Meet William Chesney Reavie, known in golf circles as Chez Reavie. The 37-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, won the Travelers Championship on Sunday, a 4-shot winner over Zach Sucher and Keegan Bradley with a 17-under-par 263.
Reavie's been around for a while. In fact, his last PGA Tour title was the RBC Canadian Open in 2008, his rookie season. His best results since then, until this year, came in 2011 when he had five top-10 finishes. In 2014, surgery on his left wrist kept him sidelined for 10 months. Fast forward to this year, and Reavie finished third at the Sony Open in January and fourth at the Phoenix Open in February. But he missed the cut in three of his next five events until enjoying his best-ever finish in a major -- tied for third last week at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
It has been a long haul for Reavie since coming back from the wrist surgery five years ago that led to him wearing a cast for seven months. Doctors told him there was a 50/50 chance the surgery would work.
"I went through some injuries, had long years there in the middle," he said Sunday. "It was great because it gave me good perseverance and good perspective of what life is. I enjoy every minute of every week I'm out here now, and I don't think I would necessarily be that way if I didn't go through those tough times."
When asked if he expected to win sooner, Reavie said, "Not really. Golf is tough, right? There are a lot of great players on the PGA Tour. To win out here is an honor and something that shouldn't be overlooked or underappreciated."
Reavie took a six-shot lead into the final round after shooting a 7-under 63 in the third round and matched a tournament record with a 28 on the back nine, birdying seven holes.
On Sunday, Reavie's lead was threatened for a bit by Bradley, who rallied with four birdies in six holes to move to within one shot of the lead after he sunk a 7½-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th. But with Reavie's birdie on the par-4 17th and Keegan three-putting for a double bogey there, Reavie took a four-shot lead to the 18th. Bradley and Sucher finished tied for second at 13 under.
Despite Bradley's tough finish, the Vermont native and St. John's product said his week was a "dream come true."
"I got to play in front of the fans in New England and put on a show," he said. "I've never felt that kind of support ever. Maybe in a Ryder Cup. It was fun!"
But Reavie stuck with his game plan, remained accurate off the tee, hit 11 of 14 fairways and was able to close out the win despite the crowds that loudly rooted for Keegan.
"Yeah, they were screaming at me," said Reavie. "You know that happens. You get it every week. People are just having fun. I don't think they necessarily understand how important it is to us. Keegan was great. He told them to stop it and back down when I was trying to putt. It wasn't malicious by any means. "
It's always good to see nice guys win. And it's great to see good things happen to those who endure and overcome challenges.
FACTS ABOUT THE TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Last year, the Travelers Championship received the PGA Tour Players Choice Award for the second straight year. The award is voted on exclusively by PGA Tour players and is based on players' experiences with tournament services, hospitality, player and family amenities, community support, attendance, golf course and other attributes.
The new clubhouse at TPC River Highlands is 40,000 square feet. All active, reserve and retired U.S. servicemembers and their families receive free admission every year. The Travelers Championship raised $2 million for charity this year, which will be distributed to 150 charities.
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