Flavin takes medalist honors at Travelers Championship qualifier

Jun. 21—ELLINGTON — Patrick Flavin had hoped to ease into his round at the 18-hole Travelers Championship qualifier Monday with a momentum-building birdie or, at worst, a stress-free par.

Instead, he needed to drain a 10-foot putt to avoid an inauspicious bogey.

The 26-year-old Miami of Ohio University graduate took his time lining up the putt and drained it. When he saw the ball disappear into the cup, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Confidence renewed, Flavin reeled off three-straight birdies on the par-5 2nd, par-4 3rd and par-3 4th en route to a 6-under-par 66 to lead the pack at Ellington Ridge Country Club.

"When you make a good save on the first hole, you always get a little extra confidence," Flavin said. "It's always a good feeling. I got off to a great start and then I played solid through the middle of my round and hit a lot of fairways and greens."

He planned to make his way to TPC River Highlands today for a practice round.

Ben Silverman (5-under 67), Conrad Shindler (67), and Bo Hoag (67) also earned spots in the Travelers, which begins Thursday.

It will be Flavin's first appearance in a Tour event since he missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open earlier this month. In five previous Tour events, he has made the cut two times and earned $145,165.

He tied for 17th in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in October and tied for 22nd in the Puerto Rico Open in March.

Flavin, who started on No. 1, made the turn at 3-under 33. After a par on the par-4 10th, he made eagle on the par-5 11th to vault up to 5-under.

He made back-to-back birdies on the par-4 16th and par-3 17th holes before a bogey on the closing hole dropped him back to 6-under.

"I was thinking five or six (under) is always a good number to get to," Flavin said. "You'll always have a chance. I had a bunch of good birdie opportunities at the end of the front nine, so I was a little frustrated to only be at three under. But I made a great eagle on 11. I hung in there and hit the ball below the hole and did everything I needed to do."

Jacklin fails to qualify after playing in U.S. Open

Sean Jacklin did not get into the field at the U.S. Open qualifying event held in Jupiter, Florida, on June 6 until 20 minutes before his eventual tee time.

Jacklin, the youngest son of World Golf Hall of Fame member and two-time major champion Tony Jacklin, rushed through an abbreviated warmup session and ran to the first tee to begin the 36-hole event at 8:48 a.m.

The last alternate into the field of 70, Jacklin's 5-under-par 137 at The Club at Admiral's Cove earned him a share of first place and one of four available spots in the 122nd U.S. Open held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, this past weekend.

Jacklin's pre-round preparation for the Travelers Championship qualifier was far less chaotic.

Jacklin arrived at Ellington Ridge knowing he was already in the field and went through a full warmup session before beginning his round at 8:27 a.m. on No. 10.

He birdied the par-4 12th and par-3 15th holes before falling back to even par with a double bogey on No. 18.

Jacklin birdied the 6th and finished with a 1-under 71.

"I got off to a nice start, was 2-under through six, and then doubled 18, my ninth hole, and made four pars on the par fives with irons in my hands," Jacklin said. "It was a little lackluster today. But I can't be too upset about 1-under."

He played his college golf at the University of North Carolina and turned pro at the age of 19.

Jacklin won nine times in his first eight years as a professional while playing on the West Florida Golf Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour, and the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

He made only his second PGA Tour start and first at any of the four majors at Brookline and shot 78-80 for a two-day total of 18-over 158.

Jacklin does not have a major sponsor to help him financially, so he has begun to consider what the future will hold after his playing days are over.

He wants to stay involved in the game, so he has signed up for classes to become a PGA teaching pro.

"I'm playing at a high level, but my family has asked me how long I'm going to do this," Jacklin said. "I know my future is going to be in the game of golf. I'll have to see what opportunities come up."

Vroman wears multiple hats during qualifier

Scott Vroman was the first player to arrive at Ellington Ridge Monday morning for the Travelers Championship qualifier.

As the club's Head Professional, he had other business to attend to before he stepped onto the 1st tee at 9:03 a.m.

"I got here just before six and checked on some member emails and worked on a couple of events we have coming up this week and paid some bills" said Vroman, who has worked at Ellington Ridge for six years including the last three as head professional. "I took care of those things and then went out and warmed up."

Vroman struggled on his home course, making the turn in 2-over 38 before adding five bogeys and a double on the back nine to finish at 10-over 82.

But he had no complaints.

"I played well for 10 or 11 holes and then my body got a little tired and a couple mistakes took the wind out of my sales," Vroman said. "I certainly have better golf in me, but I had fun. One of my members was caddying for me, so it was a fun day to get out and play in a tournament like this."

Vroman, who lives in Vernon, grew up in Florida and graduated from Florida State's Professional Golf Management program in 2009 with his Class-A PGA Membership. He moved to Connecticut and worked at Silver Spring Country Club in Ridgefield before moving on to Ellington Ridge.

He enjoys being a pro and providing teaching and instruction to the club's members.

He also loves the exposure the club receives for hosting a PGA Tour qualifier.

"It's awesome to have this tournament here," Vroman said. "Our members are embracing it. It's great to see it supported so well. It's nice to show the golf course, the course they play at every day, is the caliber to host this event. It's an honor to host."

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