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England's Tommy Fleetwood shot 7-under-par 63 in Saturday's third round of the Travelers Championship to break away from a high-profile group near the top of the leaderboard at Cromwell, Connecticut.
Fleetwood, who for the second time in three rounds didn't record a bogey, will carry a three-shot advantage into Sunday's final round at TPC River Highlands.
Russell Henley shot 61 and Keegan Bradley posted 63 to sit at 13 under. Australia's Jason Day is alone in fourth at 11 under after a third-round 67.
The round began with Fleetwood, Justin Thomas and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion, tied for first place.
Scheffler's triple-bogey on the par-4 first hole and a double-bogey on the par-3 eighth hole put him off pace. Thomas had severe troubles later.
Fleetwood's highlights included a 66-foot birdie putt on the par-3 fifth hole and a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th. It was his second eagle in as many days at No. 13, which he has played at 5 under for the tournament.
Henley's bogey-free round -- after three bogeys in the second round -- included 5 under on the front side. He had birdies on both par-5 holes and nine overall.
Bradley, the U.S. captain for the Ryder Cup, notched birdies on four of the first seven holes and stayed in contention.
Scheffler, playing on his 29th birthday, plummeted to 7 under and in a tie for eighth place with a 72, aided by a birdie on the last hole.
Thomas had a similar, albeit belated, decline on his way to 73, coming undone by a quadruple-bogey 9 on the 13th hole. That meltdown began with a tee shot out of bounds and included three additional shots in the rough before arriving at the green.
Harris English (67), Wyndham Clark (66) and Brian Harman (65) are tied for fifth place at 8 under.
Other than Henley, the day's best scores were turned in by Canada's Taylor Pendrith and Australia's Adam Scott with 62s. Pendrith moved to a tie for 14th at 6 under, while Scott is tied for 25th at 4 under.
More must-reads:
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Bears receive new stadium pitch from Chicago mayor
It might be too little, too late, but the Chicago Bears received a new pitch from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about building the new stadium project in the city. The Bears are moving full steam ahead with the site in Arlington Heights. Mayor Brandon Johnson wants the Chicago Bears in Chicago During an appearance on 670 The Score, Johnson argued that the Bears “belong” to Chicago and wants to keep them in the city for the next 100 years. “Look, the Bears belong in the city of Chicago,” Johnson said on the “Rahimi Harris Show." “And I believe that people know that. There’s a tremendous momentum. As you know, Joe Mansueto with the Fire, we’re talking about hundreds of million dollars to build a new stadium. The 1901 Project on the west side of Chicago, you’re talking about millions of dollars of investments… “We’re on a nice little hot winning streak here. So, my door’s going to remain open. And the hope is that Chicago Bears fans will rally around this moment to challenge all of us to come together to figure out a path to make sure the 100-year history doesn’t end in this moment and we can set ourselves up for the next 100 years.” Johnson points to low crime rates in Chicago Johnson touted declining crime rates as a reason for the Bears to stay in the city. “Homicides are down 32%, shooting victims are down almost 40%,” Johnson said. “We’re seeing unprecedented levels of investment. So, my door still remains open. And perhaps because I am a Cubs fan, I just remain optimistic, no matter what the circumstances are. But they really do belong in the city of Chicago.” Johnson hasn’t had conversations with the Bears in the last two weeks. For now, CEO Kevin Warren and the organization are trying to get enough government support to start building in Arlington Heights as soon as possible. If Warren doesn’t get the help he needs, the Bears could again try to angle for lakefront property in Chicago.
Will Howard's preseason-ending hand injury could make the Steelers' upcoming decision at quarterback a lot harder in a few weeks
No player on the Pittsburgh Steelers' roster was building their hype heading into preseason Week 1 like Will Howard was. But on Tuesday, Howard was seen exiting the field with a hand injury that Mike Tomlin seemed skiddish about after the fact. Now we know why, as Howard has broken his hand and will miss the preseason, which complicates the Steelers' quarterback room... Steelers QB Will Howard breaks his hand in training camp "Steelers rookie QB Will Howard, who banged his throwing hand in practice, suffered a fractured small bone in his hand, sources say," posted Ian Rapoport on X. "He’s having additional tests, but it’s likely no surgery is required. He’s expected to miss at least 3 weeks, but more info coming . . . " . . .Will Howard has been impressing at camp, but now out the rest of the preseason. More reps for Mason Rudolph and added opportunity for Skylar Thompson." Howard was steadily improving as training camp went on in Latobe. The rookie signal caller saw his reps go from dead last on day one, to working into the first team during 7on7 before Week 1 of camp ended. He developed a rapport with WR Roc Taylor, and he was delivering the ball both efficiently and explosively. So the question now turns to what happens with the quarterback room. For one, the team will likely sign a quarterback before Saturday's preseason game. While it's unknown if Aaron Rodgers will play Saturday, if at all in the preseason, there is a strong chance he doesn't. So the team isn't going to send just two players out via Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. That means there will be three quarterbacks vying for what will likely be the last quarterback spot on the 53-man roster after Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. The only quarterback of those three who won't be able to show off what he's got in the preseason: Will Howard. So I'm not saying he gets cut. That would be a shock. But would the Steelers go into the season with only one backup who has NFL experience and a rookie who misses the entirety of the preseason with an injury? Do they go against the grain and carry four quarterbacks onto the 53-man roster? The latter feels very unlikely with how deep the defense is. So in the interim, the Steelers need another body for Saturday night. But in a few weeks, they will have to figure out their quarterback room and this injury only complicates that.
Significant concern emerges for Bengals, Joe Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals defense has stepped up its game in training camp this summer, and it's giving the coaching staff some pause about Joe Burrow's protection. The Bengals were tied with the New York Giants, giving up the 11th most sacks in the league last year (48). Given Burrow's importance to the team and long injury history dating back to his time at LSU, Cincinnati needs to see improvement from the offensive line. Per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, the Bengals' depth on the offensive line is a concern at training camp. During one practice, backups Cody Ford and Devin Cochran were seen getting first-team reps while starting right tackle Amarius Mims was sidelined, dealing with a hand injury. But it's not just the backups that are a worry. Cincinnati is expected to give third-round rookie Dylan Fairchild the starting job at left guard. "On top of concern regarding rookie third-round pick Dylan Fairchild, currently the leader in the clubhouse to start at left guard, the cast of question marks lacking experience, floating behind the starting tackles, is startling," Dehner wrote. "If the Bengals had to play Cleveland this Sunday without Mims, they couldn’t tell you who would hold down the starting spot. "Meanwhile, the Bengals’ defensive line consistently produced disruptive reps, and they are a group lacking historically potent pass rushers in their own right...The Bengals just feel notably weak and inexperienced. When the rest of the offense is so stacked with talent, and the history of the performance in front of Burrow being what it is, that’s hard to look past right now." The Bengals decided to spend their money on pass catchers for Burrow. Given the results of the offense last season, it's easy to understand why Cincinnati wants Burrow to deliver the ball to exceptional athletes. The risk is that Burrow won't hold up behind an offensive line that is lacking investment. If injuries pile up during the regular season, it's a concern that will only increase.
‘Probably the best pure pass rusher on the team’ — Jaelan Phillips hypes up a young Dolphins teammate who has yet to play his first NFL snap
The Miami Dolphins' pass rush is going to serve as one of the key engines for the 2025 season. The EDGE room boasts plenty of natural ability, as the Dolphins are home to three former first-round picks — Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Chop Robinson. Miami has plenty of reason for excitement around this group, as the Dolphins were completely without Chubb in 2024 and Phillips missed all but three and a half games. But according to Phillips, Miami sorely missed another member of the pass rush room last season — yet another name who missed all of 2024. Phillips, during his Tuesday press availability, credited young second-year pass rusher and former undrafted free agent Grayson Murphy as "the best pure pass rusher on the team". Former first-round pick Jaelan Phillips heaps heavy praise for Dolphins second-year pass rusher 'Grayson (Murphy) is probably the best pure pass rusher on the team, in my opinion.' - Jaelan Phillips on second-year UDFA pass rusher Grayson Murphy Talk about some hefty praise. Murphy was a splash player for the Dolphins in training camp and the preseason in 2024, only to suffer an injury and get placed on injured reserve after the first preseason game of the year against Atlanta. He's back and looking to make the team in 2025 amid the healthy competition at the top of the depth chart. The crazy thing about a statement like Phillips' comments is he may not be wrong. Murphy didn't go undrafted because he wasn't athletic enough or he lacked football IQ. Murphy went undrafted out of UCLA in 2024 in large part because he had a significantly shorter arm-length than what most teams would consider to be the desired "threshold" to be drafted. Murphy's arm length measured in at 30.50", with a 76" wingspan at his Pro Day at UCLA in 2024. Those numbers are zeroth-percentile (not a typo!) and second-percentile respectively amongst all EDGE defenders to pass through the pre-draft process since 1999. There's short arms and then there's where Murphy measured in. As a result, he was bucketed as an outlier and likely taken off many draft boards for the risk. The list of players with that little anatomical length to have success rushing the passer in the history of the NFL is pretty short. But here's the rub — you don't make it to the NFL and you don't play at a major college program with those severe physical shortcomings without making up for it with other elite qualities. Murphy tested well at his Pro Day: he ran a 4.66s 40-yard dash, posted a 37" vertical, jumped 10'05" in the broad jump and posted a 7.10s three-cone drill. Those a great numbers for an EDGE defender. But it's the football IQ that's allowed him to make it as far as he has. Murphy, in two seasons at UCLA, posted 108 pressures on 616 pass rush attempts. It's equal to a healthy 17.5% pressure rate. Despite his lack of reach, he showcased a variety of pass rush counters and hand maneuvers — because he had to in order to secure wins as a player. Sure, he had a twitchy first step and could turn the corner on tackles. But most players who are lacking in physical traits in some way can't lean on them as a crutch, so they have to develop and refine the other elements of their game. From that perspective, Phillips may be right. Phillips and Chop Robinson were both 5-star recruits coming out of high school. Their athleticism allowed them to win with raw ability for longer and deeper into their careers. Bradley Chubb played at North Carolina State and boasted 34" arms with heavy hands. Grayson Murphy was a 3-star transfer out of North Texas. You're darn right he's an instinctive, technical pass rusher. And in the case of Jaelan Phillips, it takes one to know one.
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