Cromwell’s Zaback snags spot in Travelers

ELLINGTON » Zach Zaback couldn’t even try to place a number on how many rounds of golf he has played at TPC River Highlands, especially in the last year as his family’s home is little more than a quality tee shot removed from course hosting the Travelers Championship.

The 2016 UConn graduate and Farmington native has been a regular visitor to the Connecticut PGA Tour stop as a fan and still has wide-eyed recollections of the playoff between Bubba Watson and Paul Casey two years ago.

Thanks to the Cromwell resident being one of four players to shoot 67 at Monday’s Travelers Championship Open Qualifier at Ellington Ridge Country Club, the 23-year-old Zaback will get a chance to make his own memories at the Travelers starting Thursday.

“It feels amazing,” Zaback said. “I have dreamed about playing in this tournament.”

Many of those dreams have taken place during his rounds on the course that he has been a member at for more than 5 1/2 years.

“A putt on 18, you dream about, ‘this is to win the Travelers,’” Zaback said. “It is awesome and I don’t even know what to say.”

A year ago Zaback shot a 67 at the Travelers qualifier but so did six other golfers. Zaback was eliminated in a playoff.

Zaback did have his plenty of moments of brilliance a year ago. Last year en route to winning his second State Amateur title he opened more than a few eyes with a double eagle on the 332yard par-4 first hole at Wethersfield Country Club. Zaback had some anxious mo-

ments on Monday especially when Tom Hoge’s 67 went up on the leaderboard with four groups of players still yet to have their scores posted. Former Byron Nelson Championship title holder Brett Wetterich, 2003 Masters runner-up Len Mattiace and Heath Slocum, a fourtime winner on the PGA Tour, were among the quality golfers capable of carding a 67 or better to force a playoff since no more than four golfers from the qualifier have spots waiting for them in the Travelers’ field.

Mattiece made things interesting with a 68, but in the end Zaback would be joined by Hoge, Neil Johnson and Chase Seiffert as the four players to earn spots in the Travelers Championship.

“It is definitely nerve wracking,” Zaback said. “Last year I shot the same score, it is probably playing a little bit tougher this year. I lost in a 7 for 2 playoffs so it was pretty tough to begin with, but 3-putted and missed like a 3-footer to get bumped out. That was disappointing, you just pray and when I am out here, finish as well as I could, play solid. Once you are in, it is kind of out of your hands, you are just hoping it is good enough.”

Hoge has played in 10 PGA Tour tournaments in 2017, finishing 10th at Puerto Rico Open. He was also tied for 24th in Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Johnson also played in the Puerto Rico Open.

This was Seiffert’s first attempt to qualify for the Travelers, but in November he was among those to emerge out of the 4-spot qualifier to play in the RSM Classic in Golden Isles, Georgia.

“I made it a point to be aggressive,” Seiffert said. “I started on the first hole, birdied the first two holes.”

He had a bogey on 18 but considered it to be a workmanlike score of 5. Looking back, had he not fought his way to the bogey, he would have needed to face Mattiece in a playoff for the same spot.

Seiffert was in great position to qualify for the recently-completed US Open before fading in the final nine holes. Seiffert admitted that watching the tournament was trying but seeing his former Florida State teammate Brooks Koepka win his first major title was enough for him to turn on the TV to watch the end of the tournament.

“I was happy to see my fellow Seminole win it,” Seiffert said. “It is cool, between him and Daniel Berger, they have been lighting it up the last three or four years.”

Waterbury’s Blake Morris finished tied for sixth with a 69 while Clinton’s Jeff Evanier birdied the final two holes to finish with a 70.

“Unfortunately it is not going to be good enough,” Evanier said. “I missed a few par-5 birdies, I was around the green on two of them but made pars instead of birdies otherwise, I’d be looking pretty good right now.”

Evanier, like many of those in the field, has spent the last few months competing in the PGA Latino-America tour. He will be playing in events in Paraguay and Brazil in August but before will compete in the Colorado Open, Cedar Falls Open and Connecticut Open.