Travelers Championship 2015: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Thursday

After several golfers struggled to combat rugged greens and difficult course conditions during the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay last weekend, some of golf's biggest names are seeking redemption at the Travelers Championship.      

Played at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, the Travelers has already proved to offer more favorable scoring conditions than the relatively unknown Chambers Bay.

"It's a relief, to be honest with you," Bradley said following his round, according to ESPN.com's Jason Sobel. "I think you'll see a lot of guys up on top of the leaderboard that played last week. The greens are perfect, and you're ready to come out and make birdies. After last week, you're just begging for par, so it's a nice change of pace."

With one round in the books, Bubba Watson resides atop the leaderboard after shooting eight under (62) to distance himself from Keegan Bradley, Brian Stuard, Harris English and Seung-Yul Noh, who each owns a share of second place at six under. Watson's 62 represented a career-best round at the Travelers. 

Position	Golfer	Total	Round 1 Score
1	Bubba Watson	-8	62
T2	Seung-Yul Noh	-6	64
T2	Keegan Bradley	-6	64
T2	Brian Stuard	-6	64
T2	Harris English	-6	64
T7	Zach Johnson	-5	65
T15	Ernie Els	-4	66
T15	Padraig Harrington	-4	66
T27	Paul Casey	-3	67
T27	Sergio Garcia	-3	67
T27	Billy Horschel	-3	67
T27	Patrick Reed	-3	67
T50	Brandt Snedeker	-2	68
T113	Louis Oosthuizen	+1	71
T122	Hunter Mahan	+2	72
T122	Vijay Singh	+2	72
T139	Kevin Na	+3	73

Ping Golf provided a comprehensive overview of Watson's round after he wrapped things up with a birdie on 18: 

Bradley, who started his round on the back nine, put together a clean scorecard to start his day. He recorded his first birdie on the par-five 13th and notched birdies on the 15th, 16th and 18th before making the turn.

There was one minor blemish on his scorecard, which came via a bogey on the par-four fourth. However, Bradley didn't let that faze him. The 29-year-old closed out his round with two more birdies over the final five holes.

Then there was Watson, who combined his ever-impressive driver with some stellar putting in order to gain serious momentum entering Friday's round. 

The highlights were plentiful for Watson, but we can't discuss his round without breaking down improvisation on the ninth hole. 

According to Golf Channel, Watson used his booming ability off the tee to take an unconventional route and make birdie on the 406-yard par-four ninth: 

"Instead of bunting it down the fairway, Watson smashed a 354-yard drive over the dogleg and in front of the green," Golf Channel explained. "He got up-and-down for birdie and a four-under-par opening nine."

Three holes later, Watson rattled home an 18-foot putt from off the green at the par-four 12th for his fifth birdie of the afternoon: 

Based on Watson's past performances at the Travelers—and River Highlands—it shouldn't come as a surprise the lefty is shaping up to compete for the championship. Not only has he compiled five top-15 finishes at River Highlands over the course of his career, but he won the Travelers back in 2010 with a 14-under showing.

Unlike many of Thursday's leaders, South African Louis Oosthuizen put together a strong showing at the U.S. Open, tallying second- and third-round scores of 66 prior to posting a final-round 67 to finish with a share of second place at four under. However, that success didn't translate to Thursday, when he finished one over thanks to a bogey on the ninth. 

While Oosthuizen struggled to make birdies, Zach Johnson did not. Like Watson and Bradley, Johnson used Thursday to wipe Chambers Bay from his memory after shooting 15 over following a 78 last Saturday and a 73 on Sunday. 

His approach shots were lethal all day, including this pinpoint look from 146 yards out to set up a birdie on the par-four 17th:

It was only one round, but if Thursday was any indication, the top of the leaderboard at the Travelers should be jam-packed all weekend long with big hitters as Watson seeks to capture his first PGA Tour victory since last November.