Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler believe that the most consecutive birdies record won’t be broken at TPC River Highlands.
The World No.1 and No.2 are among the star-studded field taking part in the Travelers Championship this week.
The two superstars are coming off the back of a chaotic US Open at Oakmont, with multiple players losing their cool on the course.
Conditions were incredibly difficult and the wet, five-inch rough massively impacted the success of even the world’s best.
Only eventual winner J.J. Spaun finished the major under par, with every single other player posting scores over par.
But players will now go from one extreme to the other as they move on to TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship.
The par-70 course in Connecticut has a reputation for low scoring, with Scheffler claiming play-off glory at 22-under-par last year.
The third hole, which has now been altered due to its apparent ease, saw 3.5 times more birdies than bogeys in that event.
In 2023, Keegan Bradley came out on top at an even lower -23, while other recent winning scores read: -19, -13, -19, -17, -17.
It has led to the world record for consecutive birdies being brought up in Scheffler and McIlroy‘s pre-tournament press conferences.
Omar Uresti set the record of nine in a row in 1994 and it has never been broken, with six others only managing to equal it since.
Despite the likelihood of an incredible amount of birdies, though, Scheffler doesn’t believe that history will be made this week.
Scheffler won the last Travelers Championship with a score of -22GettyHe said on Wednesday: “Omar made nine birdies in a row? Wow, I’ve never made close to nine birdies in a row.
“Why is that record so… has lasted so long?
“I think that’s really difficult, and the courses out here, they’re only trying to make them more difficult for whatever reason.
“Nine birdies in a row, that’s pretty ridiculous golf. That’s about as close to perfection as you’ll probably get in the game of golf.
“I don’t think that will be beat anytime soon.”
Winning scores at Travelers Championship
2024 – Scottie Scheffler: -22 2023 – Keegan Bradley: -23 2022 – Xander Schauffele: -19 2021 – Harris English: -13 2020 – Dustin Johnson: -19 2019 – Chez Reavie: – 17 2018 – Bubba Watson: -17McIlroy agreed after being asked for his take on the same record, replying: “I mean, I make two birdies in a row, and I’m thinking, ooh.
“So I think it’s more of a mental thing where you start to make a few birdies in a row and you start to think about it.
“I think that’s the worst thing you can do. You just got to try to get out of your own way when you’re on a run like that.
“I think it will be a long time when you see someone with ten birdies in a row out here, especially with how difficult the setups are getting and how tough the courses are.”
And the star pair may be right in their statements…
Neither McIlroy nor Scheffler have managed a streak longer than four successive birdies this year.
Adam Hadwin, Jake Knapp and Sepp Straka have streaks of seven in a row and that is the most seen on the PGA Tour in 2025.
McIlroy believes it will be ‘a long time’ before the record is brokenGettyScheffler was also asked if he thinks TPC River Highlands is ‘too easy’ a course, considering the low scoring from the world’s best.
A score of 22-under-par only managed to get the 28-year-old into a play-off last year and that was referenced in his press conference.
He was asked whether the course needed to be harder because it hosts the last signature event of the PGA Tour season each year.
Scheffler replied: “I think sometimes, especially in this day and age, people get way too caught up in the winning score being what is a proper test.
“I think a proper test is good shots being rewarded and bad shots being punished. I think this is one of the best golf courses for that.”
He added: “The winning score, I think people get way too caught up in. I’m not saying necessarily that even par is a bad winning score.
Scheffler believes the high number of birdies is a good thingGetty“Some weeks like the U.S. Open, you hit two great shots and you’re going to get rewarded with a par. That’s fine. That’s good too.”
Scheffler then finished: “Across the board, the way we get tested in professional golf is very good.
“We play different types of golf courses, different types of grass, we play different types of winning scores. We just see different tests, and I think not one is better than the other.
“The most frustrating thing for me when I play a golf tournament is when you see good shots not getting rewarded and bad shots not being punished properly. That’s all we look for.
“Do we care that 22-under wins this week? No….I think having birdies at the end sometimes is a pretty exciting finish.
“That’s really all there is to it.”
The 2025 Travelers Championship begins on Thursday, June 19 and will run through until Sunday, June 22.
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