– Tommy Fleetwood (-16) has taken a very important step in the long-awaited attempt to finally achieve his first victory on the PGA Tour, after more than 150 tournaments played on this circuit (including majors and WGC) and, above all, after having come close too many times and being the PGA Tour player without a win who has accumulated the most top ten finishes (41) since 1983. Today he signed a 63 and tomorrow he will play the fourth round of the Travelers with a three-shot lead over his closest pursuers, Russell Henley (-13), who recorded the best score of the day (61), and Keegan Bradley (-13).
– This time, it has to be Tommy’s week, having barely signed a bogey in 54 holes at the TPC River Highlands (Cromwell, Connecticut) and today really showing himself to be unassailable, a prodigy of reliability: he hit all the fairways, only missed three greens in regulation, made all his recoveries (3/3), and was also very sharp on the greens, with special mention to that twenty-metre putt he holed for birdie on the 5th hole, or that other eagle putt on the 13th from about ten metres.
– It remains to be seen how the Englishman manages the dance of ghosts that will undoubtedly take place in his head before and during the final round… And it’s not just the ghosts: if Russell Henley plays on Sunday with the irons and wedges as he did this Saturday, the leader will still have to suffer because the exhibition from the Georgian from the fairway was tremendous in the third round: he made nine birdies and the longest putt he had to make to convert them was not even five metres long, so close did he leave the balls to the hole. Apocalyptic from this player, who always seems to start from a second or third line, but who is building an outstanding career and who, among other things, could take a significant step this week towards the goal of making it into a Ryder Cup for the first time.
– The star match on Saturday was a fabulous draw for the fans, but it really ended up being one of the disappointments of the year. Justin Thomas (-6) and Scottie Scheffler (-7) seemed to be competing at times to see who could get into a more complicated mess and both ended up signing cards over par, dropping down the leaderboard and losing any chance of victory. It was the first time that the World Number One has put together a triple bogey and a double bogey in the same round (on the PGA Tour), although despite everything he was fighting until the end to at least save par with the course, which he would have achieved had he not missed two short putts in the final stretch, one for birdie on the 15th hole and another to save par on the 16th. One way or another, this guy always ends up amazing you: he comes from playing probably his worst round of the year, in terms of control and inconsistency, but he signs a 72, which is not a disaster either and, above all, he is still in the top ten of the tournament.
– Keegan Bradley deserves a separate mention. His attitude on the course, every time he goes out to play, is that of a captain ready to carry the banner. It’s what in some parts of Spain is called a ‘motivao’, said this time in the best sense, because the nickname carries a certain derogatory or mocking connotation. Indeed: Bradley is pure walking motivation. He has never been a prodigy at closing tournaments, but there he is in the last Signature Event of the season, with three rounds played and still in a position to claim victory and make the dream of being a player-captain in the next Ryder come true. He is falling a bit behind in the standings, but a win this week, rich in points, would once again boost his chances.
