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Mahan Triumphs in Travelers Playoff

Hunter Mahan achieved his first PGA Tour victory at the Travelers Championship after beating Jay Williamson in a one hole playoff that thrilled spectators and viewers with quality shot making.

Published

19 years ago

Jun 25, 2007

K Vakamudi

The final pairing at the final round of the Travelers Championship featured two men with a lot to play for. Jay Williamson, a former PGA Tour player who lost his playing privileges, was one round away from earning back his playing rights and a two year exemption on the PGA Tour. Hunter Mahan, the young man from Orange, California who was a junior and amateur standout, was looking to prove that he could capitalize the golfing potential so many had dubbed him with.

With so much pressure and so much to play for, odds were good that either Mahan or Williamson would succumb to the nerves inherent in obtaining an elusive tour victory. However, the opposite seemed to happen – both players seemed to thrive under the pressure. Williamson began the day with a one shot lead, and from the beginning both players made it clear they were playing to win. Throughout the day, the two traded birdies like heavyweight fighters trying hard to knock their opponent out, only to have them charge back.

Both players played near perfect front nines, with Mahan making the turn one shot ahead of Williamson. However, Williamson quickly caught fire on the back with birdies on 11, 13, and 15. Mahan matched him with consecutive birdies at 11, 12, and 13. However, bogies at 16 and 17 gave Williamson a one shot lead. Both players arrived at 18 and found the fairway with their tee shots. Williamson was away and hit a fantastic approach to twelve feet. After a brief conversation with his caddie John Wood who reassured him of their strategy, Mahan did not hesitate and put his 9 iron approach to six feet inside of Williamson’s ball, on the exact same line. Mahan said, "We had a good yardage and just went with it. I went right at it. I mean, there’s no reason not to. I figured he was going to make birdie. He just kind of had that putt. So was just going to be aggressive with it and luckily made a great swing." Williamson pushed his putt just slightly to the right and Mahan went to school on the putt and payed close attention. Mahan’s putt was center cut and after 72 holes the two players were tied.

If the first time through the 18th hole wasn’t dramatic enough, the players found a way to improve on their performance. After finding the fairway, Williamson managed to put his approach to six feet. However, Mahan again managed to get inside Williamson putting his approach to three feet for a tap-in birdie. Williamson missed his putt again, and Mahan converted for his first PGA Tour victory. For Mahan, this victory is especially important, since his very first victory on Tour changes his career and season from this point on. However, Mahan said just knowing he can win was the biggest benefit, "Just you know the fact that — the fact that I know I won out here means a lot. I mean, it’s just knowing that you can win and actually winning is two different things. And to win it the way I did is just amazing to me. To have to birdie in a playoff especially after he hit that shot in there is mind-boggling."

For Williamson, who pulled out many resilient par saves on the back nine to stay in contention, the victory was surely bitter-sweet. Although he wasn’t able to find his first victory, his $648,000 runner up check dwarfs the $150,000 he has earned thus far on the Nationwide Tour. However, more importantly, his prize money this week gives him special temporary member status on the PGA Tour for the rest of the year – meaning he won’t need to tee it up on the Nationwide Tour next week, and he will be in the field at next week’s Buick Open. "hopefully my performance today will help me maybe get some exemptions down the road. Hopefully I handled myself well and did the types of things that tournaments would want me in their events for, so we’ll see," Williamson said.

Pos	Player	R1	R2	R3	R4	Tot
1	Hunter Mahan	62	71	67	65	-15
2	Jay Williamson	66	66	67	66	-15
3	Nick O’Hern	67	70	66	66	-11
4	Vijay Singh	68	71	66	65	-10
5	Fred Funk	70	65	67	69	-9

News

5 Things we Learned: Thursday at the U.S.. Women’s Open

Published

23 hours ago

Jun 5, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Gone are the days when the U.S. Women’s Open was held at Scenic Hills or Churchill Valley. Fine courses that they are (or were, as Churchill Valley went bankrupt a decade ago) there is something to be said for the venue. Not all Women’s Open playings need to take place on Men’s Open venues, but some should. This week in Los Angeles, the Women’s Open visits Riviera Country Club for the first time. Down the road, we will visit Inverness, Oakmont, Interlachen, Oak Hill, Chicago Golf, and Merion. That is quite the murderer’s row (1927 Yankees reference) of golf clubs.

What can we expect from the 2026 tournament? Greatness and uncertainty. Unlike the PGA Tour, which visits Riviera each February, the LPGA does not, so the women will not have nearly the body of work over the George C. Thomas layout. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe they’ll play #10 smarter than the men do. Maybe they’ll figure some things out that their male counterparts can not. For today, we’ll try to find five things to learn, and share them with you.

First, this ain’t your momma’s U.S. Open course

How do we know? Well, so far, only one previous champion currently sits inside the top thirty. That would be Minjee Lee, the 2022 winner at Southern (NC) Pines. Lee made par on her first nine holes, the inward side at Riviera. She dropped birdie putts on the first and ninth holes (ten and eighteen for her day) and tallied another seven pars, for 69. She sits three shots off Jennifer Kupcho’s opening 66. Don’t worry about Kupcho; we’ll get to her. After Lee, defending champion Maja Stark ranks T30 at even par, joined by three other, former winners.

What Minjee did, is the sort of thing that wins U.S. Open titles. She guided her ship safely past swells, and made a move when the waters calmed. The fewer the bogeys, the more likely Minjee figures in the outcome on Sunday evening in Pacific Palisades. Off the tee, Lee was unmatched. She hit 14 of 14 fairways. Her iron play was a bit loose in comparison. She putted for birdie on 12 of 18 holes, which meant that her recovery short game was on point. Lee was ten yards longer on measured driving holes than the field average, and was below the field average (a good thing) in putting.

Second, the amateurs beat a loud drum

Three of the world’s top amateur golfer posted 70, placing them four off the lead, in a tie for 14th place. Canada’s Aphrodite Deng, Spain’s Paula Francisco Llaño, and Colombia’s Maria José Marin, showed the professional world that their game is strong. Both Deng and Francisco Llaño collected five birdies on the day. Should they match that output on day two, and minimize the foozles, they’ll be the topic of conversation on Saturday morning. Marin, the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion and an NCAA team semifinalist last week, played a game similar to Minjee Lee: few mistakes and few taken risks.

The last amateur to post the low medal score for 72 holes was Jenny Chuasiriporn in 1998. She lost a playoff to Se Ri Pak, who matched her plus-six effort at Blackwolf Run. The last amateur to win the U.S. Women’s Open was Catherine Lacoste in 1967. The amateurs are stronger than they’ve ever been, but the professionals have not allowed them to close the gap. A victory by one of the college set would be a cannon shot heard round the world. Could it happen? Absolutely. Is it likely? Not at all.

Third, let’s talk Kupcho

Jennifer Kupcho won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She won three times on tour in 2022, including the Chevron, a major title. She won a fourth event in 2025, but has not established the winning credentials projected on her after 2022’s marvelous coming-out.

Kupcho hails from Colorado, and spent four years in the Carolina Piedmont, at Wake Forest Universtiy. Neither of those locales cries out I’ll be at home at Riviera, but here we are, after a seven-birdie performance. Kupcho posted birdie on each of her first three holes, and added four more (against two bogeys) to assume a one-shot advantage over Korea’s Sei Young Kim.

Kupcho drove the ball decently, approached moderately well, but putted lights out on Thursday. Her 26 putts were tied for best in show on day one. There might just be something about the putting surfaces at Riviera that aligns with Kupcho’s vibe. If that is the case, just get the ball on the green, anywhere, and let the flatstick do the lifting.

Fourth, how young is Sei Young?

Sei (pronounced “So”) Young Kim won a dozen times from 2015 to 2020. She took time off from winning until 2025, shen she captured a thirteenth LPGA title. Like Kupcho, Kim has hardware from one major event, the 2020 Women’s PGA Championship. How to explain the five years away from victory? No idea. When Sei Young was in contention during the prime of her career, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

What to expect over the next three days at Riviera? Anyone’s guess. It might be the 2015-2020 Sei Young, or it could be the 2021-2025 version. Kim began her day with birdies at 10 and 11, then settled into a stretch of pars before her solitary bogey at the 4th (her 13th) hole. Kim regained her composure and reeled in three birdies to close the front nine. Her four-under performance trails Kupcho alone, and there is a real chance that Sei Young will produce a second score in the 60s and take a bit of control of the tournament.

Fifth, we’re giddy for Gaby

Although I cannot place my finger on why, it seems that each year, Gaby Lopez pops up on the U.S. Open leaderboard. She hasn’t figure out how to remain in contention, but here we are, in 2026, and Lopez is once again in the mix. The three-time champion on the LPGA circuit had a stunning first nine holes, turning in minus-five. She reached six deep at her tenth hole, but then gave three shots back coming home. Which Gaby will show up on Friday, and for how long? If back-nine Gaby can somehow channel front-nine Gaby, all outcomes are within reach. If the loose play continues, Lopez’ wiki page will add one more T41 to her majors column.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

3 days ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

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WITB Albums

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

5 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

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WITB Albums