Georgia Native, 36, Celebrates After Nailing $720K Chip-In During Travelers Championship originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The implications of one shot are on full display each week on the PGA Tour, where a single stroke can make the difference between making the cut or not, winning the tournament or not. Perhaps one of the largest impacts a single stroke can have is on the payout at the end of a tournament.
Five-time PGA Tour winner Russell Henley tipped the scales in his favor on the 72nd hole of the Travelers Championship in spectacular fashion. The 36-year-old Georgia native stepped on the 18th tee of the final round tied for third place, two shots behind the solo leader Tommy Fleetwood and one shot behind playing partner and U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley.
Henley found the rough just off the green with his approach shot and was faced with a 51-foot chip to the hole. If Fleetwood and Bradley both made pars, and Henley got up and down for par, Henley would have finished tied for third place.
But golf is unpredictable, and against all odds, the leaderboard would make a seismic shift in a matter of minutes. Henley didn’t just get up and down from the greenside rough, he chipped in for birdie. Fleetwood three-putted for bogey and Bradley made his birdie putt, winning the tournament outright and completely rearranging the top of the leaderboard. At the end of the day, Henley moved himself into a tie for second place with Fleetwood, earning him $1,760,000.
Had Henley not chipped in and simply gotten up and down for par, he would have finished in a tie for third place with Harris English and Jason Day and taken home $1,040,000.
The difference in payout for Henley making that chip for birdie vs. getting up and down for par? $720,000.
Not bad for one shot.
Ultimately, the miraculous shot may have been a cosmic reward for Henley, who called a one-stroke penalty on himself during Friday’s second round. He noticed his ball moved during a shot. Henley told reporters he hoped the moment would teach his son a lesson about integrity.
Related: Tommy Fleetwood’s Painful Admission After PGA Tour Loss
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
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