Russell Henley May Have Thrown Away Travelers Championship with Honor
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
In golf, honor is more than just a beautiful word.
No one was watching Russell Henley's second shot on the eighth hole at TPC River Highlands during the second round of the Travelers Championship. There were no TV cameras on him, and probably not even his group mate, Nick Dunlap.
Yet, Henley still called a penalty on himself.
"It was a good teaching opportunity for my son, who was watching," he said.
Russell Henley of the United States plays a shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 20, 2025 in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Russell Henley of the United States plays a shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 20, 2025 in Cromwell, Connecticut.Henley hit his tee shot 209 yards straight into the rough, passing the green to the left. He aimed to find the hole from there with his second shot, but that's when the problem arose.
The five-time PGA Tour winner recalled that while taking his backswing, he saw the ball move a millimeter. His shot was excellent; it carried the ball to within three feet of the hole and then Henley successfully putted for par.
However, he wasn't comfortable with the situation, so he called the rules officials. The matter ended with Henley receiving a one-stroke penalty, turning his par on the eighth hole into a bogey.
"It was pretty windy and the ball was halfway covered from the rough, but I'm confident that it moved," Henley said.
"The rule is kind of setup I think to protect us, just from being unsure. Because it's one of those things where there's no intent there, and I didn't really benefit at all, the ball was in the thick rough. But that's part of the game."
Low round of the tournament so far. Russell Henley puts himself into contention at -13 heading into Sunday. pic.twitter.com/qNjRzeFzkA — TravelersChamp (@TravelersChamp) June 21, 2025
Far from helping him, Henley's honorable reaction may cost him a tidy sum. It so happened that the golf gods rewarded his honesty with a third-round 61, placing him in a tie for second with Keegan Bradley at 13-under par, three strokes behind Tommy Fleetwood.
Had he not received the penalty, Henley would be in solo second. The Travelers Championship awards $2.16 million to the runner-up, but that amount drops to $1.76 million ($400,000 less) if two players tie for second, as is the case after 54 holes.
Add to that that trailing by two strokes instead of three would give him a much better chance of unseating Fleetwood. A victory would be his second $3.6 million payout of the year; as Henley already won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the third Signature Event of the season.
So, safe is to say that sportsmanship just hit another ace in professional golf.
More Golf: Collin Morikawa Uses New 'Weird' Strategy at Travelers Championship
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