There were birdies galore at last week's Travelers Championship that ended up with Keegan Bradley adding a sixth PGA Tour title to his collection.
Bradley, who lifted the 2011 PGA Championship, bogeyed three of his last six holes on Sunday but still managed to record a comfortable three-shot victory at TPC River Highlands.
The American put on a clinic in approach play and putting, as he ranked first in strokes gained in both of those departments, and he has now won two events in the space of the last nine months.
Ryder Cup return a realistic possibility for Bradley
Having been ranked outside of the world's top 100 in 2021, the 37-year-old ended a near four-wait for his fifth PGA success at last October's Zozo Championship before adding title six to his cabinet on Sunday.
Bradley now sits 18th in the world, the first time has been inside the top 20 since 2014, and he has put himself in the mix for a return to the Ryder Cup later this year.
The US ace last played in the biennial men's golf competition in 2014, but his latest victory will have caught the attention of 2023 captain Zach Johnson ahead of the trip to Marco Simone Golf Club, Rome.
Reigning champions the USA are -170 To Win Outright in Italy, while the draw is priced at +1200 and Europe are +170.
Mr Consistency keeps on rolling
Scottie Scheffler has been a model of consistency on the PGA Tour this season, having picked up victories at the Phoenix Open and The Players Championship and also recorded top-10 finishes in all three Majors so far.
The world number one ended up tied for fourth at the Travelers and he has not finished worse than T12 in any of his 15 events in this campaign.
It feels like another victory is just around the corner for Scheffler and he is +900 to win the 2023 Open Championship, which takes place at Royal Liverpool Golf Club from July 20th - 23rd.
Positive signs for Thomas
This season has been a huge disappointment for Justin Thomas and his recent missed cut at the US Open brought about a stark admission from the American, who said it was the "lowest I've felt".
Eager to keep on plugging away and get back to his best, the 30-year-old shot rounds of 70-64-62-67 last week to finish tied-ninth at the Travelers Championship - his first top 10 since March.
Thomas will be hoping to see more improvement over the next couple of weeks before embarking on a trip to Royal Liverpool GC for the 2023 Open Championship, for which he is +4000 in the Outright Market.
TPC River Highlands not a match for the modern player
Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, who finished tied-seventh at the Travelers, had some choice words for TPC River Highlands after his latest top 10, suggesting the course is "obsolete".
Speaking after the final round, the four-time Major winner said, as quoted by Sky Sports: "Unfortunately, technology has passed this course by, right? It sort of has made it obsolete, especially as soft as it has been with a little bit of rain that we had."
"Again, like the conversations going back to, you know, limiting the golf ball and stuff like that, when we come to courses like this they just don't present the challenge that they used to."
Does McIlroy have a point? Is the course not a stern enough test for the modern-day golfer? When you have a winning score of -23 and only 35 players in the entire field shooting over par after the opening 36 holes, there is an argument that McIlroy's comments are right on the money.
It is always good to see birdies and eagles made, but this can lead to a rather muted end to a tournament and that is precisely what happened on Sunday, as Bradley had a six-shot lead at one stage and could afford to drop three shots in his final six holes.
With the technological advances in the world of golf, there is more pressure on Tour venues to adapt and ensure they present a challenge to the world's elite.
TPC River Highlands failed to do that and it would be no surprise if there were potential plans in the pipeline to try and redesign sections of the course.
