CROMWELL, Conn. — There was no better place to be.
If you’re from the Northeast and enjoy sports, you couldn’t have scripted a better day than Sunday of the 2024 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.
But for the lucky few who got to really follow Scottie Scheffler’s final group — we’re talking inside-the-ropes access — well, it was a day they’ll never forget.
They were just a few feet away when Scheffler opted for his 3-wood over his driver on the par-4 18 hole. They had the perfect angle to Scheffler’s two eagle opportunities on the par-5 13th and short par-4 15th. Scheffler did not convert either of them but put both within two feet for tap-in birdies.
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They saw Scheffler crack a water bottle or two, use the players-only porta-potty between the 14th green and 15th tee, wipe the sweat off his face and hear every joke and/or heckle from the Connecticut crowd.
They were right there when the best player in the sport emerged from a jam-packed leaderboard — all three players in the final group were tied at 19-under when they walked off the par-3 11th green — and easily two-putted from 11 feet to beat Tom Kim in sudden death and win the 2024 Travelers Championship.
This writer, who spent more time with those following Schefter on Sunday than he did his wife, was lucky to be among them.
“Back nine. Sunday. Scottie the man to beat,” Ian Sandler told his son, Brody, after Scheffler took his tee shot on the par-4 10th hole as the solo leader.
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It summed up exactly what everybody was thinking.
The Scottie Scheffler Sunday Stretch lived up to the hype. And more. Much more.
“What a special experience following these guys,” Ian Sandler said as we watched Scheffler hit his approach shot to within 16 feet on the par-4 17th hole.
Ian and Brody, who paid for their honorary observer status, simply asked to follow the final group Sunday morning. They were fans of all three with Akshay Bhatia, Kim and Scheffler. It never hurts to ask, right? The father-son pair, who have a home on the Connecticut-New York line, found out Sunday morning. Ian, who played in the tournament’s Pro-Am a few years back, referred to it as a “ridiculous” situation in the best way possible.
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“You can’t beat this,” he said as we walked the par-5 13th. “It’s crazy to get the perspective they have. Laser-focused. It’s intense.”
Mike Hunter Sr. and Mike Hunter Jr., wearing a similar inside-the-ropes lanyard, couldn’t get over the moment either. They initially hoped to land tickets to the Mohegan Sun tent through Mike Sr.’s close friend. While they didn’t get the privilege of shade and air conditioning, they were more than content to be where they were — sitting on a small hill overlooking the 18th green. They sat in that spot after they walked up the 18th fairway on Sunday evening.
Chills.
“I got to follow freakin’ Scottie Scheffler,” said Mike Jr., a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University who now lives in Colchester, Conn.
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Nothing could beat the vibes, though a group of five protestors certainly tried. Mike Sr. captured a video of the exact moment when a police officer body-slammed one of the four who wore a shirt that read: “No Golf On A Dead Planet.” He couldn’t believe he got it at the perfect time. With the phone service non-existent at that moment, he showed all of us around him.
Just a few minutes later Ian showed a photo his friend took, which showed the Sandlers in the background of the CBS broadcast.
After Kim’s match-extending birdie putt from 10 feet, we then watched as the groundcrew fixed up the 18th green. We couldn’t believe the protesters and the fact there was red and white powdery residue left behind. One of the two members using a left blower walked off the green to cheers. “That was a fun one!” he said.
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What a group.
“Great work, scoreboard guy!” a fan yelled as we walked to the green on the 10th hole. “Great form!”
Ian Sandler humorously had scoreboard guy’s back: “That’s a hard job!”
Little did the wise-guy fan know that scoreboard guy, also known as Mike Shulansky, of West Hartford, Conn., is experienced in the gig. He wasn’t rattled in the slightest, perhaps best depicted as he popped an Uncrustable when Scheffler reached the 10th green. A veteran move, no doubt.
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Shulansky has volunteered at the Travelers Championship for 26 years, 23 of which he’s held the scoreboard. He started when he was seven. Unlike the Sandlers and Hunters, Shulansky expected to follow the final group Sunday. He’s walked with the final-round leaders each of the last three years.
“Mine’s been even longer!” his counterpart, Buddy, said in regard to his own final group duties as we walked the 17th. Buddy said he’s been volunteering for five decades.
Here’s to hoping we’ll all be back next year. What a group, after all. But if not, I think I speak for all when I say we won’t forget our first Scottie Scheffler Sunday Stretch.
Featured image via Gregory Fisher/USA TODAY Sports Images
