Austin Eckroat fired a bogey-free, 8-under 62, his career-low round, featuring an eagle at the par-5 13th to take a share of the lead at the Travelers Championship.
Eckroat holds his second career 18-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA Tour.
The American has won twice on Tour, at the 2024 Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches and the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship. His best finish in seventeen starts this season was T13 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“Really just felt comfortable with everything. I’ve had a left miss all season, and I think over the last two weeks I’ve been at home, I’ve kind of solved that,” said Eckroat.
“I wasn’t fearing the left ball today, which is huge, and then whenever you’re feeling comfortable with other things, other things start to fall in line.
“Felt great over the putter, and just a really solid day, and I felt confident, which it was nice to feel that this season. It’s been a while.
“It’s funny, a lot of Wednesdays I’ve felt really good going into the tournament and then Thursday comes around and it hasn’t been there. I don’t know if it’s just the stress of playing in a PGA Tour event, but this one, it was nice to feel good on Wednesday and then actually take it into Thursday.”
American world number 1 Scottie Scheffler signed for a 62 having also eagled the 13th and made a bogey at the 17th for his share of the lead.
This is Scheffler’s sixth career 18-hole lead/co-lead on Tour and second this season (The CJ Cup Byron Nelson/Won).
“I did a lot of good stuff. I felt like the conditions were pretty challenging out there, especially late in the day. I was able to hole some nice putts, as well,” said Scheffler.
“I mean, 13, that 3-iron I hit in there was really nice. It was pretty much exactly what I was trying to do. It was kind of one where I had to hit it really solid in order to get it there with the water short, and I just did pretty much exactly what I wanted to and it felt nice.”
The reigning FedExCup Champion leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (4.194). The 16-time PGA Tour winner is in search of a fourth victory of the season (The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the The CJ Cup Byron Nelson).
He is one of two players to win the Travelers Championship and the FedExCup in the same season (Dustin Johnson/2020).
American Wyndham Clark made one bogey and opened with a 64, his second-best score in 23 rounds at TPC River Highlands (63/R4/2023) for a share of third place at 6-under and leads the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (1.761).
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland carded a bogey-free 64, his seventh round of 64 or better in 21 rounds at TPC River Highlands (best: 62/R1/2022) for his share of third place. He has finished in the top-20 in five previous starts at the Travelers Championship (best: T7/2023).
Making his 15th career appearance at the Travelers Championship, 2023 winner Keegan Bradley of the United States is also tied in third place having made one bogey. He has recorded three top-10s at the event (T8/2017, T2/2019, Won/2023).
Last week’s US Open winner J.J. Spaun made two birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey at the par-4 12th for 73 and lies in T63 at 3-over. The last player to win a major and win on Tour the following week was Scottie Scheffler (2024 Masters Tournament, 2024 RBC Heritage).
2017 Travelers Championship winner Jordan Spieth withdrew during the first round with a neck and upper back injury
The Travelers Championship is the last of eight Signature Events during the 2025 PGA Tour Season.
