Scheffler Fires 60 to Lead Travelers by 2 Shots

Q: As scores continue to plummet, is golf's legendary sub-60 round losing its once-mythical status on tour?

Yes — a sub-60 round is still rare, but it is no longer as mythical on the PGA Tour as it once was. The evidence is both statistical and cultural. There have now been 14 rounds of 59 or better on Tour, and Jim Furyk has gone even lower with a 58 at TPC River Highlands in 2016. Jake Knapp shot 59 as recently as last year, and on Friday at the Travelers Championship Scottie Scheffler posted a 60 while Viktor Hovland shot 61 on the same course in soft, calm morning conditions. When multiple players are threatening 59 in the same round, the feat inevitably feels less untouchable. Players themselves are signaling that shift. Scheffler, who already owns a 59 from 2020, joked that a 59 at River Highlands would not even be the course record because Furyk shot 58 there. His remark that Furyk “takes away a little bit of the special 59” captures how the benchmark has changed. A 59 is still elite, but it is no longer the absolute outer edge of what Tour golf can produce. That does not mean sub-60 has become ordinary. It still requires exceptional putting, near-flawless execution and, often, receptive conditions. Scheffler gained nearly five shots on the field with the putter in his 60, and he still needed a near-miss on the last green to fall short. What has changed is context: better players, better equipment, sharper analytics and more scoreable setups have made sub-60 more imaginable — even if it remains one of golf’s hardest achievements.

Q: After more record-low scores, is the historic TPC River Highlands course now too easy for today's top golfers?

Yes — the evidence suggests TPC River Highlands is vulnerable to being overpowered by today’s elite players, especially in soft, calm conditions, even if it still offers strategic interest. The latest proof is Scottie Scheffler’s 60, one shot from a second career sub-60 round, on a day when Viktor Hovland shot 61 and Akshay Bhatia 62. Scheffler’s 124 total through 36 holes set a new tournament record. This is not an isolated case at River Highlands: Jim Furyk shot the PGA Tour’s record 58 here in 2016, and Patrick Cantlay had a 60 as an amateur in 2011. Keegan Bradley also set the tournament’s 72-hole scoring record in 2023. The course’s basic profile explains why. At roughly 6,840 yards and par 70, it is short by modern PGA Tour standards. With today’s distance, improved equipment and softer setups, many players can attack it with short irons and wedges. Rory McIlroy said in 2023 that technology had “passed this course by” and called it “obsolete” in those conditions. That said, “too easy” is not the whole story. TPC River Highlands still demands precision, smart angles and nerve, especially on the risk-reward closing stretch around holes 15 through 17. The Tour and course officials have already made changes to several holes, and players such as McIlroy said those updates improved the test. So the fairest answer is that River Highlands remains a popular, entertaining venue, but in favorable weather it no longer consistently defends itself against the modern top player.

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 26

Scottie Scheffler reached 16 under after a 10-under 60, taking a two-shot lead through two rounds at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
The world No. 1 made 11 birdies and one bogey, then missed a 26-foot birdie putt at 18 that would have given him a second career 59.
Viktor Hovland stayed closest at 14 under with a bogey-free 61, while Akshay Bhatia and Eric Cole shared third at 12 under after rounds of 62 and 65.
Matt Fitzpatrick sat at 10 under after closing with two bogeys in his last three holes, with Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood another shot back.
Scheffler, already a 20-time Tour winner and four-time major champion, said he does not expect to keep that pace but will focus on execution over the weekend.