Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas display resilience at the Travelers Championship

CROMWELL, Conn. – For a pair of PGA TOUR players whose stars have shined bright for many years, it’s arguably more fascinating to watch how Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas have handled the bumps and bruises along the way with such decorum.

The “bumps and bruises” can be measured in different sizes for them, of course. For Thomas, a former world. No. 1 who is currently 18th in the OWGR, it’s been a choppy 2023 campaign. For Fowler, the last few years have been far below his standards.

But for each of them, what transpired in Saturday’s third round of the Travelers Championship did wonders for their psyches – not to mention improve their chances to win this week’s Designated event and the attached $20 million purse.

One week after matching the low U.S. Open score - a 62 at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course - Fowler blitzed TPC River Highlands with a 10-under 60, establishing his lowest PGA Tour round. He made five birdies on his first nine, and three birdies and a chip-in eagle on his second nine.

Thomas – playing in the first threesome off the 10th tee on a day when times were pushed back because of heavy morning rain – was nearly as brilliant. Driving it beautifully and stuffing tee shots all day (he birdied three of the four par-3s), Thomas made nine birdies and tossed down a seemingly effortless 62 to give himself a reason to smile after a round for the first time in a while.

“My scores by about 50,” said Thomas with light-hearted sarcasm when asked what has changed for him this week. But he knew he didn’t have to elaborate after his performance at last week’s U.S. Open, leaving him miles outside the cut line and deeply discouraged with ounds of 73-81.

How painful was it for Thomas?

“That honestly hurt a lot less than it did at Augusta, missing (the cut) by one with a bogey at the last hole,” he said.

Then again, when the conversation centers around a missed cut at the Masters, an 81 at the U.S. Open, and could also include a pair of 75s for a MC at the Memorial and just two top 10s in his past 14 tournaments, well . . . Thomas said its tested his patience, but he wasn’t yet hitting the panic button.

“I haven’t necessarily tried to do anything different (with my swing),” said Thomas. “I’m working on the same stuff. Obviously, more confidence (with his 64-62 efforts the last two days) and I am actually having fun playing golf, which is something I haven’t been able to say for a while.”

Speaking of “for a while,” Fowler was once ranked 152nd in the world when he left the Travelers Championship. For the 2020-21-22 seasons, Fowler struggled mightily; he missed the cut in 24 of his 60 starts and had only four top 10s.

Never did he run and hide, though. He always faced the questions.

This year, the inquiries are of a different flavor, most of them talking about his resurgence. (He’s up to No. 35 in the Official World Golf Ranking and is a rock-solid 17th in the FedExCup standings with seven top 10s.)

But Fowler is masterful at keeping things calm.

“It’s still a work in progress,” he said. “But it continues to get better and better.”

Saturday was as close to flawless as you can get, with so much brilliance he was left standing over a 125-yard wedge shot into the ninth green, his final hole, with a chance to shoot the 13th sub-60 score in PGA TOUR history. He knocked it to 13 feet and was hole high but was unfortunately a foot into light rough.

“It started right where it landed and we thought the ball was going to drift a few yards (left),” said Fowler, shrugging his shoulders. Yes, he was slightly disappointed not to have shot 59 (he did get it up-and-down for 60) but Fowler can handle the ebbs and flows of the game as well as anyone in his profession.

For instance, last week at the U.S. Open, Fowler opened with a 62 and acquitted himself beautifully on a demanding LA North. He was 10-under and tied for the lead through 54 holes but a first major championship was not in the cards.

On Sunday, Fowler closed with 75 (only three players scored higher) and fell into a tie for fifth. Was he crushed? Disappointed? Disheartened?

“I’m not sure if there is one (word) to really sum it all up,” said Fowler. He felt excited to be in position to win, to play so well on a penal golf course, and then there was the greeting outside the clubhouse.

“Seeing my daughter and wife coming off the 18th (green), a lot of that (disappointment) was behind me.”

Like Thomas, Fowler knew he had another opportunity coming right up. Just days after the U.S. Open in Los Angeles had ended on a down note, the friendly confines of TPC River Highlands and a warm and enthusiastic crowd would embrace them.

“The crowds are always great here,” said Fowler, who knew that gates didn’t open till 10:30 a.m., a half-hour before the first third-round tee time. “(But) I was surprised at how many people were out this morning.”

Thomas, having come into the week 78th in the FedExCup playoffs, which is outside the playoff cutoff, said it was important for him to get back into competition after that 81. Then again, he laughed, “I’m not in a position right now where I can’t play. That’s where I’m at and I’m just trying to make the most of it.”

Fowler would say similarly and there’s no doubt they made some headway with their deep-red efforts Saturday.

Having started the day 10 strokes off the lead and in a share of 41st, Fowler passed 37 competitors throughout the day and finished ith a 15-under 195. He’s T-4, but five behind Keegan Bradley's (64 – 189) lead.

Thomas was nine off the lead when he started the day and given the low-scoring with soft, warm conditions (the field average Saturday was 67.821), his 62 only allowed him to put a small dent into the deficit. He’ll start Sunday T-7, seven back.

“We’ll see,” Fowler said, when asked what the chances were of either he or his friend Thomas chasing down a victory. As Fowler spoke, Bradley still had nine holes to play and likely would go deeper, said Fowler. (Correct assumption; Bradley played the back in 3-under.)

“You just kind of go out there and see what happens,” said Fowler. “But I’m going to need another really good round (Sunday) to give myself a legit shot.”