TPC River Highlands Course Record: Who Holds The Lowest Score At The Travelers Championship?

The Travelers Championship, as it has been known since 2007, is best known for its huge crowds and low scoring at TPC River Highlands one week after the US Open.

The second-best attended event on the PGA Tour calendar - behind the WM Phoenix Open - attracts over 250,000 spectators throughout the week, with a record 400,000 people coming through the gates in Cromwell, Connecticut in 2002.

Once they arrive, fans are regularly treated to plenty of birdies and engaging entertainment. In the tournament's entire history, dating back to 1952, the winning score has been 20-under or lower on nine occasions and the scoring record has been reset multiple times.

Since 2000, the tournament scoring record has been broken twice at TPC River Highlands while the single-round course record has been matched or surpassed on an incredible six occasions in the same timespan.

Notah Begay III shot a seven-under 64 in 2000 before Phil Mickelson's 61 blew that score out of the water the very next year. Renowned putting coach, Brad Faxon shot a 61 on Sunday at the 2005 Buick Championship while 2009 champion, Kenny Perry equalled the number in the first round four seasons later.

However, it was in 2011 that a 19-year-old from UCLA called Patrick Cantlay went one better in just his second PGA Tour start.

During round two, the amateur star catapulted himself into the lead following an outstanding score of 60 at TPC River Highlands.

As well as being an outright course record at the time, Cantlay became the first amateur to shoot a 60 in a PGA Tour event courtesy of no bogeys, an eagle and eight birdies.

Speaking after making three birdies inside his final five holes, Cantlay said: "I hit it really good this afternoon. I only hit a couple bad drives, and they didn’t put me in any trouble. And then on the greens I felt really, really comfortable, and I felt like I could roll almost any putt I had in.”

TPC RIVER HIGHLANDS COURSE RECORD

Unlikely ever to be beaten, Jim Furyk holds the course record at TPC River Highlands thanks to a magical 58 during the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship.

The seventh sub-60 round on the PGA Tour at the time fired Furyk up from almost last to a T5th finish, although it was a 12-under score and technically not as impressive as the American's 13-under 59 at the 2013 BMW Championship.

Coincidentally, Germany's Stephan Jaeger had shot the Korn Ferry Tour's first-ever 58 on his way to winning the Ellie Mae Classic just a week earlier.

Furyk's extraordinary performance was even more surprising given he had actually struggled to just make the cut days prior. He shot a three-over 73 in round one before scraping through on the number via a 66 on Friday.

A two-over total in the third round left him one-over for the tournament and 70th out of 73 players to make it through to the weekend - 16 strokes behind 54-hole leader, Daniel Berger.

With nothing to lose, the 2003 US Open champion teed off early on Sunday alongside Miguel Angel Carballo and made par at the first after missing a 14-footer for birdie.

He then birdied the second and eagled the third via a hole-out from the fairway to reach three-under through three holes before sending a 4-iron to four feet from 206 yards for another gain at the next.

After recording a par at the fifth, Furyk turned in birdies on consecutive holes between the sixth and 12th, moving to 11-under through a dozen holes. Unfortunately for the 17-time PGA Tour winner, he would par five of the closing six to end on 12-under after a number of his approaches left him too much to do.

While 58 was still incredibly impressive, it could have been one stroke better if his seven-foot birdie chance at the 15th hadn't lipped out.

Furyk hit all but one of the 14 fairways at TPC River Highlands - he still made birdie at the seventh anyway - and found all 18 greens in regulation, taking just 24 putts.

Extraordinarily, the round almost didn't exist because Carballo incorrectly marked Furyk down for a birdie three at the 14th hole. Thankfully, the Argentine noticed before submitting the scorecard and changed it, avoiding a disqualification for the man who ended up three strokes behind winner, Russell Knox.

JIM FURYK 58 SCORECARD AT TPC RIVER HIGHLANDS