With drama, brilliance, and a heavy dose of chaos, the 2025 Travelers Championship has been anything but dull. Tommy Fleetwood sits atop the leaderboard at 16-under, chasing his long-awaited first PGA Tour victory after a sizzling 63 on Saturday. Keegan Bradley, the local favorite, and Russell Henley lurk three shots behind, both riding hot rounds to keep the pressure on. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler? He crashed back to earth with a triple-bogey on the first hole Saturday—his worst-ever start on Tour—and sits nine strokes off the lead. Justin Thomas is even further back after a painful quadruple bogey on the par-5 13th. It’s been a tournament of big moves and bigger mistakes, setting the stage for a high-stakes Sunday finale.

And then the PGA Tour made a change—one that’s lit up social media like a lightning strike over TPC River Highlands. The weather has played a defining role this week. Friday’s windstorm, with gusts reaching 40 mph, ballooned scores and tested even the Tour’s best ball-strikers. By Saturday, players and fans enjoyed calmer conditions and steamy temps, which allowed Fleetwood to surge into the lead with surgical precision.

But the threat of morning thunderstorms loomed over Sunday’s final round. So, on the morning of June 22, the PGA TOUR Communications account posted this: “Due to morning storms, the final round of the Travelers Championship will be split tee start in groups of three. Starting times 10:55 a.m. – 12:56 p.m.” The move came after radar projections pointed to lightning and heavy rainfall in the early hours. Officials chose safety first. The round, originally scheduled for a traditional two-player, one-tee start at 7:55 a.m., was pushed back nearly three hours with a new format: threesomes off both the 1st and 10th tees. So, what followed was a social media storm of its own.

Fan fury: ‘This is a shame’

Reaction was immediate and heated. Many fans took to X to voice their frustration over what they saw as a hasty, even unnecessary, decision. “This is a shame and means Tommy does have to play with the somewhat/adopted local hero after all,” one user posted, referencing Fleetwood and Bradley being paired together. With Bradley drawing massive local support, the dynamic could tilt what had been a calm, clinical run for Fleetwood into a pressure cooker. Fan allegiances in New England run deep, and the concern is fair: will the crowd unintentionally rattle the leader?

Others questioned the weather threat altogether. One frustrated fan wrote, “At the course now… it’s not even raining and based on the radar, the storms are going to miss. Bad decision.” Another chimed in with a common critique: “lol they have zero issue hammering through this course in groups of two. Now you’re going to bog everything down because of rain? And the dudes in last now will tee off same time as leaders? Complete joke.” The sentiment? The Tour should’ve waited it out or gone with the usual staggered setup.

One particularly blunt take summed it up with: “PGA Tour is always weak.” Harsh words, but they reflect a growing chorus of discontent around perceived over-caution and a lack of transparency. And then there’s the sarcasm. “Thank god I don’t gotta watch Patrick Cantplay today,” another user said, taking a jab at Patrick Cantlay, who sits tied for 8th at –7 and will tee off mid-morning like everyone else.

While the Tour made the call based on weather radar and safety protocols, the backlash highlights a broader issue: golf fans want consistency and transparency, especially at an event that’s been brimming with excitement and storylines. In this case, the sudden shift, even if logical, has many wondering if the storm really was the threat it was made out to be. With Fleetwood eyeing his first win, Bradley hunting another New England title, and tempers flaring off the course as much as on it, Sunday at the Travelers is poised to be as unpredictable as the skies above Cromwell. Whether the Tour’s decision proves wise—or a misstep—will play out in real time.