Kevin Streelman set a PGA Tour record when he birdied the final seven holes for an astonishing one-stroke victory in the Travelers Championship on Sunday.
Streelman erupted from nowhere, one-putting the final 10 holes and storming home in 28 strokes on the back nine to clinch his second tour title with a six-under-par 64 at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
His seven birdies to finish and win is a tour record, supplanting Mike Souchak’s previous mark of six straight from the 1956 St Paul Open.
Mark Calcavecchia holds the record for most consecutive birdies on tour at nine, set at the 2009 Canadian Open.
“It is nuts,” an emotional Streelman told the Golf Channel after finishing at 15-under 265, one stroke ahead of Spaniard Sergio Garcia (67) and South Korean K.J. Choi (67), while Australian Aaron Baddeley (69) bogeyed the last to finish two strokes behind.
“I made a great putt on nine [and] had tough up-and-downs on 10 and 11 [for par]. Those saved the round,” said Streelman, who arrived at the tournament previously known as the Greater Hartford Open in terrible form, having missed four straight cuts.
However, it all came together when he stepped to the 12th tee on Sunday.
“I started flushing it and made a bunch of putts. It was just a dream-come-true back nine,” he said.
Streelman, 35, who bounced around on mini-tours for half a dozen years before making the tour, collected US$1.116 million.
His victory was made even more unlikely by the way he made his closing birdies.
His 35-footer at the 16th looked to be missing to the left, but it curled around almost behind the hole and somehow dropped in.
Then, at the 17th, he almost missed a three-footer, his putt barely sneaking in the side door.
His eight-foot birdie at the final hole was not exactly in the middle, breaking to the right before it dropped.
Meanwhile, Garcia continued his strong form.
“Today I felt like I played quite well,” he said. “I fought hard, gave myself some chances.”
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB