Casey fires 8-under 62, builds four-shot lead at Travelers

Paul Casey has come close each of the three previous times he has played in Connecticut. He has a great chance to break through today in the Travelers Championship.

Casey shot an 8-under 62 on Saturday to take a fourstroke lead into the final round.

Casey, whose win at Valspar in Florida in March was his first PGA Tour title in nine years, called the bogey-free round at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell his best of the year.

The Englishman had six birdies and an eagle — at the signature par-4 15th hole — where he hit his tee shot onto the green and then sank a 23-foot putt. He broke out of the pack hitting all 18 greens and has a streak of 23 straight heading into today. He was at 16-under 194.

“It was clinical,” he said. “I did everything I wanted to do. I can’t do any more than that.”

Casey was second here during his first visit in 2015, came in 17th a year later and had a fifth-place finish in Cromwell a year ago.

Russell Henley was 12 under after a 67, and J.B. Holmes (65), Anirban Lahiri (65) and third-round leader Brain Harman (69) were 11 under.

Jason Day shot 66, and Bubba Watson 67, leaving them 10 under. Watson came from six back to the 2010 event and beat Casey in a playoff in 2015.

Morning rain and drizzle throughout the day kept the greens soft, but nobody was able to stay with Casey.

U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka shot a 69 to get to 4 under. Koepka said he plans to go right at every pin today, then take time off before the British Open.

“I’m going to try to shoot 60,” he said. “You’re so far back, you’ve got to kind of make a move and if you shoot 10 (under), you never know what can happen.”

Rory McIlroy had an eagle at 15, but three-putted 18 for a bogey and a 69. He was tied for 15th place at 8 under.

Defending champion Jordan Spieth was 3 under after a 71. He opened 63-73.

Champions: Wearing a green shirt in a nod to Mexico’s soccer team playing in the World Cup, Esteban Toledo birdied four of the last six holes for a 6-under 66 and the lead in the American Family Insurance Championship in Madison, Wis.

Five strokes behind tournament host Steve Stricker after an opening 69 in rain Friday at University Ridge, the 55-year-old Mexican had six birdies in a bogey-free round to reach 9-under 135.

Defending champion Fred Couples (67), David Toms (66), Kent Jones (67) and Billy Mayfair (68) were a stroke back.

European Tour: Danish player Lucas Bjerregaard shot a 5-under 67 to equal the week’s lowest round for a six-way share of the lead after the third round of the BMW International Open in Pulheim, Germany.

Bjerregaard had eight birdies, a double bogey and a bogey to finish on 5-under 211 — jumping 23 places and joining local favorites Martin Kaymer and Maximilian Kieffer, England’s Chris Paisley and Aaron Rai, and Australia’s Scott Hend at the top of the leaderboard.