English wins Travelers, beating Hickok in 8-hole playoff

CROMWELL, Conn. — Six and a half hours in, Harris English was tired. His hamstrings hurt. His back was sore. After 80 holes in 80-degree heat, he was struggling to focus. Darkness was becoming a factor. He lost count of how many holes he had played.

“It’s hard to stay mentally into it,” English said Sunday after winning an eight-hole playoff — tied for the second-longest sudden death in PGA Tour history — to beat Kramer Hickok and win the Travelers Championship.

“Hats off to him for a good fight,” said English, who shot a 5-under 65 to finish at 13 under and then rattled off seven pars in the playoff before holing a 16-foot birdie putt for the win. “We were both joking that somebody’s got to make a birdie sometime. I had that putt a few times, and I finally read it right.”

Both players birdied the final hole in regulation to force the playoff, which is second only to the 11-hole sudden death in the 1949 Motor City Open, when Lloyd Mangrum and Cary Middlecoff were declared co-winners by mutual agreement due to darkness. Four other events have reached an eighth sudden death hole.

The eight-hole playoff was a record for the tournament, which went seven holes in 1961 (Ted Kroll) and again in ‘62 (Bob Goalby), when it was known as the Insurance City Open.

It was the second win this year and the fourth career victory for English, who finished third at the U.S. Open last week — and fourth in the pandemic-delayed U.S. Open in September. He won $1,368,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points, moving into second in the standings.

English sank a 28-footer on the 72nd hole to emerge from a threeway tie and finish at 13 under. Then he headed to the range to stay warm in case Hickock, who was minus-12 with two holes to play, could catch him.

The 29-year-old Texan, who had never won on the PGA Tour, couldn’t convert a 39-foot birdie putt on the 17th, but he knocked in a nine-footer for birdie on No. 18 to match English.