Cromwell (US), Jun 26 (PTI) Indian-origin golfers Aaron Rai and Akshay Bhatia got off to an encouraging start, positioning themselves among the top 15 after the opening round of the Travelers Championship, the PGA Tour’s final Signature Event of the 2026 season.
Fresh from his impressive tied-11th finish at last week’s US Open, Indo-British Rai fired a flawless five-under 65 to share eighth place, just two shots behind leader Eric Cole.
Bhatia was not far behind after producing a four-under 66 that placed him in a tie for 14th, while Sahith Theegala endured a difficult opening day and will need a strong second round after slipping to tied 70th with a four-over 74.
Starting on the front nine at TPC River Highlands, Rai remained bogey-free throughout the round and steadily built momentum with birdies on the second, seventh and ninth holes to make the turn at three-under.
He maintained that rhythm on the back nine, adding birdies at the 13th and 15th holes without dropping a shot.
Bhatia also produced plenty of positives despite a closing bogey that denied him a place inside the top 10.
The left-hander opened with a birdie before dropping shots on the second and fourth holes. However, he quickly turned his round around with three successive birdies, from the sixth through the eighth, to reach two-under at the turn.
His back nine was even more productive as he reeled off three consecutive birdies on the 11th, 12th and 13th holes. A bogey at the last spoiled the finish, but his 66 keeps him well within striking distance on a course where low scores are expected throughout the week.
Theegala, who had celebrated a career-best tied-11th finish at the US Open just days earlier, found the opening round far more demanding.
He dropped shots on the third and fourth holes before suffering a double bogey on the 11th after finding a greenside bunker off the tee. Birdies on the 13th and 15th briefly halted the slide, but another double bogey at the 17th left him signing for a 74.
At the top of the leaderboard, Eric Cole fired a bogey-free seven-under 63 to seize the outright lead.
Cole, still searching for his maiden PGA Tour title, produced one of the best ball-striking displays of the day and will hope to erase the disappointment of last year’s tournament, when illness forced him to withdraw before the final round after spending a night in hospital.
Just one stroke behind Cole is a group of six players on six-under 64, headed by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. PTI Cor AM AM AM
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