The day of the move into the Travelers Championship started early on Saturday in Round 3, as the departure times were moved to try to avoid the afternoon weather. Dustin Johnson took advantage of his best round on the PGA Tour and gave an already good leaderboard an extra blow.
The DJ round was tied for the top of the day, but several other players also went deep to prepare for a Sunday boost to win the third PGA Tour event since a three-month hiatus in the competition. Let’s take a look at why DJ shot up on Saturday and what Sunday finale he might have in store.
1. Brendon Todd (-18) – Todd made 12 (!!) 3s on Saturday and hit 41 of 42 streets this week. Both numbers feel impossible, but both are behind their two-shot lead before Sunday. How about this scenario? Only Justin Thomas, Webb Simpson, and Todd have multiple wins on the PGA Tour this season. If Todd wins on Sunday, he will be the only player with three wins. In a season shortened by a pandemic with just one major championship, it is plausible to think that Todd could be competing for the PGA Tour Player of the Year and actually win the award with a win on Sunday and a great performance at the PGA Championship. . If you had told me this time last year that Brendon Todd would have the inside track at POY and that Tiger Woods would be the reigning champion of the Masters, I’m not sure what would have been more incredible.
2. Dustin Johnson (-16) – DJ also made 12 triples on Saturday in a third-round 61 to get closer to the top of the standings. He’s finally hitting him like we expect DJ to hit him, and as a result he’s 2-1 to win the event before the final round. Due to its immense power and shot-shaping ability, the DJ torque on this course is likely to be around 68. Take the 277-yard 15th par hole, for example. How many clubs does a DJ have that will go 277 yards? On Saturday, he drove him 27 feet from the passer just off the green and got up and down easily for a birdie. While it is difficult to be consistent at a high level on a short haul, especially with his irons, his iron set has been off for the past three days and he has only made a bogey in his last 42 holes. He is the player to beat on Sunday.
3. Kevin Streelman (-15), 4. Mackenzie Hughes (-14) – I was very impressed with how Hughes has endured since shooting 60 the first day. It’s easy to kick out of that number after shooting the round of your life, but it’s made it a real shot at winning the second time on the PGA Tour.
S5 Bryson DeChambeau, Kevin Na (-13) – Bryson sneaked a 65 with two birdies in his last four holes, while the broadcast team opined whether he would try to drive the 17th hole of the par 4 for 418 yards. He’s in the perfect position on Sunday to let the driver run on every hole he plays over 320 yards, and that’s a drama I won’t miss. Although his last 36 holes have been pretty smooth, he’s still in an excellent position to post something spicy on Sunday and win. Anyway, it looks like his top 10 streak will probably hit six and, more importantly, he’s getting validation for his new game (even in inappropriate courses!) After gaining all that weight during the break from three months.
T7 Scott Stallings, Seung-Yul Noh, Patton Kizzire, Abraham Ancer, Phil Mickelson (-12) – Mickelson finally approached the full Mickelson on Saturday when he hit a ball out of a bunker in the last nine on the train tracks. It was a difficult day for Mickelson, who fell off the tee to the green and lost shots from the tee and on approach shots. I had a lot of questions about whether Lefty could exist at the level he existed in in terms of hitting, and we all got answers on Saturday about how that’s going to go.
T13 Charley Hoffman, Kyle Stanley, Viktor Hovland, Zach Johnson, Brendan Steele, Will Gordon (-eleven) – Again, Hovland and Johnson are tied after three rounds of a PGA Tour event is surprising given their differences in style. Talk about a good course that identifies which complete game is the best.
T18 Rory McIlroy (-10) – Rory’s chances of winning seemed to sink with the ball he hit in the water at No. 15. He came out of two birdies in a row and had a real chance of running his number to 14 or 15 upon returning home. But a poor tee shot led to a lackluster finish, and now, barring something ridiculous, he’s too far behind with too many players in front of him for a real shot at winning this weekend.
Three takeaway food
• I love the finale at TPC River Highlands. The last four holes are TV’s that everyone should watch when the leaders play them. Not exactly breaking news, but it’s one of the best closing stages on the PGA Tour.
• We say this about several of the best players, but when the DJ is galloping and seems easy, I’m not sure someone has made it seem easier than him. That’s especially true in a short course where you can hold back even more than you already do. A delight to experience.
• The ongoing conversations taken by the microphones because there are no fans present are still amazing. On Saturday I caught one with Lefty that was rough with a tree in the front right. She was trying to describe to her brother and caddy, Tim, how she was going to try to shape the shot and how a variety of stick faces (woods, planks) could affect it. I couldn’t have enough.
CBS Sports was with you the entire time updating this story with the latest scores, updates and highlights below. Check out live scores at the top of this story or a more detailed leaderboard.
