Travelers Championship Wrapup
It took more than Hunter Mahan’s sweet swing to win him the Travelers Championship.
He needed his putter.
Back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes led Mahan to trail Nationwide Tour member Jay Williamson by one stroke entering the final hole.
Williamson was one putt away from his first PGA Tour victory after his approach to the 18th green landed 12 feet from the cup. With Mahan only 8 feet away, Williamson could not convert the putt and the attention turned to the 25-year-old.
Mahan, who held the lead for most of the day after a bogey on the opening hole by Williamson, made the 8 footer for birdie and sent the final pairing of the day back to the 18th hole.
Both players took dead aim at the pin on the right side. Mahan again was the one applying the pressure on 18 when he put his second shot within gimme range on the 73rd hole. Not to be forgotten, Williamson gave himself a chance when his approach settled only seven feet from the hole.
Williamson’s final putt was pushed on the right side of the cup as his seven footer went begging. With Mahan in kick-in range, Williamson tidied up his fourth shot to set the stage for Mahan.
Mahan could have blown his putt in to seal his first PGA Tour win--he choose to putt his way into the winner’s circle.
Sunday’s finish was the best finish for the two playoff contenders. Mahan improved on his second place finish from a year ago at the Travelers Championship and Williamson bested his tie for third place at the 2003 BellSouth Classic.
The second place finish was huge for Williamson. The $648,000 pay day almost assuredly secured him his Tour card for next year.
This has not been a bad year so far for Williamson. Entering this week, he was the seventh leading money getter on the Nationwide Tour helped in part by his win at the Fort Smith Classic. His check for $648,000 was more than five times his total winnings on the Nationwide Tour in 12 starts.
Look for Mahan’s winning ways to continue. He has won at every level of his golfing career from the junior ranks to college to now on the PGA Tour. He has the swing to drive the ball straight and long and clearly has a flair for the dramatic as we saw this past weekend...with a little help from his putter.
Next week the PGA Tour travels to Congressional CC for the inaugural AT&T National. AT&T will partner with Tiger Woods to sponsor the event which will benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation. Check-in with hookedongolf.com all next week for updates and results.
