Tom Kim shoots 62 shots to lead Travelers, with world number 1 Scottie Scheffler three shots behind

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) – Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim indulged in pizza to get the better of their shared birthday celebration before turning their focus to golf this week.

As they close out the big day, they’ll battle for the lead in the Travelers Championship.

Kim shot an 8 under par 62 on Thursday in the first round at TPC River Highlands, good for a two-stroke lead in the final limited field, a no-cut signature event on this year’s PGA Tour schedule. Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, was tied for sixth, three shots back.

Kim turns 22 on Friday and Scheffler is exactly six years older. Dallas-area residents marked the occasion in advance by driving about 30 miles south to Sally’s, a New Haven institution.

“I ate a lot of pizza,” Kim said. “I wouldn’t do that during a tournament, but it’s my birthday and it’s kind of a tradition. Me, Scottie, we have the same birthday, so we celebrated an early birthday.

Kim birdied the final two holes to separate herself from four players tied for minus-6 on the 6,835-yard, par-70 course: Rickie Fowler, Akshay Bhatia, Kurt Kitayama and Will Zalatoris.

Scheffler was one of seven players at 5 under, looks like the best player in the world again a week after finishing tied for 41st at Pinehurst No. 2 – his worst performance of the year. Wyndham Clark, who finished 56th in his US Open defense, shot back again at 4 under.

Scheffler has five wins already this year and has missed the top 10 just twice – including last week, when he posted his worst finish in nine majors since missing the cut at the 2022 PGA Championship.

“I definitely feel like I’m swinging a lot better than I did last week,” he said. “It’s fun to come out here on familiar surfaces, hit some good putts and see some balls go in.”

Kim was even par, finishing tied for ninth through 54 holes at Pinehurst before closing with a 76 to finish tied for 26th. On Thursday, with temperatures in the mid-90s and little wind, he had five birdies on the back nine of a bogey-free round.

“It was obviously a tough day on Sunday, but it wasn’t like I played bad,” he said. “It wasn’t a bad week, but a bad lap cost me the week. … That gives me the confidence to go out there and actually play well and just try to keep riding this momentum.

Kim’s slump lasted one round. Scheffler’s disease may clear up after a week. Fowler hopes to snap out of a season-long skid.

The six-time PGA Tour winner has just one top 25 finish this year and none in the top 10. But he can console himself with the knowledge that things aren’t as bad as they were during a four-year winless drought . which ended last year in Detroit.

“I try not to go back to that time too much,” Fowler said. “Certainly not as bad as a few years ago, but there are similarities. Now that I’ve experienced that, dealt with it and finally been able to play well again, I can handle almost anything.”

Fowler saved par after hitting his drive into the Rough on the first hole, and he thinks it might have been the kickstart he needed. He followed that up with back-to-back birdies in a bogey-free round.

“Sometimes I would almost rather do that than birdie the first hole because it’s all downhill from there,” he said. “So yeah, I’m off to a good start. I started to see some balls going in, and making putts frees up the rest of the game so you don’t feel like you have to be perfect.

Zalatoris birdied five of the first six holes on the back nine – and eight of the 10 holes that made the turn – to briefly appear at 7 under. He bogeyed the 157-yard, par-3 16th, flew over the green on his tee shot and then two-putted from 15 yards.

With an 8-footer for birdie and sole possession of the lead at No. 18, Zalatoris moved the ball wide right.

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