CROMWELL, Conn. — By the time J.T. Poston’s group reached the ninth green in the Travelers Championship first round on Thursday, the once very large crowd had significantly cleared. He got there just after 5:30 p.m. on a day that began for some at6:45 a.m. The field was stacked into the late morning and early afternoon and not many people knew who Poston was, anyway.
Nonetheless, he birdied his final hole of the day to finish Round 1 at 8-under-par 62, tied for the lead with world No. 2 Rory McIlroy.
Entering Travelers, Poston was ranked No. 162 in the world. The 29-year-old was born in Hickory, N.C., now lives in Georgia and attended Western Carolina University, where he won two consecutive Southern Conference titles.
From a distance, he appears just like any normal guy.
While he played the sixth hole on Thursday, as he was climbing up the leaderboard with a 6-under 29 start on his first nine hole, he found himself outside the ropes. After he played his fairway shot with an iron, the first-round leader casually stood among the fans. None of them asked for an autograph or repeatedly called his name, he just stood there like everyone else, calmly watching the rest of his group take their shots.
In 153 PGA starts since debuting in 2016, Poston has finished in the top 10 12 times with his only victory coming in the 2019 Wyndham Championship. There he shot an 8-under 62 in the final round — just as he did at TPC River Highlands Thursday. In four appearances in Cromwell, Poston’s never made the cut.
“Historically I haven’t played great here,” he said. “But it’s one of those tracks ever since I saw it my rookie year for the first time, I loved the way it looks, I love the way it sets up. I think it’s similar to a lot of courses that I’ve played well on — I just haven’t done it yet.”
Poston noted his need to stay focused, to not get caught up in his hot start — which included six birdies on the back nine — and remember that the championship is a 72-hole competition. Still though, his first round will be one to remember given the fact that his 6-under 29 on the front nine tied for the second-best in Travelers history.
Returning the favor
Thirty-six years ago, Charles Howell III saw his next-door neighbor, Graham Hill, playing “Wiffle Balll golf” in his backyard, according to Sports Illustrated, introducing him to the game as a seven-year-old. Now 43, Howell III is returning the favor to the game in teaching it to his elementary school-aged son, Chase.
Howell III turned pro at TPC River Highlands during the Canon Greater Hartford Open in 2000. He returned to play in Cromwell four times sporadically since — most recently in 2010.
“I haven’t played as much the last couple years as I used to. That’s a function of being 43 years old and a family and kids and a son I’m chasing around the golf course and caddying for,” he said.
“(Playing with Chase has) actually given me a lot more incentive and a bit of a second wind, if you will, because we’re playing and practicing all day, and I’m practicing when he’s in school. When he gets out, we’re back out at the golf course until dark. I want them to see what I do and what I have done, and hey, he takes this game really seriously, as well.”
Howell, known as one of the most consistent players on tour with 98 top-10 finishes in his career, shot 6-under 64 and was in a three-way tie for fifth.
The crowds are back
The Travelers Championship crowds have returned in big numbers for 2022 after fans weren’t allowed in 2020 and capacity was restricted to just 10,000 in 2021. In 2019, the last “normal” year before the pandemic, the event drew in more than 200,000 over the four days.
“This has always been one of the best stops on tour for just fan involvement. Obviously, the group I was playing (in) today, a lot of (fans) came out to watch Rory play. We had a great group and some great noise out there,” Webb Simpson, who finished 6-under, said.
In front of the home crowd
University of Virginia orange T-shirts with “Official Member of the Ben James Fan Club” printed on the front made their appearance on Thursday as the 19-year-old Milford native and Virginia commit took to TPC River Highlands in his first PGA event. James, the American Junior Golf Association’s top-ranked player, shot 2-over 72. Fairfield-born JJ Henry finished even, while West Hartford native Adam D’Amario shot 9 over.
