CROMWELL, Conn. — Scottie Scheffler had one of those rare rounds where he hit a shot so pure it makes his confidence soar.
So many other shots were pretty good, too, and they added up to an 8-under-par 62 to share the lead Thursday with Austin Eckroat in the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship.
The week after a rough-and-tumble U.S. Open was a welcome break for so many at TPC River Highlands, even with the rough just as long (but not quite as thick) as soaked Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.
Rory McIlroy — No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking behind Scheffler — played a bogey-free round for a 66 and didn’t look to break too much of a sweat.
“This is a nice tonic compared to last week in terms of it’s a slightly more benign golf course and the penalty for missing isn’t quite as severe,” said McIlroy, who won the Masters in April to complete the career Grand Slam.