Travelers Championship 2022: Xander Schauffele Holds Off J.T. Poston to Earn Win
June 26, 2022
Xander Schauffele didn't save his best golf for last, but he did just enough Sunday to secure a victory at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
He held off a surging J.T. Poston in the final round, shooting a two-under 68 to finish 19 under for the tournament, two strokes clear of Poston and Sahith Theegala.
Poston shot a blistering 64 in his attempt to mount a comeback, while Theegala shot a 67. Neither was able to quite catch Schauffele.
Schauffele trailed Poston and Rory McIlroy by a stroke after the opening round but pulled to the top of the leaderboard with his second straight 63 on Friday.
He went into the weekend with a comfortable five-stroke margin, though a 67 on Saturday and Sunday's 68 opened the door for his competition.
Birdies on Nos. 4, 6, 11 and most importantly 18 helped him secure the victory.
While Schauffele came up big on the final hole, Theegala's double bogey on the 18th cost him the lead:
Theegala and Poston weren't the only players who gave Schauffele a run for his money. Patrick Cantlay also tied him on No. 2, only to promptly shoot six over the rest of the way and put in a brutal 76.
Jason Sobel @JasonSobelTANThree and a half years in between official individual victories is amazing for a guy of Xander Schauffeleâs talent. Olympic gold, low score at Tour Championship and a Zurich team win in the meantime, but heâs finally back in the winnerâs circle at the Travelers Championship.
It was Schauffele's second victory this season after the Zurich Classic and his sixth win on the PGA Tour.
The other major story Sunday was the play of amateur Michael Thorbjornsen, who shot his second straight 66 and finished fourth (-15).
"I was saying earlier how Collin [Morikawa], I played a practice round with him," the 20-year-old told reporters Saturday. "I was trying to pick his brain a little bit on like how to be so good and he said to really try and do whatever it takes to be comfortable out there and understand that it's just another round of golfâthat everyone's human, basically. Those guys are just really good. Try and forget about that and just play your game."
Thorbjornsen did just that, impressing just a week after missing the cut at the U.S. Open. His was an excellent story Sunday, but the day ultimately belonged to Schauffele.