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Travelers Championship 2020: Dustin Johnson Holds Off Kevin Streelman for Win
June 28, 2020
Dustin Johnson collected his 21st career PGA Tour title Sunday in the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Johnson went three under in the fourth round to finish at 19 under, one shot better than Kevin Streelman. Will Gordon and Mackenzie Hughes tied for third at 17 under.
Johnson now sits tied for 30th in the PGA's all-time wins list, putting him alongside Davis Love III, Willie MacFarlane, Lanny Wadkins and Craig Wood.
Travelers Championship Leaderboard
1. Dustin Johnson (-19)
2. Kevin Streelman (-18)
T3. Will Gordon (-17)
T3. Mackenzie Hughes (-17)
5. Kevin Na (-16)
T6. Ryan Armour (-15)
T6. Brendan Steele (-15)
T6. Patton Kizzire (-15)
T6. Scott Stallings (-15)
T6. Bryson DeChambeau (-15)
Full leaderboard is available on PGATour.com
Last week's RBC Heritage turned into a shootout, with 20 golfers scoring 15 under or better for the tournament.
Sunday's final round was promising to be similarly dramatic given how some of the early competitors finished. Doc Redman and Lucas Glover carded a seven-under 63, while Gordon, Patrick Reed, Russell Henley, Ryan Armour and Rafa Cabrera Bello were all at six under.
Rather than watching the leaders surge past them, though, Gordon was comfortable in the clubhouse as his overall score (17 under) left him in contention throughout the day.
Johnson did his best to keep things interesting with a pair of errant drives on the back nine.
He sliced his tee shot out of bounds on No. 13 and incurred a one-shot penalty. A bogey was a nice recovery but still allowed for Streelman to close the gap in second place.
Then his tee shot on No. 15 landed on the bank of the water hazard to the left of the green. Lining up his approach required a small moderation to his outfit.
Johnson needed three shots to reach the green but made a par save to stay at 20 under.
Inclement weather forced tournament officials to temporarily halt play for an hour.
When Johnson returned, he bogeyed No. 16 to slip to 19 under again and leave the door open for Streelman. Streelman's par on No. 18 meant Johnson remained in a position of strength as he approached the 18th tee.
Streelman could only watch on the monitor as Johnson's drive traveled 351 yards and came to a rest on the left side of the fairway.
Johnson couldn't sink his birdie putt but earned a par to secure the championship.
Brendon Todd caught fire in the third round and shot nine under after performing well through the first two days. His luck ran out Sunday, though.
Todd, who was the leader after 54 holes, opened with 11 straight pars before unraveling on No. 12. His second shot narrowly avoided the bunker and landed to the right of the green. He badly shanked his third shot as it sailed past the hole and into the rough. Things didn't get any better from there as he settled for a triple bogey.
A bogey on No. 14 knocked Todd back to 14 under and ended his quest for a third PGA Tour victory.
Gordon may not have won, but he has plenty to celebrate.
The 23-year-old competed in the Travelers Championship thanks to a sponsor's exemption, and his continued participation in PGA Tour events was far from a given going forward. By finishing third, his immediate future is a little more assured.
No Laying Up @NoLayingUpReminder there's no alternative to qualify for the PGA tour for next year. No KFT Finals, no new cards being issued. Just go out and earn as many points in 7 sponsor's exemptions as the guy that finished 125 on last year's list (adjusted for the canceled events). So difficult.
A pair of incredible putts to close out the tournament meant Hughes earned a share of third with Gordon.
Detroit Golf Club is the PGA Tour's next stop for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Gordon had already accepted a sponsor's invite to the tournament, but thanks to his performance in Connecticut, he won't need it to book a trip to the Motor City.