CROMWELL, Conn. — Jordan Spieth altered his schedule with one eye toward his return to Royal Birkdale and another on his standing in the FedEx Cup.
For only the second time in the 11 years since he last won the John Deere Classic, Spieth is returning to the Deere and will skip the Scottish Open the following week.
“I wanted to add an event,” Spieth said Sunday after the Travelers Championship. “I thought unless I went to Birkdale before the Scottish, I’m not going to get in until Sunday night. The majors this year, I’ve liked the ones I’ve been to early and played prior to the week, just because the practice rounds are brutal. So the plan was to do that early.”
Instead of the Scottish Open - he has missed the cut his past two times - he plans to arrive at Royal Birkdale on the weekend. The Lancashire links where he delivered a dynamic finish to win in 2017 is slightly different. The fifth hole has been reshaped. Plus, the par-5 15th is now the 14th hole, and a new par-3 15th hole follows.
But there’s more, of course.
“I’m around 50th in the FedEx Cup, and that’s a big deal,” Spieth said. “Now I’ll do the Deere, potentially Minnesota (the week after the British Open) and potentially Greensboro (the final regular-season event).
PHOTOS: Spieth returns to John Deere with an eye on Royal Birkdale practice and FedEx Cup standings
He tied for 66th in the 72-man field at the Travelers, one week after he tied for 56th in the U.S. Open. That dropped him out of the top 50 to No. 52. And it’s a big deal. The top 50 are in all the signature events for 2027, and last year Spieth finished 54th.
The waiting game for caddie Eric Larson
Harris English is looking forward to the British Open as much as any tournament all year. He first played links golf when he was part of the U.S. Walker Cup team at Royal Aberdeen. He was runner-up by four shots a year ago to Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush.
His caddie, Eric Larson, is still hopeful to join him.
Larson was denied entry last year when UK government officials did not approve his Electronic Travel Authority visa, a regulation that applies to Americans. Grounds for refusal include serving 12 months or more in prison for a criminal offense.
Larson some 30 years ago pleaded guilty to sending cocaine to friends in the Midwest and spent 10 years and three months in prison. He was released from a halfway house in June 2006 and resumed caddying on the PGA Tour. He has worked three Ryder Cups for different players.
Asked his status Sunday at the Travelers Championship, Larson said, “Not sure yet - TBD.” But he remained hopeful.
“It’s a good application. I added some more letters of support and countered their reasons to denying me last year,” Larson said. “I don’t know why they haven’t answered yet. I had it expedited. They said it was under review.”
A difference in perspective on big moments
Scottie Scheffler was five shots behind and in the final group with Wyndham Clark going into the final round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. At stake was the career Grand Slam.
Nelly Korda was four shots behind in a tie for sixth going into the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as she tried to win the third leg of the calendar Grand Slam, something only Inbee Park had done in on the modern LPGA.
Their outlook was different.
From Scheffler on Saturday afternoon going into the final round: “I think it’s appropriate to understand what’s at stake. I’ve worked really hard for a long time to have a chance to win golf tournaments and to win major championships. Yeah, I think understanding the moment and giving it your best shot is all part of the process.”
From Korda on Sunday after she tied for eighth: “You guys made that such a big thing. I didn’t think about that, no. I was just kind of disappointed in the way that I played this week, not that I came up short really. I was just thinking about the way that I played, not like the realistic big picture that everyone is talking about.”
The magic number is in a drought
Scottie Scheffler needed to birdie one of the last two holes at The Travelers Championship to shoot 59. His last chance was a 25-foot birdie on the final hole that narrowly missed.
Golf now heads into July without anyone on any recognized tour around the world having posted golf’s magic number or better. That only stands out considering someone has shot 59 or better every year since 2012.
There have been 30 sub-60 rounds in the past five years alone. It’s a product of the standard rising, as in any sport, and more opportunities in more tours around the world.
There were eight sub-60s rounds last year, nine of them in 2024 and six in 2023. Scheffler was close to joining Jim Furyk as the only player with two rounds in the 50s.
Now it’s on to the John Deere Classic, which has produced two 59s in tournament history - Paul Goydos in 2010 and Hayden Springer in 2024.
Welcome to the British Open links
Xander Schauffele might be able to relate to Bobby Jones in one aspect.
Jones famously tore up his scorecard at St. Andrews in his British Open debut in 1921, withdrawing from the championship in the third round. Schauffele made his debut at Royal Birkdale in 2017. It apparently did not start well.
Schauffele and his caddie, Austin Kaiser, recall having a 1-iron in the bag.
“I shanked it twice,” Schauffele said. “And then I shanked it again on the next hole. I said (to Kaiser), ‘I’ve never broke a club.’ Kaiser grabs it and breaks it over his knee and says, ‘We’re not using this anymore.’”
Schauffele finished the story and Kaiser shrugged and said, “We had to keep the streak going.”
Divots
The Travelers Championship was the second time this year Scottie Scheffler shot 259 over 72 holes and failed to win. The other was The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. … Corey Conners registered his first top 10 of the year when he tied for seventh in the Travelers Championship. … Marco Penge is playing the BMW International Open in Germany, his first tournament since the PGA Championship when he said he was stepping away to get fully healthy. … The world ranking after this week is the one used for a reserve list at the British Open. Nico Echavarria at No. 52 is the highest-ranked player not already in the field for Royal Birkdale.
Stat of the week
Collin Morikawa, who turned pro in 2019, crossed the $50 million mark in career PGA Tour earnings with this third-place finish in the Travelers Championship.
Final word
“Whether I win or lose or whatever, I just want to play good golf and have fun out here again.” - Viktor Hovland after winning the Travelers Championship.
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