Travelers Championship notes: 2022 champion Xander Schauffele feeling fatigue, only three shots back

CROMWELL – Xander Schauffele knows his way around the TPC River Highlands course, where he won the Travelers Championship in 2022.But on Friday, with little gas left in the tank, fatigue accelerated by humidity and temperatures in the low 90s, he pushed through a bit uncomfortably.Still, the No. 2 golfer in the world posted his second-consecutive 5-under 65 and, at 10-under through two rounds, sits just three shots from Tom Kim’s lead (13-under) heading into the weekend.“I’m playing with what I got. I know this property pretty well, it can be rewarding with good golf shots, but I feel like I’m just trying to — I’m trying to play golf to the best of my ability and that’s kind of what I’ve done the last two days,” he said.  “I don’t have all the shots I feel like I can hit comfortably. I putted pretty well for the most part, I missed one short putt I think (Friday), other than that it was pretty solid. Just need to get in some rhythm coming into this weekend and give myself some good looks.”With the run Schauffele has been on over the last few months, it makes sense that he’s tired.He has 11 top 10 finishes on the season, seven in his last nine competitions and four in a row. That includes a second-place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship which was followed by a major win in the PGA Championship the next week. He finished eighth in the Memorial Tournament and in a tie for seventh at last weekend’s U.S. Open.“I think I was in a little bit of denial. This is probably the most in contention I’ve ever been in my life through a pretty hot stretch of golf. I think I’m probably more worn down than I thought I was; than I wanted to admit to my team,” Schauffele said. “I think I got tired once everyone told me that I looked tired. I felt like I was fine. It’s a lot of golf and, yeah, I think not playing this afternoon for myself is going to be helpful to sort of rest up and get ready for the weekend.”At 10-under par 130, Schauffele is four strokes behind what he shot in the first two rounds when he won in 2022. He finished that tournament at 19-under after shooting 67 and 68 in the final two rounds, respectively.He finished his round around 2 p.m. Friday, the sun beating down as he recorded his second bogey of the day on No. 17 and saved par on No. 18. He plans to get some rest and cool down before beginning his third round Saturday afternoon.“It’s been an amazing month for me – a few months, actually. For us golfers it’s like a drug to be in contention. It’s an awesome feeling. It’s why we practice, it’s why we play the game, at least speaking for myself. Having a lot of opportunities to be in that final group on Sunday, even though I haven’t gotten it done very often, only once, actually, in the last two years, is all I could ask for,” he said.Viktor Hovland looks on as Collin Morlkawa putts at the 17th green during the second round of the 2024 Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on Friday, June 21, 2024. Morlkawa finished 11 under par. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)The Hovland experienceViktor Hovland, entering the day 2-under playing with the scorching hot Collin Morikawa, put together a whirlwind of a sequence on the ninth hole.While Morikawa waited to finish off the front nine with his sixth birdie of the day, Hovland sailed his second shot to the TV tower behind the green after a monster drive set him up just 62 yards from the hole. He heard compliments on his bright salmon pants as he approached the ball, which landed next to a TV microphone in the rough. Frustrated, Hovland grabbed the microphone, tossed it out of the way, and hit a line drive with his third shot, right into the steep mound before the edge of the green.Hovland saved par with a remarkable chip, flipped his club this time in relief as the ball rolled into the hole and the impressed gallery let him hear it.He wasn’t able to continue momentum through the rest of his round, finishing even par and 2-under through 36 holes. Morikawa matched his own nine-hole scoring record with a 6-under 29 on the front nine, jumping into second on the leaderboard. The field was still chasing Kim.Akshay Bhatia putts at the 15th green during the second round of the 2024 Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on Friday, June 21, 2024. Bhatia finished 11 under par.(Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)Drinking contest on the course?Akshay Bhatia and his caddie, John Limanti, have been drinking.In the heat wave, temperatures into the mid-90s to start the tournament, the 22-year-old and his veteran caddie have been competing to see who could drink the most water during their round.“I’m winning,” Bhatia said. “I’m probably drinking seven, eight bottles of water a day and then mix that with electrolytes hydration stuff, so it’s a fun battle, it’s good to keep us on our toes about that.”Bhatia followed his 6-under 64 in the first round by shooting 5-under 65 in the second, vaulting him into a tie for second, two strokes behind the leader, Kim. Limanti has had success at the Travelers in his own career as caddie for Chris Stroud, who finished second in 2013 after losing in a playoff.Notable scoresBefore a thunderstorm suspended play at 4:11 p.m. on Friday, Shane Lowry had four holes left to play and had just improved his score to 8-under with an eagle on No. 13, tying Robert MacIntyre for the day’s best. Play was scheduled to resume later Friday, at 7:25 p.m. … Webb Simpson and Michael Thorbjornsen each followed a 2-over 72 in the first round with a 6-under 64 in the second to get to 4-under through 36 holes. … The worst score through two rounds is Justin Rose’s 7-over 147.

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