Las Vegas, Nevada (June 21, 2013)–Las Vegas Golf Region resident Charley Hoffman nearly had the Travelers Championship in his hands in 2012. But a bumpy finish a year ago dashed his hopes. In 2013, Hoffman exacted some revenge on the TPC River Highlands course when he opened with a career-best round of 61. The round included two eagles including a deuce on the par 4, 10th hole. But his luck was short lived as he followed up his opening round with a 73 on day two. –By Brian Hurlburt Follow @LVGolfInsider
The 2012 finish was definitely on Hoffman's mind as he played holes 16-18 in round one. Hoffman was unable to keep some balls in play on the final day last year. "Believe it or not, I was thinking about it going down 16, 17, 18," Hoffman told the media at the Travelers Championship. "If I could have just gotten those balls in play, I would have been defending champion here. But this year, I got off to a good start and obviously a little more focused on those last two holes. Hopefully I'm there again this year."
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Hoffman is a two-time PGA Tour champion and has earned more than $1.1 million already in 2013. He has four top 10 finishes in his first 15 events of the season. Hoffman was a member of the 1998 UNLV golf team that won the national championship.
Hoffman knows that golf can be fickle, but he enjoys the times when he has it going, as he did in round one. "You know, you're just playing one ‑‑ the old cliché ‑‑ hole at a time," said Hoffman. "It's just nice to see the ball go in the hole and make some birdies, and obviously, this course sets up visually good for me. I can't tell you why or where it does, but I've been making birdies the last few times I've played it."