Fitzpatrick leads English charge at Travelers Championship

Matthew Fitzpatrick carded a six-under 64 to sit one shot behind first-round leader Eric Cole at the Travelers Championship. The Englishman's steady round placed him in a six-man group trailing the American leader by a single shot.

Fitzpatrick played with a new driver and recorded seven birdies against a single bogey, missing just one fairway. His position at the top of the leaderboard highlights what has been a dominant 2026 season. Fitzpatrick has already won three times this year, taking solo victories at the Valspar Championship and RBC Heritage before partnering his brother Alex to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

This consistent presence near the top of PGA Tour leaderboards signals the continued commercial and competitive strength of European players on the lucrative American circuit. Fitzpatrick is joined in contention by fellow Englishmen Aaron Rai and Justin Rose. Both posted five-under 65s to sit two shots off the lead alongside Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Corey Conners and Brandt Snedeker.

Cole set the early pace on Thursday at TPC River Highlands with a blemish-free, seven-under 63. The American's round was highlighted by an eagle at the 13th hole, where he chipped in from off the green.

World number one Scottie Scheffler matched Fitzpatrick at six-under, posting a flawless 64 with four birdies on his front nine and two coming home. Scheffler noted that his 64 was his lowest opening round since a 63 at The American Express in January, an event he went on to win. He stressed the importance of avoiding an early deficit.

"When the scoring is lower it can be harder and harder to play catch up," Scheffler said. "Sometimes here you get so far behind you can only shoot so low on some of these golf courses, so it's important to keep pace."

Fitzpatrick kept his assessment of his round straightforward. "I played really solid. I took advantage of the scoring holes there," he said.

US Open champion Wyndham Clark found the going tougher just four days after securing his second title with a one-shot win over Sam Burns at Shinnecock Hills. Clark's round was derailed at the par-four 12th, where an errant tee shot led to a drop, a subsequent bunker shot, and a missed seven-foot putt for a triple-bogey seven.

Clark notched birdies at the sixth, 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th to salvage a two-under 68, leaving him five shots behind Cole. "I had one bad swing, made a triple. Other than that we would be at five under and in a great spot. Really pleased with my round, felt awesome over everything. Just one bad swing," Clark said.