Yes, Puyallup’s Ryan Moore has heard the collective groans from his supporters every time he has missed the cut this season on the PGA Tour.
And he knows they were growing louder after he missed three cuts in a row through the Memorial tournament earlier this month in Ohio.
But Moore has regained his old form, posting a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open, and posting his best finish of 2009 on Sunday, a tie for fourth at The Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn.
It was the first time Moore had posted consecutive top-10 finishes since 2006.
Most encouraging was his consistency Sunday – six birdies and no bogeys en route to a 6-under-par 64 in the final round at TPC River Highlands. He tied with Hunter Mahan and Ben Curtis at 17-under 263, five shots behind winner Kenny Perry.
Moore collected $248,000 and climbed to 61st on the money list just days after he picked up a check for $154,600 for his performance at the U.S. Open.
“I certainly feel like myself again,” Moore said. “To finish the tournament with a 64, and no bogeys, that is a confidence-builder.”
Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley, making his professional debut, shot a 4-under 66 in the final round to tie for 19th at 11-under 269. Stanley, a Bellarmine Prep graduate who left Clemson after three seasons, earned $75,300.
All the numbers – 20 total birdies (tied for 11th in the field), an average of 27.8 putts per round (tied for 18th) and hitting nearly three out of every four greens in regulation (tied for 20th) – seem to indicate Moore is headed into the right direction.
“After last weekend (at the U.S. Open), every part of my game felt good, certainly at times,” he said. “This week, I felt the exact same consistency in all of it.”
He birdied both par-5 holes Sunday, including reaching the green in two shots on the 532-yard 13th, and two-putting from 37 feet for birdie.
On the next hole, a 421-yard par-4, his approach left a 4-foot putt for back-to-back birdies.
He was short with his approach on the finishing hole, but made a 36-foot putt for his final birdie.
Perry shot 63 and finished with a tournament-record 258.
Elsewhere
Lonnie Nielsen shot a 9-under 63, passing Fred Funk with a flourish on the front side and holding on to win the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y., by three shots over Funk and Ronnie Black. Nielsen finished at 21-under 195, a record. …
Jiyai Shin, 21, the South Korean who has won five tournaments in 11 months, shot a 1-under 71 to win the Wegmans LPGA in Rochester, N.Y., by seven strokes with a 17-under 271. It was the biggest margin of victory at Locust Hill since Patty Sheehan beat Nancy Lopez by nine strokes in 1992.
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