WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – For a change, Tiger Woods got off to a good start.

Woods rebounded from a dismal U.S. Open with a 4-under-par 66 in Thursday’s opening round of The Greenbrier Classic, four shots behind leader Scott Langley.

Helped by a morning rain that softened the Old White TPC course in West Virginia, Woods posted his lowest score of the season and matched his best in relation to par.

It was only the fourth time he shot in the 60s in 21 rounds. None on the first day of a tournament.

“Overall I can’t really say I hit any great shots, but I hit a lot of good ones,” Woods said. “I hit the ball better than what my score indicates.”

Two weeks ago at the U.S. Open, Woods had the highest 36-hole score of his pro career – 156.

Woods came to Greenbrier ranked No. 220 in the world and faced with the prospect of missing cuts in consecutive tournaments for the first time since 1994, when he had not yet turned pro.

For one round, at least, his solid game returned.

“Overall, if you drive the ball well here, you’re going to probably have at least seven shots with 9-iron or below into the greens, and you’re going to have to capitalize on that,” Woods said. “So far I’m one of those guys who did.”

Woods started on the back nine Thursday and birdied three of his first seven holes. He made bogey on the par-5 17th after his drive went into a hazard to the right, and a double bogey from a greenside bunker on the sixth hole left him at 1 under on his round.

Woods said he adjusted his aim later in the round after noticing that playing partners Steve Stricker and David Lingmerth were missing putts on the high side of the hole.

“I lowered my line just a touch, maybe half a ball here and there, and it seemed to pay off,” he said.

Woods finished with three straight birdies, making bending putts of 18 and 19 feet on the final two holes.

“Just trying to get back to 3 (under), and we just happened to pull off a hat trick coming home,” he said.

Jonathan Byrd and Danny Lee were a stroke behind Langley after 7-under 63s. Brian Davis and Ryo Ishikawa were at 64.

Friends Langley and Byrd both said they fed off each other during their morning round. They were tied at 7 under before Langley surged ahead with a short birdie putt at the par-4 16th.

Neither has a top 10 finish this season and both need some solid results to be among the 125 qualifiers for the FedEx Cup playoffs starting in late August.

“I got a little down on myself earlier in the year because the results weren’t really there,” Langley said. “I kind of looked at myself in the mirror and said, you know, at the end of the day, I need to be the most positive guy in the field week in and week out.”

Langley, seeking his first win on the PGA Tour, finished 25th at the Travelers Championship a week ago. He hit 17 greens in regulation in his bogey-free round Thursday.

Byrd is in the tournament on a sponsor’s exemption.

“I’m very thankful just to be in the field this week,” he said.

Leading the way for Canadians in the field was Calgary’s Roger Sloan who shot a 4-under 66, while Graham DeLaet and David Hearn both fired 2-under par.

Fans were certainly glad to see George McNeill and Justin Thomas.

Both made holes-in-one on the par-3 18th, triggering advertised tournament payouts of $100 to fans at the hole for McNeill’s ace and $500 for Thomas’ feat, or a total of about $192,000. The next hole-in-one at any point in the tournament on the 18th would net fans $1,000 apiece.

The tournament also gave McNeill $25,000 and Thomas $50,000 for the charities of their choice.

Oakville, Ont. – Fresh off a victory this past weekend, Bubba Watson has confirmed his intention to compete in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, July 20-26 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Watson outlasted Paul Casey in a two-hole playoff this past Sunday to win the 2015 Travelers Championship, his second PGA TOUR win in 2015 (World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions). The eight-time PGA TOUR winner will be making his sixth RBC Canadian Open appearance and his fourth at Glen Abbey. The long-hitting lefty is currently ranked No. 3 in the world and No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings.

With his addition to the field, Watson will be one of 14 PGA TOUR 2014-15 winners who have confirmed their intention to compete for Canada’s National Championship including Sangmoon Bae (Frys.com Open), Robert Streb (The McGladrey Classic), Charley Hoffman (OHL Classic at Mayacoba), Brooks Koepka (Waste Management Phoenix Open), Alex Cejka (Puerto Rico Open), Matt Every (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard), J.B. Holmes (Shell Houston Open), Chris Kirk (Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial) and Fabian Gomez (FedEx St. Jude Classic).

Team RBC returns to Glen Abbey…

Four of the in-year winners confirmed for Glen Abbey are members of Team RBC including World No. 5 Jim Furyk (RBC Heritage) who is a two-time former Canadian Open champion. Fellow Team RBC member and World No. 8 Jason Day is a two-time winner in 2015 with a victory at the Farmers Insurance Open and partnering with Cameron Tringale to win the Franklin Templeton Shootout. World No. 26 Brandt Snedeker (AT&T Pebble Beach  National Pro-Am) who won the 2013 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey along with Canadian Nick Taylor (Sanderson Farms Championship) round out the list of Team RBC in-year PGA TOUR winners.

Other Team RBC ambassadors set to compete at Glen Abbey include World No. 16 Matt Kuchar, World No. 30 Ryan Palmer, World No. 48 Graeme McDowell, World No. 65 Luke Donald, and World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els. In addition, Canadian Team RBC members Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Adam Hadwin and Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Mike Weir will be among the fan-favourites competing for Canada’s National Open Championship.

“The quality and depth of talent on today’s PGA TOUR has never been stronger and we’re thrilled to welcome World No. 3 Bubba Watson, World No. 5 Jim Furyk and World No. 8 Jason Day among our 14 in-year winners confirmed for this year’s RBC Canadian Open,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “Along with Canadian and international Team RBC athletes, our field is coming together and no doubt, golf fans will be treated to a world-class showcase at Glen Abbey.”

Other notables who have confirmed their intention to compete in the $5.8M RBC Canadian Open include World No. 40 Hunter Mahan; World No. 57 Marc Leishman; two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen; 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover; 2009 Open Championship winner Stewart Cink; 12-time PGA TOUR winner Justin Leonard; nine-time PGA TOUR winner Stuart Appleby and six-time PGA TOUR winner Rory Sabbatini.

Most recent players confirmed to compete in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open include:

Bubba Watson

• Eight-time PGA TOUR winner including the 2015 Travelers Championship
• Two-time Masters champion (2014 & 2012)
• Currently ranked No. 3 in the world and No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings

Jim Furyk

• 17-time PGA TOUR winner
• Two-time  RBC Canadian Open champion (2006 & 2007)
• Currently ranked No. 5 in the world and No. 23 in the FedEx Cup standings

Jason Day

• Three-time PGA TOUR winner
• Currently ranked No. 8 in the world and No. 13 in the FedEx Cup standings

J.B. Holmes

• Four-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2015 Shell Houston Open
• Currently ranked No. 13 in the world and No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings

Matt Kuchar

• Seven-time PGA TOUR winner
• Currently ranked No. 16 in the world and No. 27 in the FedEx Cup standings

Chris Kirk

• Four-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
• Currently ranked No. 17 in the world and No. 19 in the FedEx Cup standings

Brooks Koepka

• 2015 PGA TOUR winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open
• Currently ranked No. 22 in the world and No. 18 in the FedEx Cup standings

Brandt Snedeker

• Seven-time PGA TOUR & 2012 FedEx Cup winner
• 2013 RBC Canadian Open champion
• Currently ranked No. 26 in the world and No. 6 in the FedEx Cup standings

Ryan Palmer                               

• Three-time PGA TOUR winner
• Currently ranked No. 30 in the world and No. 45 in the FedEx Cup Standings

Hunter Mahan

• Six-time PGA TOUR winner
• Withdrew from the 2013 RBC Canadian with the 36-hole lead to be with his wife for the birth of their daughter
• Currently ranked No. 40 in the world and No. 67 in the FedEx Cup standings

Marc Leishman

• Currently ranked No. 57 in the world and No. 75 in the FedEx Cup standings

Charley Hoffman

• Three-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2014 OHL Classic at Mayakoba
• Currently ranked No. 44 in the world and No. 78 in the FedEx Cup standings

Graeme McDowell

• Two-time PGA TOUR winner
• 2010 U.S. Open champion
• Currently ranked No. 48 in the World and No. 152 in the FedEx Cup Standings

Matt Every

• Two-time PGA TOUR winner, including the 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
• Currently ranked No. 55 in the world and No. 51 in the FedEx Cup standings

Luke Donald

• Five-time PGA TOUR winner
• Currently ranked No. 65 in the world and No. 122 in the FedEx Cup Standings

Ernie Els

• 19-time PGA TOUR winner
• Four-time major winner (1994 & 1997 U.S. Open; 2002 & 2012 Open Championship)
• Member of the World Golf Hall of Fame
• Currently ranked No. 107 in the world and No. 172 in the FedEx Cup standings

Graham DeLaet

• Currently the top-ranked Canadian on the World Golf Rankings (No. 78)
• Currently ranked No. 83 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 6^th RBC Canadian Open

David Hearn

• Currently ranked No. 177 in the world and No. 88 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 13^th RBC Canadian Open

Adam Hadwin

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• Topped the 2013-14 Web.com money list
• Currently ranked No. 174 in the world and No. 114 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 6^th RBC Canadian Open (finished T4 in 2011)

Nick Taylor

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship champion (first Canadian to win on PGA TOUR in six years)
• Former World No. 1 Amateur
• Competing in his 3^rd RBC Canadian Open

Mike Weir

• Eight-time PGA TOUR winner
• 2003 Masters champion
• Inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2009
• Competing in his 25^th RBC Canadian Open

Retief Goosen

• Seven-time PGA TOUR winner
• Two-time U.S. Open winner (2004 & 2001)

Lucas Glover

• Three-time PGA TOUR winner
• Winner of the 2009 U.S. Open

Stewart Cink

• Six-time PGA TOUR winner
• Winner of the 2009 Open Championship

Justin Leonard

• 12-time PGA TOUR winner
• Winner of the 1997 Open Championship and 1998 Players Championship

Stuart Appleby

• Nine-time PGA TOUR winner

Rory Sabbatini

• Six-time PGA TOUR winner

Additional player and tournament announcements will be made in the coming weeks. The final field for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open will be released on Friday, July 17, 2015 after 5 p.m. ET.

For information about tickets, FREE 17-and-under junior passes, volunteer opportunities or corporate hospitality for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com.

MILTON, Ont.  – The third and final RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier concluded in fine fashion as Richard (Sunil) Jung fired a 10-under-par 62 to tie the course record at the Copperhead Course at RattleSnake Point Golf Club, in Milton, Ont. The Markham, Ont., product claimed medalist honours to earn an exemption into the 106^th playing of the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, July 20-26, 2015.

Jung opened and closed his round with eagles to accompany seven birdies. He finished four strokes clear of second place to book his first trip to Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.

“This is my first event in six months, my plan was to hit fairways, greens and go for the putts where I could. There were some tricky holes. I had a hard time thinking in the present all day because I was so pumped and having so much fun at the same time,” said Jung, a former member of Canada’s National Development Team from 2009 to 2011.

The 22-year-old recognizes the opportunity before him and is excited to play in his first RBC Canadian Open. “It’s definitely an honour for any Canadian to ever play in the Canadian Open. I’ve had many Monday qualifiers for this event. I’m really thrilled and happy to be able to play the (RBC Canadian) Open, it’s a Canadian’s dream to play in this event.”

A total of 144 players competed in the 18-hole stroke play qualifier at RattleSnake Point Golf Club with 24 players, representing the top-15 per cent of the field and ties (17 competitors at 2-under and seven tied at 1-under), advancing to the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier to be staged Monday, July 20 at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

Daniel Kim of Toronto capitalized on a seven birdie performance to finish T2 at 6-under par. Also tied for second was Mississauga, Ont., native Jonathan Kim-Moss who finished his last three holes with an eagle and two birdies. The pair earned their spots in the Monday qualifier, alongside amateurs Branson Ferrier of Barrie, Ont., and Chase Komaromi of Delaware, Ont., who both shot 67 for a share of fourth.

The two-stage qualifying procedure for Canada’s National Open Championship features three regional qualifying events held in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario, followed by the final qualifying competition on Monday, July 20.

The previous two qualifying events held June 1 at Club de Golf St-Raphäel in Île-Bizard, Que., and Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club in Squamish B.C., awarded 25 players with spots into the Final Qualifying event.

A minimum of four players will gain entry into the 2015 RBC Canadian Open through the Monday qualifier.

For additional information and full results from the RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier in Ontario, click here.

Former British golfer and CBS analyst Peter Oosterhuis says he has early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

The 67-year-old Oosterhuis went public with the news in Golf World’s digital magazine Monday with hopes it can bring attention and raise money toward finding a cure.

Oosterhuis is a six-time Ryder Cup player from England who became part of the golf broadcast team for CBS Sports. He announced in January he was stepping away from television work.

He first disclosed his diagnosis at a fundraiser last month at Pebble Beach for the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist Neurological Center. It was founded in 2011 by CBS Sports host Jim Nantz, whose father was afflicted with Alzheimer’s for 13 years before he died in 2008.

Oosterhuis says he had been aware of some memory loss affecting his work on CBS and Golf Channel.

“Maybe in the course of my commentary, I wasn’t giving a lot of information like I used to. I would just talk about what’s on the screen,” he said. “But I didn’t feel like I had those things ready in my mind to call on to make a point like I used to.”

He said a neurologist in Charlotte, North Carolina, diagnosed him last July, and for several months, Oosterhuis and wife Roothie chose to tell no one. His wife says going public at the Pebble Beach fundraiser was important for both of them.

“It gave us a chance to say goodbye to everybody in a beautiful way, and it gave us the new focus of being part of Jim’s incredible effort,” Roothie Oosterhuis said. “As human beings, it took awhile to come back to ourselves. But now, even though we don’t like the cards we were dealt, we are ready to play them. Because we are basically happy people, and we can still have happiness.”

Oosterhuis was tall for his time at 6-foot-5 with an elegant swing. He won seven times on the European Tour and also won the Canadian Open. He lost in a playoff in the 1974 Monsanto Open to Lee Elder, a victory that led Elder to become the first black to compete in the Masters.

Oosterhuis had a 14-11-3 record in the Ryder Cup, a remarkable achievement considering he never played on a winning team.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Bubba Watson made an 8-foot birdie putt on the second hole a playoff Sunday to outlast Paul Casey and win the Travelers Championship for the second time.

Casey overcame a three-stroke deficit with five to play, tying Watson at 16-under 264 in light rain at TPC River Highlands.

But the 37-year-old Englishman, playing the tournament for the first time, lost his chance at the title while playing the par-4 18th for the third time when his third shot from a greenside bunker flew over the green and landed on the cart path.

Watson hit his 160-yard approach just to the right of the hole to set up his winning putt.

“I hung on, and that’s what you have to do sometimes to win,” Watson said.

Watson had a chance to win in regulation. But the two-time Masters champion bogeyed the 17th, while Casey closed with three birdies on the final five holes, sandwiched around a bogey on 15.

Casey watched in the scoring trailer with 9-month-old son Lex on his lap as Watson made a 3 1/2 -foot par putt to force the playoff.

Watson finished with a 67, and Casey shot 65.

“There are always ifs and buts and could haves,” Casey said. “But the goal was to give myself a chance to win, and I did that.”

Watson has eight PGA Tour titles, also winning a playoff in the WGC-HSBC Champions in China in November at the start of the season. He won the Travelers in 2010 in a three-way playoff for his first win on the PGA Tour and is 5-1 in playoffs.

“It’s just about staying calm,” he said. “That’s what you have to do, you just breathe and walk slower, take some deep breaths and focus on the fact that no matter what you still come in second place.”

This was the sixth time since 2004 the tournament has been decided in a playoff.

Brian Harman, who had a one-stroke lead after 54 holes, had a 69 to finish a stroke out of the playoff. After 39 straight holes without a bogey, he had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10 to fall two strokes behind Watson. His birdies on the final two holes were not enough to catch Casey and Watson.

But the finish assured the 28-year-old from Georgia a spot in the British Open, along with Canadian Graham DeLaet, who finished two shots back, Carl Pettersson who finished fifth at 13 under, and Luke Donald, who tied for seventh at 11 under. Sixth-place finisher Zach Johnson already had an exemption into the field.

“I’ve been thinking about that tournament for a long time and really trying to look at a way to get in there,” Harman said. “This one burns a little bit, but that definitely helps the sting.”

The Travelers was the first of three PGA Tour events where finishers not already exempt can get into St. Andrew’s. There also are four spots available at The Greenbrier Classic and one at the John Deere Classic.

Watson became the sixth multiple winner of this tournament, joining Billy Casper (1963, 1965, 1968, 1973), Arnold Palmer (1956, 1960), Paul Azinger (1987, 1989), Phil Mickelson (2001, 2002), Peter Jacobsen (1984, 2003) and Stewart Cink (1997, 2008).

Watson started strong with birdies on his first two holes, and seemed to lock up the championship on the 13th, where he sank a 39-foot putt for eagle, his longest made putt of the tournament.

His approach at 14 ended up 13-feet right of the pin, but his birdie putt ended up on the front lip of the cup.

“I was hoping nobody else would birdie, but Paul Casey decided he wanted to birdie some holes to make it interesting,” Watson said.

Casey began the day tied for fourth, but moved up quickly. His second shot at the 431-yard third hole bounced once from 126 yards out and went straight into the hole for an eagle.

He made a 6-foot birdie putt on 16, and a 15-footer on 17 to stay in contention. Watson lost his lead after hitting his approach on 17 to the right of the hole behind two bunkers.

Both made par on the first playoff hole. But on the second, Watson’s tee shot when down the middle, and Casey found bunkers on his first two shots.

“It does remind me of 2010, where coming down the stretch I had to hit some good shots and I didn’t,” Watson said. “I wish it was a lot easier, but a victory is a victory.”

He moved a closer to his career goal.

“My whole goal in my career was to get 10 wins,” he said. “I need two more wins.”

CROMWELL, Conn. – Brian Harman has always looked up to Bubba Watson, who preceded him as a standout left-hander for the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

On Sunday, Watson will begin the day looking up the leaderboard at Harmon as the two begin play in the final round of the Travelers Championship.

Harman birdied the 18th hole for his second consecutive 5-under 65 and a one-stroke lead over Watson and Canadian Graham DeLaet on Saturday in the Travelers Championship.

Looking for his second PGA Tour victory, Harman had a bogey-free round to take a 14-under 196 total into the final round at TPC River Highlands.

Harman hit a 149-yard wedge to 4 feet on the par-4 18th. He sank the putt after Watson, who led by two strokes after the each of the first two rounds, missed a 17-footer.

“Bubba’s a lot of fun to play golf with,” Harman said. “He was a little before me at Georgia, so I always looked up to him, was always really proud of the way he was doing and we were always rooting for him at Georgia.”

This is the second 54-hole lead for Harmon, who won the 2014 John Deere Classic from the front on the final day.

“He’s a solid player,” Watson said. “It sounds funny saying this, but he’s like a little bulldog.”

Watson shot a 68 in a light rain after opening with a tournament-best 62 on Thursday and adding a 67 in the second round.

He needed a bit of luck Saturday after his tee shot on the par-4 15th hole went left and into the woods. He got a fortuitous bounce high off a tree trunk and the ball dropped back over the gallery and into the fairway bunker. He was able to save par from there.

“It hit the tree and everybody roared,” he said. “I had to ask the camera guy, and he said it was in the bunker.”

DeLaet, playing on wife Ruby’s birthday, had five birdies and grabbed a share of the lead with an eagle on the 15th, putting his drive within 6 feet of the pin.

He had a chance to move to 14 under, but left an 18-foot birdie putt on 18th just short.

DeLaet was in a three-way tie for first place with Watson entering the final round two years ago before finishing third. He has never won on the PGA Tour, and had back surgery for a pinched nerve in 2011, a problem that he says still bothers him.

“The last couple months I’ve been moving really well and feeling a lot better,” He said. “My golf game is coming around too, which is nice.”

He and his wife also are expecting their first children, twins, in December.

Brandt Snedeker, Paul Casey and Zach Johnson were 11 under. Snedeker had a 63 to match the best round of the day, and Casey and Johnson shot 64.

Snedeker’s round began with a par before reeling off three straight birdies and then chipping in from a green-side bunker on the par-3 eighth.

He finished before the rain picked up with three more birdies on the final six holes. He almost holed out on the par-4 17th, hitting his second shot across the course’s signature lake where it rolled back within a foot.

“It was absolutely perfect,” he said. “It came off exactly how I was looking and almost went in. That’s a tough hole, so to steal one there gave me some good thoughts coming into tomorrow.”

He finished a stroke ahead of Chris Stroud, who shot a 68. Seven players were tied for eighth, including former Stanford star Patrick Rodgers.

Rodgers, who was in the first pair of the day after just making the cut Friday, also shot 63 with a career-best round that included seven birdies Saturday including five on the back nine, and two in row to finish.

“As much as I don’t like making the cut on the number, I really like playing the first golf,” he said. “The greens were perfect. It was really, really great conditions for scoring this morning.”

Rodgers, who won 11 tournaments at Stanford to tie Tiger Woods’ school record, played his first tour event here as an amateur in 2012, then made his professional debut at the Travelers a year ago.

“There’s really not too many venues where I show up and I feel like I know what I’m doing,” he said. “So, it’s really nice to be back here.”

Sergio Garcia also was in that group at 9 under after shooting a 66. He had a chance to go lower, but put a tee shot in the water at 13 and ended up shooting a seven on the par-5 hole.

With a storm moving into to Connecticut, officials said Sunday’s round will be played in threesomes, going off the first and 10th tees beginning at 11:30 a.m.

“I’ve never played particularly well in the rain,” Harman said. But I try to look at today and we got a break. The weather was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.”

CROMWELL, Conn. – Bubba Watson shot a 3-under 67 on Friday to maintain a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Travelers Championship.

After opening with a 62 on Thursday, Watson had three birdies in a bogey-free round to enter weekend play at 11-under par.

Watson said a gusty north wind forced him to play more conservatively and perhaps think a bit more.

“Some of the holes were playing a little bit longer because of the wind,” he said. “The wind was in a different direction, so it just made the course a little bit tougher.”

The two-time Masters champion is trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner at TPC River Highlands since Peter Jacobsen in 2003.

Watson won his first PGA Tour title at the 2010 event and has finished in the top 20 five times in eight previous starts. He tied for sixth in 2008, tied for second in 2012, and finished fourth in 2013.

He was delayed in talking to the media Friday after being pulled for a random drug test, something he saw as a positive sign.

“I hope I passed it,” he joked. “It’s usually when you’re at the top of the leaderboard they want to drug test you, especially me.”

Brian Harman birdied two of his final three holes during an afternoon round of 65 to join Brian Stuard and Carl Pettersson at 9 under.

Stuard, who followed an opening 64 with a 67, pulled within a shot of Watson after back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16. But he bogeyed the 17th after hitting his second shot over the green and missing an 8-foot par putt. He then saved par on the 18th with a 19-foot putt.

“That was kind of a nice momentum-keeper going into the weekend,” he said.

Pettersson, started on the back nine at shot a 31 on those holes, before finishing with a 66.

The back nine was less affected by the wind than the front, where a headwind had several holes playing longer than their yardage.

Scott Brown had a double bogey on his first hole and posted a 38 on the front. But after making par on the 10th, he reeled off six straight birdies to finish with a 67. He was 8 under, tied for fifth place with Jason Gore and Chris Stroud, who is still looking for his first tour win after losing here in a playoff to Ken Duke in 2013.

“The back nine always plays a bit easier here anyway, so I knew there were going to be some opportunities out there,” Brown said. “So I just kind of hung in there. When my caddie said, `Let’s go get them on the back nine,’ that’s what we did.”

Nick Watney had the round of the day, shooting a bogey-free 64, with three birdies on each side of the course. Watney was at 7 under in a group that included New England native Keegan Bradley.

Thirty-three players were within six shots of the lead including Canadian Graham DeLaet, who sits at 11 under after two rounds and tied eighth.

Ernie Els, who shot a 66 in the opening round, bogeyed the first five holes and missed the cut after shooting a 76 to finished 2-over after 36 holes. Els, making his first appearance here since 2002, threw his club into the air in frustration after bogeying the 12th hole and hitting his tee shot on the 13th left and into the water guarding the green.

Others notable names who failed to make the cut include Stewart Cink (139), who has won this tournament twice; defending champion Kevin Streelman; four-time major champion Padraig Harrington (141), 2007 winner Hunter Mahan (141) and Louis Oosthuizen (142).

Representatives from the British Open brought the Claret Jug to display at the Travelers on Friday, as a reminder to players that four spots and as many as nine in that tournament are up for grabs this week.

The leading five players, not already exempt, from the top 20 in the FedEx Cup will be part of the field at St. Andrews next month.

In addition, the leading four players who finish in the top 12 at TPC River Highlands also will get spots. The Travelers is the first of three PGA Tour events where top finishers can get into St. Andrews. There are four spots available at The Greenbrier Classic, and one at the John Deere Classic.

“I’ve been in professional golf for 18 years now and I’ve never been to Europe,” Gore said. “So that just blows my mind. It blows a lot of people’s mind. Playing at St. Andrews would be a lot of fun, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

Other Canadians in the field Adam Hadwin, Roger Sloan, Nick Taylor, Jean-Philip Cornellier and Mike Weir did not make the cut to play the weekend.

CROMWELL, Conn. – Bubba Watson hit to inches on the final hole for the last his nine birdies in an 8-under 62 on Thursday in the first round of the Travelers Championship.

Watson has a two-stroke lead in the event he won in 2010 for his first PGA Tour title. He has finished in the top 20 five times in eight previous starts at TPC River Highlands.

“It’s special,” Watson said about the tournament. “It was my first win and it’s the same time that I announced to the world that my dad was passing with cancer. So, special in different ways.”

New England native Keegan Bradley was tied for second with Jason Gore, Seung-Yul Noh, Brian Stuard and Harris English, who shot a 30 on the back nine. Eight players shot 65, and 12 more opened at 66. Ninety-three players were under par.

“Coming off a U.S. Open, this golf course seems like it’s gettable, and we all feel that way,” Watson said. “So the guys that played in the U.S. Open maybe feel better about their game when they get here.”

Watson, playing late in the day, had four birdies on his final five holes. The two-time Masters champion just missed an eagle on the par-4 18th hole, hitting a 139-yard second shot that bounced into the flagstick and rolled 4 inches past the cup.

His only glitch during that stretch was bogey on the par-3 16th, where he overshot the green, and chipped his second shot past the hole and into the fringe.

“I just kept grinding it out,” he said.” “Whatever shot was called for, I tried to hit it and somehow today, I hit it good.”

Bradley, put up an early 64, shooting a 31 on his front nine. The 29-year-old, who was born in Vermont, is playing his fifth Travelers Championship, which he considers a home tournament. His best finish has been 18th.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself in every tournament, but this one especially just because I’ve got a lot of people here. I know a lot of the fans are rooting for me. I can feel it.”

English, who did not play in the U.S. Open, had just 22 putts.

“You can hit a lot of good wedge shots to 8, 10, 12 feet,” he said. “If you don’t make them, it kind of hurts, it stops the momentum. But I feel like I made some of those and kept it going.”

Ernie Els is making his first appearance in Connecticut since 2002 and was among those at 66. He said he normally heads to Europe after the U.S. Open to prepare for the British Open, but decided to try to pick up a few more FedEx points this year.

“This is quite close to Europe,” he said. “It’s only 5 1/2 hours away.”

Argentina’s Andres Romero won a Rolex watch during his round of 69 when he aced the 177-yard par-3 16th hole. Romero said he grabbed his 7-iron and decided to go for the pin after his caddie translated a sign about the hole-in-one prize next to the tee box.

“I got the shot off and when it headed toward the hole and disappeared, I couldn’t believe it,” he said through a translator.

It was the third hole-in-one of the Romero’s career, and he said now owns seven Rolex’s.

Martin Laird may have had the shot of the round when he holed out from 140 yards for an eagle on the par-4 17th hole, watching as ball cleared the water and the pin before rolling back into the cup.

As many as nine spots for the British Open are available this week.

The leading five players, not already exempt, from the top 20 in the FedEx Cup will be part of the field at St. Andrews next month.

In addition, the leading four players who finish in the top 12 at TPC River Highlands also will get spots. The Travelers is the first of three PGA Tour events where top finishers can get into St. Andrews. There are four spots available at The Greenbrier Classic, and one at the John Deere Classic.

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – He won the first one the way players like to take majors, leading from the start at the Masters on a romp to the green jacket.

The second for Jordan Spieth came Sunday night with a bit more difficulty. Had Dustin Johnson been a little more steady with the putter on the final green Sunday, they might still be playing for the U.S. Open trophy.

Johnson wasn’t, much to the astonishment of the 6,000 or so who crowded the grandstands at maligned Chambers Bay for an Open finish like no other. He had to settle for holding his infant son off the 18th green on Father’s Day, instead of the U.S. Open trophy.

That belonged to Spieth, the phenom from Texas who impressed so many by not only winning the Masters but the grace and composure he showed while doing it. He spoke after that win about bringing a present home to his special needs sister, and it was clear that meant almost as much to him as winning his first green jacket.

He’s now halfway to history, yet still barely old enough to drink. The last player who did things like Spieth was named Tiger Woods, which seems so long ago.

Now he’s the youngest since Bobby Jones nearly a century ago to win back-to-back major championships. Spieth has a chance to do what even Woods couldn’t and win all four of golf’s major tournaments in one year.

Watching him Sunday on the crunchy greens at Chambers Bay, it was hard not to get the sense that he’s only just begun.

“He’s gritty, he’s fiery, he doesn’t give up on any shot,” caddie Michael Greller said. “If anything, this week just validated who I know he is, which is just a world-class player with an unbelievable mind.”

The story line at this Open unfolded easily, like it was written by a golf historian of the future. Woods came here to try and salvage his game, while Spieth came to cement his mark as a generational champion in the making.

Woods didn’t even make it to the weekend in yet another display of how humbling golf can be. The greatest player of his time seems forever stuck on 14 majors, and it remains to be seen how long he will keep embarrassing himself like he did here when he couldn’t even come close to beating a 15-year-old amateur before getting out of town on his private jet before the weekend began.

It was Spieth who salvaged this Open, making it one to remember for all the right reasons instead of the wrong. His 3-wood to the 18th green on Sunday was the kind of shot that will live in Open lore, even if Spieth didn’t make the eagle putt and even if he had to rely on Johnson 3-putting from 12 feet to seal the deal.

“This was just an odd deal, very odd,” Spieth said. “I very much feel for Dustin. He deserves to be holding the trophy just as much as I do, I think, this week. It just came down to him being the last one to finish and I was able to have one hole to rebound from my mistakes, and he wasn’t able to get that hole afterward.”

That Spieth did it without his best game should give his fellow competitors pause. His ball striking was just a bit off, he said, his putting not always up to his standards.

It was the kind of thing Woods used to say, then go out and beat everyone anyway. It didn’t seem possible another player of that caliber would come along in his time, but here Spieth is at the age of 21 brimming with confidence as the British Open at St. Andrews approaches and the possibility of a Grand Slam looms.

“I’m just focused on the Claret Jug now,” he said of the British Open trophy. “I think that the Grand Slam is something that I never could really fathom somebody doing, considering I watched Tiger win when he was winning whatever percentage of the majors he played in and he won the Tiger Slam, but he never won the four in one year. I figured if anybody was going to do it, it would be him.”

After doing all the right things to win his second title, Spieth said all the right things. He thanked his caddie, said he was happy just to be the brother of Steven Spieth, a shooting guard at Brown University.

And he held the trophy and looked at his beaming father just off the 18th green to show off the best Father’s Day present ever.

“To win this tournament on Father’s Day, I just hope my dad’s proud of me,” he said. “Dad, this one was definitely for you today. This trophy is for you, and this is a day we’ll never forget.”

They won’t, after a Sunday that a lot of people in golf won’t soon forget either.

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Jordan Spieth is halfway home to the Grand Slam, a prize only three of the biggest names in modern golf have ever chased.

And he still can’t believe how he got there.

Spieth won the U.S. Open in a heart-stopper Sunday with a turn of events even more wild than the terrain at Chambers Bay. He thought he had it won with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. He threw away a three-shot lead one hole later. He made birdie on the final hole. And then he thought it was over as Dustin Johnson settled in over a 12-foot eagle putt for the victory.

Three putts later, Spieth was the U.S. Open champion.

“I’m still in shock,” he said with the gleaming U.S. Open trophy at his side. “I’ve never experienced a feeling like this. It was a very intense back nine.”

Spieth became only the sixth player to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year, and he joined Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in getting the first two legs of the modern slam that Palmer created on his way to St. Andrews in 1960.

That’s the next stop for the 21-year-old Texan whose two major championships could not be any more different. A wire-to-wire runaway at Augusta National. A nail-biter on the edge of Puget Sound.

And another major heartache for Johnson.

“I had all the chances in the world,” said Johnson, who missed six putts inside 10 feet on the back nine and finished one shot behind.

Spieth, the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923, did his part. Even after letting Johnson and fast-closing Louis Oosthuizen back into the game with his double bogey on the 17th hole, Spieth responded with a 3-wood that caught the backboard on the 18th hole and settled below the hole for an eagle putt. He missed it left, made birdie and walked off the green feeling more regret than excitement over his 1-under 69 for a one-shot lead with the big-hitting Johnson behind him.

Johnson reached the par-5 18th with a 5-iron – that’s how far he smashed his tee shot on the 601-yard hole.

Make the putt and he wins the U.S. Open. Two putts would force an 18-hole playoff Monday on a course that favors power.

“I’m still amazed that I won, let alone that we weren’t playing tomorrow,” Spieth said. “So for that turnaround right there, to watch that happen, I feel for Dustin, but I haven’t been able to put anything in perspective yet.”

Spieth now prepares for St. Andrews, the next stop on this improbable ride.

Woods in 2002 was the last player to get the first two legs of the slam.

The others to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year were Craig Wood in 1941 and Ben Hogan in 1951 and 1953. Hogan won the British Open in 1953, though he never played the PGA Championship because it was held roughly the same time as the British.

Spieth finished at 5-under 275 in winning for the third time this year. He is still No. 2 and closing fast on Rory McIlroy, who has top 10s in both majors this year without being a serious contender.

Spieth becomes the first player since Jones to make birdie on the 72nd hole to win the U.S. Open by one shot – all because of Johnson’s three-putt. He also became the youngest player with two majors since Gene Sarazen in 1922.

For all the criticism of the unique course at Chambers Bay, this was the theater at its finest.

But there will be lingering questions about the condition of the greens, so bumpy that they were referred to as broccoli and Billy Horschel said he lost respect for the USGA. This championship ended with a short miss, the target of complaints all week.

“As you can tell, it’s very difficult to get them in the hole out there,” Johnson said. “The greens were really fast and they were rolling fairly smooth, but it was still bouncing a little bit.”

The final hour was so wild that four players could have won over the last two holes.

Branden Grace of South Africa was tied for the lead when he hit his tee shot on the reachable 16th hole over the fence and onto the railroads that run along Puget Sound. He made double bogey and never challenged again.

Spieth hit into the fescue-covered mounds right of the 17th and made double bogey just as Oosthuizen made one last birdie – his sixth over the last seven holes – for a 67 to post at 4-under 276.

Johnson, who had a two-shot lead at the turn until missing so many putts on the back nine, was forgotten until he stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 17th to 4 feet for birdie. He just couldn’t make one from a little closer when it mattered even more.

“I did everything I was supposed to do,” he said. “I hit the ball really well. I’m proud of the way I handled myself and the way I played today. I just really struggled getting it in the hole today. I didn’t think I was hitting bad putts. I thought I was hitting them pretty good they just weren’t going in.”

It was the fourth heartache for Johnson in the majors, and this was the worst.

Jason Day, who collapsed on Friday with vertigo only to rally for a share of the 54-hole lead, fell back with missed putt and was never in the hunt on the back nine. He closed with a 74 to finish five shots behind.

Grace never recovered from that double bogey on No. 16 and shot 71 to tie for fourth with Adam Scott (64) and Cameron Smith (68).