Vincent Publishing - Index

Vincent Publishing - 2008 Travelers Championship Magazine - Index

PHOTOS: (TOP ROW, L-R) DAVID
TOMS, HUNTER MAHAN, CHRIS
DIMARCO.
(RIGHT) JAY WILLIAMSON.
22 This is the new era.
The course record is 61, held by four players,
including two-time champion Phil Mickelson.
The momentum carried as Mahan earned his first
PGA TOUR victory on Sunday, winning the inaugural
Travelers Championship in a playoff after making a
two-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat
40-year-old journeyman Jay Williamson.
Mahan, 25, had just one other top-10 finish coming
into the event last year, but ended up with six,
including the win in Hartford, a T5 at THE TOUR
Championship and a T6 at the British Open. He
plays this tournament well, posting a second-place
finish in 2006.
His 71 on Friday was his first round out of the 60s in
this tournament since he shot a 72 during the third
round in 2005.
Mahan lost the lead on the seventh hole, a 443yarder
straight into the teeth of the wind. His drive
landed in a fairway bunker on the right and his
approach dropped about 40 yards short of the
green. Mahan's chip went by the hole about nine
feet and he missed the comeback for par, which
dropped him to 7 under for the tournament, allowing
David Toms and Williamson enough room to take
the second-round lead.
Toms shot a 5-under-par 65 on Friday to move into
the tie at a blustery and rainy Travelers
Championship.
Toms shared the lead at 8 under with Williamson,
who fired a 66 for the second day in a row while
playing in just his second PGA TOUR event of the
year.
Toms, who started on the back nine, went to 9 under
after an eagle on the par-4 second hole, pitching in
his approach from 84 yards. After a 21-minute rain
delay, he bogeyed the seventh hole to fall back into
the tie.
Williamson closed his round by making a birdie on
the 17th and 18th holes while playing into a 25 mph
wind, with gusts at more than 35 mph.
Williamson, ranked seventh on the Nationwide Tour
money list, would earn a PGA TOUR exemption with
a win. At age 40, he said he constantly thinks about
whether playing the game is still worthwhile.
"I've learned that there is one place to play golf for
a living, and that is on this TOUR," he said. "I'd much
rather go to Flint (the next PGA TOUR stop) than
Peek n' Peak (the next Nationwide Tour event)."
Playing Hartford on a sponsor's exemption,
Williamson missed the cut in his other PGA TOUR
appearance at The Honda Classic last March.
Williamson continued his march to his dream on
Saturday, shooting a third-round 67 for a one-stroke
lead over Mahan. If he hangs on, he'll get his TOUR
card back and be the first player to win on the PGA
TOUR and Nationwide Tour in the same year since
Jason Gore in 2005.
"My mind-set all week has been I'm just really happy
to be here," he said. "It's great not being on the
other Tour right now. Now I've really got an
opportunity. If I can get within nine holes left with a
chance, who knows what can happen."
Official Championship Magazine