The traveling circus known as the PGA Tour will head north from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina to New England for the 69th annual Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Contested at TPC River Highlands, the Travelers has been a favorite PGA Tour stop since 1952.
Scores are generally not insanely low in this tournament – despite Jim Furyk’s otherworldly 58 in 2017, but with a stacked field, and no fan distractions, players know that a sub-60 round is possible, so expect to see nothing resembling conservative play in this edition.
As has been the case in the previous two weeks of its COVID-19 reboot, the PGA Tour’s field this week in the Nutmeg state will be absolutely loaded, featuring nine of the top-10 ranked players in the world, headlined by the likes of superstars Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson.
The field will also include last week’s RBC Heritage winner, Webb Simpson, alongside red-hot players such as Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose.
With a compacted schedule, a victory now could play a huge role in positioning for the FedExCup race.
Here are more details to help you enjoy the 2020 edition of the Travelers Championship.
THE SKINNY
Tournament: Travelers Championship
Dates:Â June 25-28, 2020
Where: Cromwell, Conn.
Course:Â TPC River Highlands
Distance: Par 70, 6841 yards
Architect: Pete Dye
Format: 72-holes, stroke play, 36-hole cut
Purse: $7,400,000
Winning Share: $1,332,000
Defending Champion:Â Chez Reavie
Marquee Players:Â Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Tony Finau, Gary Woodland, Jason Day, Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Webb Simpson, Bubba Watson, Marc Leishman, Patrick Cantlay
TV AND ONLINE
Rd 1: Th 3:30-6:30 pm (GOLF)
Rd 2: Fr 3:30-6:30 pm (GOLF)
Rd 3: Sa 1:00-2:45 pm (GOLF)
Rd 3: Sa 3:00-6:00 pm (CBS)
Rd 4: Su 1:00-2:45 pm (GOLF)
Rd 4: Su 3:00-6:00 pm (CBS)
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HISTORY
Running continuously since 1952, The Travelers Championship was originally called the Insurance City Open, a reference to nearby Hartford, Conn., which is colloquially known as the Insurance Capital of the World.
While that tournament name was dropped in 1967, its current name is something of a throwback to those days, as Travelers Property Casual Group is the third-largest insurance company in Connecticut.
From 1967-2003, the tournament was known as The Greater Hartford Open, with Sammy Davis Jr.’s name (he played in the event’s pro-am for a long time), even in the title for 16 years, along with corporate sponsor Canon.
While Travelers now owns the naming rights, locals still refer to it as the Greater Hartford Open. TPC River Highlands has been the tournament host since 1991.
The inaugural 1952 tournament was a four-stroke victory for Ted Kroll, a relative historical unknown who had eight career PGA Tour victories.
Notable winners of the Travelers include Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Lee Trevino, Curtis Strange, Nick Price, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, and Jordan Spieth.
Casper holds the tournament record with four victories, one ahead of Watson, who owns three – most recently in 2018.
The Greater Hartford Open might be most well-known for when current PGA of America President Suzy Whaley qualified for the tournament (via local qualifying) in 2003, making her the first woman to make a PGA tournament field in nearly 60 years.
Whaley missed the cut by 12 strokes, but it was still an historically notable event.
HISTORY: NAMES
2007-18: Travelers Championship
2004-06: Buick Championship
2003: Greater Hartford Open
1989-2002: Canon Greater Hartford Open
1985-88: Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open
1973-84: Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open
1967-72: Greater Hartford Open Invitational
1957-66: Insurance City Open Invitational
1952-56: Insurance City Open
HISTORY: RECENT WINNERS
2019: Chez Reavie (-17)
2018: Bubba Watson (-17)
2017: Jordan Spieth (-12)
2016: Russell Knox (-14)
2015: Bubba Watson (-16)
2014: Kevin Streelman (-15)
2013: Ken Duke (-12)
2012: Marc Leishman (-14)
HISTORY: RECORDS
SCORING
258 – Kenny Perry (2009)
-25 – Tim Norris (1982)
WINS
4 – Billy Casper (1963, 1965, 1968, 1973)
3 – Bubba Watson (2010, 2015, 2018)
DEFENDING CHAMPION
Chez Reavie shot a 69 on Sunday at TPC River Highlands to capture the 2019 Travelers Championship, ending a nearly 11-year win drought.
Reavie finished his final day in Cromwell, Connecticut with one bogey offset by two birdies to reach 17-under par, four clear of Zack Sucher and Keegan Bradley, who carded matching 67s to sit T2.
“Golf is tough, right? There are a lot of great players on the PGA Tour,” said Reavie. “To win out here is an honor and something that shouldn’t be overlooked or under appreciated.”
It was Reavie’s second career PGA Tour title, and first since the RBC Canadian Open in July, 2008.
Leaderboard: Final Top 10
Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Chez Reavie -17 (-1)
2. Zack Sucher -13 (-3)
2. Keegan Bradley -13 (-3)
4. Vaugh Taylor -12 (-5)
5. Paul Casey -11 (-5)
5. Joaquin Niemann -11 (-4)
5. Kevin Tway -11 (-3)
8. Abraham Ancer -10 (-7)
8. Brian Harman -10 (-4)
8. Bryson DeChambeau -10 (-2)
8. Jason Day -10 (-1)
8. Roberto Diaz -10 (-1)
THE FIELD
As mentioned above, this week’s field is super stacked, highlighted by nine(!) of the current top-10 ranked players in the world.
Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 player, heads the list and is joined by No. 2 Jon Rahm, No. 3 Justin Thomas, No. 4 Brooks Koepka, No. 5 Webb Simpson, No. 6 Dustin Johnson, No. 7 Patrick Reed, No. 9 Patrick Cantlay and No. 10 Xander Schauffele.
Right behind them are a tier of top-20 players including No. 11 Bryson DeChambeau, No. 13 Justin Rose, No. 15 Marc Leishman, No. 17 Tony Finau, No. 18 Gary Woodland, and No. 20 Sungjae Im.
Three time winner Bubba Watson headlines a list of former champions on hand, which also includes Chez Reavie (2019), Jordan Spieth (2017), Russell Knox (2016), and Leishman (2012).
FULL FIELD: RANKINGS & ODDS
Joel Cook and Carey Hoffman contributed to this preview.
Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
