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Tour de France Stage 7 Preview: The ITT Will Test the GC Favorites

Expect the top yellow jersey contenders to be at the top of the standings in Friday’s ITT.

Stage 7 - Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin ITT (25.3km) - Friday, July 5

The stage begins in Nuits-Saint-Georges, a winemaking town in the heart of Burgundy that’s known for the Pinot Noir grapes grown in the hills north of the village. After leaving the town, the road slowly begins to drag upwards as riders head into the hills and toward the first time check at Messanges, 8.6km into the stage.

Once through this first time check, the road really kicks up as the riders ascend the Côte de Curtil-Vergy on their way to the second time check in Curley, the highest point in the stage. From here the road descends for about 5km before passing through the third and final time check in Morey-Saint-Denis, 5.4km from the finish in Gevrey-Chambertin. This final section is straight and flat, with just a few corners inside the final 2km as the riders approach the line. Riders who paced themselves on the first, uphill half of the stage should have an advantage on the run-in to the finish.

The weather will be cloudy, with temperatures in the 70s and a slight wind coming from the south. This should give the riders a light tailwind as they climb up to the second time check during the first half of the stage–and again as they power their way along the flat road from the third time check toward the finish in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Riders to Watch

Stage 7 could prove to be one of the most important first week battlegrounds for the Tour’s overall contenders–perhaps even more decisive than Tuesday’s trip over the Col du Galibier.

It’s the perfect course for the Tour’s top-3 riders: Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step), and Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). All three are among the best in the world in the discipline, and Stage 7 will be our first chance to see them race against one another in a Tour de France time trial.

For Pogačar, who finished first and second in the Giro d’Italia ’s two individual time trials in May, it’s a chance to extend his lead on the Tour’s General Classification and continue asserting himself as the Tour’s top rider. Since he wears the maillot jaune , he’ll be the last rider to start the stage, so he’ll have the advantage of knowing everyone else’s time checks as they pass through ahead of him.

And holding onto the yellow jersey comes with an added bonus for the Slovenian: the order of cars in the caravan that follows the race is determined by the General Classification, which means Pogačar’s team car will be first in line on Sunday’s gravel stage around Troyes if he keeps the yellow jersey. With mishaps more likely as the riders race on the white gravel roads through the region's champagne vineyards, having a car at the front of the caravan means faster service and less time lost if things go pear-shaped for Pogačar or his teammates.

Evenepoel might be the biggest threat to the Slovenian. The Belgian is the current world time trial champion, and he won a 34.4km time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné in early-June. The Tour rookie has ridden a near-perfect race so far and enters Stage 7 just 45 seconds behind the yellow jersey, and even if he does defeat Pogačar, we wonder if the stage will be long enough for him to gain back the time he needs to take the maillot jaune . Doing so would be a fantastic achievement for the Belgian, who comes from a nation that hasn’t produced a Tour de France champion in 38 years.

While Stage 7 will be an important day for Pogačar and Evenepoel, it’s absolutely critical for Vingegaard, who crushed Pogačar in the only time trial in last year’s Tour de France. Vingegaard came to the Tour with lots of questions about his form after missing almost two months of racing and training due to a terrible crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in early-April, but the Dane has impressed everyone so far with his performance in this year’s Tour.

But Stage 7 will be the first true test of Vingegaard’s fitness, and a chance to see how he measures up–pedal stroke by pedal stroke–to Pogačar. If he’s able to pick-up where he left off at the end of last year’s Tour, he can regain some (or all) of the time he lost to Pogačar on the Galibier at the end of Stage 4 and erase all of the questions we had about the Dane’s chances of winning a third consecutive Tour de France.

Last but not least, Stage 7 might be the last chance for Slovenia’s Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) to remain in the yellow jersey conversation. Roglič–who enters the day fifth overall, 1:14 behind Pogačar–is also an accomplished time trialist, but at 34-years-old he seems to have lost a step compared to Pogačar, Evenepoel, and Vingegaard.

For example, Evenepoel put 39 seconds into Roglič at the Dauphiné and defeated him in two ITTs at last year’s Giro d’Italia. If he’s to remain in the podium conversation, Roglič has to record a time that’s on par with the others. If he doesn’t, his dream of winning the 2024 Tour de France might be over.

How to Watch Stage 7 of the Tour de France

You can stream Stage 7 of the 2024 Tour de France on NBC’s Peacock ($5.99/month or $59.99/year). If you’re looking for ad-free coverage, you’ll need a subscription to Peacock Premium Plus, which runs $11.99 per month or $119.99 for the year.

We expect one of the Tour’s GC contenders to win the stage–and even if one doesn’t, the battle between them will still be the most exciting thing to watch on Friday.

The final wave of riders will roll down the starting ramp in 2-minute intervals, with Roglič starting the stage at 10:52 a.m. EDT, Vingegaard at 10:56 a.m. EDT, Evenepoel at 10:58 a.m. EDT, and Pogačar–the last rider to start the stage–at 11:00 a.m. EDT. Thanks to the expected tailwind, the top riders should complete the course in about 25 minutes, so expect the stage to wrap-up by 11:30 a.m. EDT.

How to Watch Stage 7 of the Tour de France in the Canada

If you live in Canada, you can catch all the action on FloBikes. An annual subscription will cost you $29.99/month or $150/year.

How to Watch Stage 7 of the Tour de France in the U.K.

UK viewers can watch the Tour de France on ITV4, Eurosport, and Discovery+.

A standard Discovery+ subscription, featuring Eurosport’s cycling coverage, costs £6.99 monthly or £59.99 annually. The premium subscription, which includes all this plus TNT Sports, is available for an extra £29.99 per month.

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Five storylines to follow on chaotic Sunday at Travelers Championship

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CROMWELL, Conn. – The final round of the Travelers Championship is set to be a test of will more than skill.

Thunderstorms delayed the proceedings on Friday and Saturday, and tee times were moved up on Sunday in anticipation of more weather. Most of the field is playing for at least the third consecutive week, following grueling tests at Muirfield Village and Pinehurst No. 2. Whoever emerges from a crowded leaderboard at TPC River Highlands will have aced a proper mental and physical examination.

Tom Kim (18-under) leads by one over Scottie Scheffler and Akshay Bhatia. The fourth round will be played in threesomes, with the final group of Kim, Scheffler and Bhatia teeing off at 11:15 a.m. ET.

Here are five storylines to follow in anticipation of a chaotic Sunday at TPC River Highlands, where anything can happen with numerous players in the mix.

1. Can Scottie make it six?

Scottie Scheffler’s shortcomings are becoming much more interesting than his successes. He struggled at Pinehurst last week and spent the early part of Travelers week explaining why. He wasn’t comfortable with the waste areas and didn’t know where to miss. When he reached the greens, he couldn’t see his lines well on the turtleback slopes. All that added up to an anomaly: Scheffler out of contention.

It appears to be just a one-week blip. Scheffler is 17-under through three rounds, one shot back. He birdied his final four holes to secure a spot in the final group. And that has the Travelers feeling familiar.

Scottie Scheffler's approach to 1 inch sets up birdie at Travelers

We’ve seen this story play out at THE PLAYERS Championship, the Masters, and RBC Heritage, where the leaderboard shuffles between top names before one man emerges and makes us believe it was never in doubt at all.

That’s the most likely outcome for Sunday. The betting markets show it and the golfing world feels it. But a lot can still happen in 18 holes.

If Scheffler emerges from the crowd of contenders to claim his sixth win, it’s a significant mile marker in a historic season. The list of players with six wins in a season is short. Since 1983, it’s been done eight times by three people. Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Nick Price are the only ones who have reached this milestone.

Scheffler’s season feels fitting of that company. He’s one round away from securing it.

2. Will Akshay Bhatia and Tom Kim run out of steam?

Worrying about a 22-year-old running out of energy might be a fool’s errand, but Sunday at Travelers presents the circumstances to make that possible.

Bhatia is playing his seventh consecutive week on TOUR; Kim is making his eighth. Both have contended in that time, an extra weight. Now both will play in the final group with Scheffler world No. 1.

Those stakes are enough to suck the energy out of anybody, but Bhatia and Kim might have the track record to withstand it. Bhatia played alongside Scheffler on Saturday, and both shot 65. Bhatia admitted there were nerves on the first tee, but it didn’t show much.

“It’s kind of my first time playing in that many, in front of that many people,” Bhatia said. It was really cool. It was 90 percent Scottie, 10 percent me, which is all right, but it was awesome.”

“I think it's going to get easier from here,” Bhatia added.

Akshay Bhatia goes flag hunting to set up birdie at Travelers

Kim knows the pressure Scheffler can put on you as a competitor, seeing it weekly in Dallas, where they both reside. Playing on Sunday in the final round of a Signature Event will be a different animal, but he’s as comfortable as possible.

Tom Kim's quality tee shot leads to birdie at Travelers

They won’t be allowed any time to settle in – required to make birdies in bunches. You're going backward if you’re making pars at TPC River Highlands.

3. Can Collin Morikawa knock the victory door down?

Consistently contending is more draining mentally than physically. The steps accumulate, but the stress lingers. Morikawa has consistently put himself within earshot of victory this season. He played in the final group on Sunday at the Masters, the PGA Championship and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. He was also in contention at the RBC Heritage and Wells Fargo Championship.

He left each tournament tired and unsatisfied. It’s impressive that Morikawa has continually bounced back from those bouts of disappointment and he’s playing well again this week, currently 15-under, three back of Kim.

The last hurdle to clear is mental, Morikawa said. His swing is finally in a good place. Now, it’s about making the right decisions and being present for every shot. That’s the final differentiator.

“The biggest thing for me if I want to stay in contention is just not letting my mind kind of wander,” Morikawa said. “It's been a long stretch, it's hot, but I want to win and I'm going to stay as sharp as possible.”

Collin Morikawa buries 19-foot birdie at Travelers

Morikawa won the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP last fall, his lone win since August 2021. In the two years prior, Morikawa won five times. The latter pace is what Morikawa expects, but he hasn’t played well enough in the biggest moments.

Morikawa ranks 130th in final round scoring average (70.92) this season. He will need much better than even-par to win the Travelers.

4. Can Cam Young conjure an encore?

Every shot from Cameron Young’s 59 at Travelers

They say it’s difficult to follow up a low round with another, but that’s what Young will hope to do. He was thrilled to join the exclusive club of TOUR pros to shoot 59 but acknowledged the accomplishment is fleeting without a victory.

“There's some full tournaments that I probably would rank above it in terms of just like overall achievement,” Young said. “I feel like one day doesn't necessarily warrant like a crowning achievement of a career or -- it's certainly my high of the month. But, I mean, I'm sure I will pretty much try to forget by tomorrow.”

So what will Sunday bring? He won’t forget the 59 if it aids his path to a PGA TOUR victory. That Young has not won yet on TOUR is confounding, given his talent and pedigree. Perhaps the 59 will break that dam.

“If I'm going to have any chance to win I'm sure I would have to shoot another low one,” Young said.

5. Who will charge up and go low?

Young’s 59 enabled him to jump more than 30 spots on the leaderboard. With soft conditions expected Sunday, TPC River Highlands will again be vulnerable to low scores and the leaderboard will be primed for disruption.

Nine players are within four shots of the lead, and 16 are within six, offering chaotic context for the final round.

Xander Schauffele, Sungjae Im, Tony Finau, Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas and Ludvig Åberg are among the chasers. That should offer plenty of theater.

Sunshine Tour stars gather for season finale

Another stellar Sunshine Tour season will end on a high this week with the exclusive R2-million Tour Championship delivered by The Courier Guy at Serengeti Estates featuring the stars of the 2023-24 season. MICHAEL VLISMAS  reports.

The top 50 available professionals on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy have qualified for this 72-hole tournament with no halfway cut, which tees off on Thursday.

The event is just reward for the professionals’ consistency throughout one of the most successful Sunshine Tour seasons in history with a number of new young stars emerging and the overall increase in events and prize money on the Tour.

Ryan van Velzen leads the field as the No 1-ranked player on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit following a breakthrough season in which he won three times and where he is now seeking to secure the overall Order of Merit title which would put him in an exclusive group in South African golf from Gary Player to Ernie Els to more recently Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

A further incentive is that the top three professionals at the end of the season will receive an added bonus, with R500,000 going to the first-placed finisher followed by R200,000 for second and R100,000 for third place. This will be on top of their season’s earnings.

In second place behind Van Velzen, Robin Williams is challenging for his own honours this week as he seeks to claim the Fortress Rookie of the Year Award and with it a R200,000 bonus. Williams announced himself as a new star in the South African game this season as he claimed a maiden Sunshine Tour title in his rookie season and lost a playoff for a DP World Tour co-sanctioned title in the SDC Championship as well as finishing third in a European Challenge Tour co-sanctioned event in the Dimension Data Pro-Am.

The field this week also includes defending champion Jaco Ahlers as well as rising young star Casey Jarvis, who finished second last year, Nikhil Rama, who came close to winning the Joburg Open before finishing sixth, and 2018 champion Darren Fichardt.

Photo: Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour

Article written by simon

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Fssh Vostok-Elektrostal - SSH Saturn Ramenskoe head to head game preview and prediction

On the 06 July 2024 at 15:00 UTC meet Fssh Vostok-Elektrostal vs SSH Saturn Ramenskoe in Russia in a game that we all expect to be very interesting. Both teams try to perform well in Moscow Oblast Championship - League A. This general info table below illustrates best the game details about the upcoming clash. Although everyone expects this to be a tight game it's predicted as in our football predictions section.

General Info

Team standings, fssh vostok-elektrostal performance highlights.

Fssh Vostok-Elektrostal have over 0.5 second half goals in their last 22 games.

SSH Saturn Ramenskoe performance highlights

SSH Saturn Ramenskoe have over 2.5 goals in their last 6 games.

SSH Saturn Ramenskoe have over 3.5 goals in their last 5 games.

SSH Saturn Ramenskoe have scored over 0.5 goals in their last 4 games.

SSH Saturn Ramenskoe have over 0.5 second half goals in their last 18 games.

Fssh Vostok-Elektrostal last games

Ssh saturn ramenskoe last games, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 0.5 goals, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 1.5 goals, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 2.5 goals, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 3.5 goals, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 0.5 first half goals, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 1.5 first half goals, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 0.5 team goals scored, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 1.5 team goals scored, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 2.5 team goals scored, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 0.5 team goals conceded, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 1.5 team goals conceded, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: over 2.5 team goals conceded, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: scored in first half, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: scored in second half, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: both teams to score, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: both teams to score twice, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: win with more than 1 goal, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe: win with more than 2 goals, fssh vostok-elektrostal - ssh saturn ramenskoe last 2 months goals statistics details.

The table below shows the extended goals stats for Fssh Vostok-Elektrostal and SSH Saturn Ramenskoe. The percentage numbers show the games with specific stats compared to the total games played by each team.

First four stats shown in the table illustrate the total number of goals scored in each football match when the team played.For example if team has 100% for over 0.5 goals, that means that at least 1 goal has been scored in their game.

The first half goals section specifies if there has been a goal or a number of goals scored in the first half of the match.

Team goals scored and team goals conceded show the percentage of games that Fssh Vostok-Elektrostal or SSH Saturn Ramenskoe has managed to score or concede a goal in their last games in the last 2 months.

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Scottie Scheffler outlasts protest on 18th green, Tom Kim to win Travelers for 6th victory of year

Scottie Scheffler, right, poses with his baby son Bennett and his wife Meredith after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

One of several protesters is led away after they ran onto the course on at the 18th hole as Akshay Bhatia, second from right, and Scottie Scheffler, right, watch during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Golfers Tom Kim, left, of South Korea, Scottie Scheffler, center, and Akshay Bhatia, right, talk to an official after protesters ran onto the 18th green during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Scottie Scheffler holds up his trophy after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Scottie Scheffler tees off on the 11th hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A protester runs onto the course as Scottie Scheffler, right, watches on the 18th hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Scottie Scheffler reacts after missing a put on the 18th hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Scottie Scheffler gestures after making birdie on the seventh hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tom Kim, of South Korea, tees off on the eighth hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tom Hoge tees off on the first hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Akshay Bhatia reacts after sinking a putt on the eighth hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Scottie Scheffler, right, shakes hands with Tom Kim, of South Korea, after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Protesters are led away after they ran onto the course on at the 18th hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Protesters are taken into custody after they ran onto the course as Akshay Bhatia, left, walks away on the 18th hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Protesters run onto the course as Scottie Scheffler, right, walks away on the 18th hole during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler had to wait out a climate protest on the 18th green and Tom Kim’s tying birdie on the last hole of regulation.

Those events only delayed what seems to be inevitable on the PGA Tour this season: the best golfer in the world walking off with the trophy.

Shrugging off a protest that interrupted the tournament on the 72nd hole while the leaders were lining up their putts, Scheffler won the Travelers Championship on the first hole of sudden death on Sunday for his sixth win of the year, the most in one season on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods had six in 2009.

“When something like that happens, you don’t really know what’s happening, So it can kind of rattle you a little bit,” Scheffler said.

“That can be a stressful situation, and you would hate for the tournament to end on something weird happening because of a situation like that,” he said. “Tom and I both tried to calm each other down so we could give it our best shot there on 18.”

Scheffler closed with a 5-under 65 and a 22-under 258 total at the TPC River Highlands, and Kim matched him with a final-round 66.

Tom Hoge and Sungjae Im tied for third, two shots back, with Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Justin Thomas and Akshay Bhatia tied for fifth at 18 under. Bhatia was also in the final group that was disrupted by the protest.

“I was scared for my life,” he said. “I didn’t even really know what was happening. ... But thankfully the cops were there and kept us safe, because that’s, you know, that’s just weird stuff.”

It was Scheffler’s fourth victory of the year in the tour’s $20 million, limited-field signature events, earning him a payday of $3.6 million. He also won the Masters and The Players Championship.

And Scheffler still has two months to go.

“As much as I love him, I would have loved to take that away from him,” said Kim, who shares a birthday and a friendship with Scheffler. “But I’m happy for him, and after I tapped out, after he tapped out, he said some really nice words and it meant a lot to me.”

Scheffler had a one-stroke lead heading to the 18th green on Sunday when six people stormed the course, waving smoke bombs that left a red and white powdery residue on the putting surface. Some wore white T-shirts with the words “NO GOLF ON A DEAD PLANET” in black lettering.

They were tackled by police and taken off.

The activist group Extinction Rebellion, which has a history of disrupting events around the world, claimed responsibility for the protest. In a statement emailed to The Associated Press, the group blamed climate change for an electrical storm that injured two people at a home near the course on Saturday.

After a delay of about five minutes, when tournament officials used towels and blowers to remove the powder and any other marks that might affect play, Scheffler left a 26-foot putt from the fringe on the edge of the cup and tapped in for par.

Kim then made a 10-foot birdie putt for a 66 to match Scheffler.

“Obviously it is a disruption and you don’t want it to happen, but for me it just kind of slowed things down,” Kim said. “It took the meaning of the putt away for a second. Because for the past 17 and a half holes all you’re thinking about is golf, and suddenly when that happens your mind goes into a complete — like, you’re almost not even playing golf anymore. I thought it was a dream for a second.”

The hole location on the 18th was moved for the playoff to avoid the parts of the green affected by the protesters.

Scheffler hit his approach in the playoff to 11 feet while Kim found a greenside bunker. Kim’s blast from a plugged lie ran 36 feet past the hole, leaving Scheffler with an easy two-putt par for the victory. Afterward, his wife, Meredith, met him on the green, carrying their 6-week-old son, Bennett .

“It’s fun competing against your friends,” Scheffler said. “But at the same time, it’s difficult. Because part of me wants him to miss the putt and part of me wants him to make the putt. ... But he should remember that putt he made on 18, because it was pretty special. And he’s a great player and a great champion.”

Coming off a tie for 41st in the U.S. Open – by far his worst finish of the year -- Scheffler trailed Kim by three strokes after the first round, by two after the second round and by one heading to the tee on Sunday.

Scheffler took a one-shot lead over Kim with three straight birdies on Nos. 13-15 — he had putts for eagle on two of them. While Hoge signed for a 62 to finish at 20 under, and Im joined him there, Scheffler and Kim matched pars over the next two holes to set up the surprising finish.

Scheffler and Kim share a June 21 birthday — Scheffler is six years older — and they celebrated with New Haven pizza before the tournament about 30 miles north. The Dallas-area residents played together in the final group on Sunday, chatting and joking around.

But only one of them could hold the trophy at the end.

And just like it’s been so often, it was Scheffler.

Kim said being in a pack of leaders with his birthday buddy allowed him to focus on his own game.

“You don’t need to worry about him, because he’s going to play well,” Kim said. “Obviously he’s a phenomenal player, world No. 1, all those titles. But at the same time for me he’s just Scottie Scheffler, he’s just a good friend.

“To come down with someone that I play a lot of golf with, who beats me a lot at home — and, unfortunately, he beat me in the playoff too,” Kim said. “But it definitely made it a lot more enjoyable out there.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf