in his round,  no one had ever made three eagles in one round on par fours since records began;

“It was on a good line, and that was the only time it crossed my mind, Wow, could we make another one?”

“The other two, I just hit the shot I was trying to see and it was going at the hole. Never expected it to go in. It’s always a surprise when it disappears.”

“Apparently, I need to go buy a lottery ticket today.”

Players who will spend the next couple of days at the beach after missing the cut here, set at -2 under, are some notables, Zach Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson and Adam Scott.

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A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. 2 At The Top.

There are two players tied at the top of the A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier leaderboard, Kelly Kraft and Harold Varner 111 share the honor on The Old White TPC in West Virginia.

Kelly & Harold / getty

Harold shot a bogey free third round -4 under par 66 to catch Kelly -1 under 71 today carding two bogey’s on his back nine, at the top of the  A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier leaderboard at -14 under par, with both of them also vying for their first PGA Tour win.

Harold was keen to get the final round going;

“I wish we could go play right now, I’m pretty hungry. This is what you work for. This is what I get so pumped up to do.”

“I guess this whole thing’s new to me because I’ve never had a lead going into the last day.”

Kelly is just going to stay patient tomorrow;

“I’m just going to stay patient tomorrow, I hit a lot of good shots today.”

“The greens got really kind of crusty and hard out there, different than the first couple days.”

 “And especially on the back nine, there were two or three greens that were just; they were borderline rolling too fast.”

Tied in third place just one shot back at -13 under par are Kevin Na, and defending champion here Xander Schauffele, both signed for -5 under 65 today.

Not too far back at T6 on -11 under is Bubba Watson, who carded a third round -5 under 65, and is still thinking of getting his fourth  win of the season here;

“These last two rounds moved me up, and now I’m just going to have some help from the other guys, or shoot a really, really low round tomorrow.”

“It’s going to be a big Sunday, like the Travelers, I’ve got to have a big day.”

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Travelers Championship. Bubba Watson Wins.

Bubba Watson wins the Travelers Championship at TPC River High Lands.

Bubba Watson / getty

Bubba carded a final round -7 under par 63 to win the Travelers Championship by three shots at -17 under par;

“This was a weird week, I sent Teddy a voice text and apologized after we got done yesterday for my attitude the last couple of days.”

“Even on Friday, after I shot seven under, I was upset.”

“Then I was upset with a 3 under Saturday because I made bogey coming down the stretch.”

“You know, it’s just growing up. We’re going to make mistakes. I’m going to three-putt, I’m going to duff chips.”

“I’m going to do a lot of things on the golf course bad and off the golf course bad and I’m going to have to apologize. Like I said earlier, I’m the fastest to apologize.”

“I’ve got two kids now. They’re watching me. They’re going to see. They’re going to find out about YouTube at some point. They’re going to see old videos and hear things.”

 “It’s a learning curve for me, but it’s also helping me. It’s helping me grow. I’ve been able to grow as a person and as a man.”

Sharing second place were Stewart Cink, -8 under 62 today, Beau Hossler, -4 under 66 and J.B. Holmes who signed for a -3 under 67 last round, and the leader by four shots at the start of play at -16 under, Paul Casey who let it slide with a +2 over par 72 today.

Paul just had this to say;

“I didn’t get it taken care of today.”

“Credit to his great play. I would have loved to have won outright or at least have another go at him in a playoff would have been nice. But not to be.”

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Travelers Championship. Brian Harman Leads.

Brian Harman, USA, is leading the Travelers Championship after 36 holes at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut.

Brian Harman / getty

Brian shot -4 under 66 to lead the Travelers Championship after 36 holes, by one shot at -10 under for the tournament.

Brian is having a good time with his putter;

“The putter has been really good so far, but I’ve been in position a lot.”

“I’ve had a lot of good looks at it. I’m just able to put a little pressure on the course right now, which is nice.”

Three players are tied in second spot at -9 under, Russell Henley, -5 under 65 today and Zach Johnson, -2 under 68, both from the USA, and Matt Jones from Australia with his -4 under 66.

Zach thought he had made birdie on the third hole when the ball took its time before falling in. It was ruled out because it took longer than the allowed 10 seconds;

“After ten seconds, the ball was moving and at that point even if the ball is moving, it’s deemed to be at rest, because it’s on the lip.”

 “Don’t ask me why, but that’s just the way it is.”

Bryson DeChambeau, -4 under 66 and Beau Hossler,  -3 under 67, both from the USA, share fourth place at -8 under par with Paul Casey of England who had a second round -3 under 67.

Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland, -1 under 69, Bubba Watson and Lanto Griffin, both from USA and both carded -7 under 63, to  be sharing fifth place at -7 under par.

Rory is still suffering from poor putting;

“I felt like I left a few out there, I felt like I had a lot of good putts that just didn’t go in.”

“I started them on line, did everything I needed to do, and it’s just one of those days where they were sliding by the edges.”

“It’s just about converting them and taking the opportunities when they present themselves.”

Bubba suddenly found some confidence;

“I had some mental mistakes yesterday, and then I didn’t make some putts.”

“Today I started out hotter. I made a good shot on 11, our second hole, made the putt, making a solid par putt on 12, and then that freed me up a little bit.”

“Gave me some confidence going into the next hole where I made the eagle.”

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U.S. Open. 4 Way Tie at the Top.

There is a 4 way tie at the top of the U.S. Open leaderboard with, World #1 Dustin Johnson, Scott Piercy and Russell Henley, all from the USA, sharing the honor with  Ian Poulter from England, at a windy Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York.

World #1 Dustin Johnson / getty

DJ, Scott, Russell and Ian all posted first rounds of -1 under par 69 to top the U.S. Open leaderboard by one shot.

DJ. was happy with his round, and coming off a win last week is full of confidence, even if no one has ever won a PGA Tour event and gone on the win the U.S. Open the next week;

“I’m very pleased with the round. Anything under par on this golf course is very good, especially in the conditions we have today.”

“I felt like from start to finish, it was very difficult.”

“You had to focus on every single shot you hit, putts, everything. You know, it was just difficult all day.”

“Obviously, coming off a win, you’ve got a lot of confidence. I feel like I’ve been playing really solid all year, just haven’t really been getting a lot out of my rounds.”

Jason Dufner has fifth place to himself at even par, after his opening effort of 70.

Poults likened the US Open with a trip to the dentist;

“Through most of the U.S. Opens, I haven’t enjoyed very many, to be honest.”

“They’re difficult. They’re hot. They’re stressful. Feels like you’re pulling teeth every single hole you play.”

“This week, I’ve changed my mindset. I’m here to enjoy my golf this week, to play freely, to go out and just go play golf. If I hit it in the rough, I hit it in the rough.”

“I’m going to try and make par the hard way and just don’t get too bogged down with it.”

You can not win a Major in the first round, but you can certainly lose it; Rory McIlroy, +10 over par today, Jason Day +9, Jordan Spieth, and Tiger Woods +8, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson +7, have a battle on their hands, will be interesting to see if any of these guys can get up and make the cut.

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