TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
The PGA Tour heads to TPC River Highlands for the Travellers Championship. The Travelers celebrates its 70th anniversary this year with River Highlands hosting this prestigious event since 1984.
The Travellers Championship is a regular stop on the PGA tour having been first played in 1952 and has been held annually since then. The Travelers remains the sole PGA TOUR event in the tri-state area.
A regular stop on TOUR this event normally attracts some of the world’s best golfers. With 6 of the world’s top 10 here this week, we should be in for an exciting week of golfing action.
THE FIELD
Like last week at the US Open the field, this week will consist of 156 players with the top 65 and ties making the cut.
This year’s event has attracted one of its best fields to date and at this point, it feels like an invitational. Perhaps in response to the LIV golf tour but more likely, it’s the result of a fun, storied event where diverse skillsets have found paths to success.
Harris English returns to defend his title at the Travelers Championship, hoping for an easier time than last year, when he needed eight extra holes to defeat Kramer Hickok.
5 of the top-six players in the world are here this week, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Sam Burns, Justin Thomas, and Patrick Cantlay.
The field has plenty of depth, too, with plenty of golfers inside the world’s top 50 including, Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau, Sungjae Im, Brooks Koepka, and Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira, Xander Schauffele, and Webb Simpson.
Past winners outside of the LIV Tour guys Mickelson and DJ return to this event including Harris English, Jordan Spieth, Chez Reavie, Marc Leishman, Russell Knox, Kevin Streelman, J.J. Henry, and Stewart Cink.
A star-studded field tee it up so we should be in for an exciting week of golfing action coming off a major.
RECENT WINNERS
2021: Harris English
2020: Dustin Johnson
2019: Chez Reavie
2018: Bubba Watson
2017: Jordan Spieth
2016: Russell Knox
2015: Bubba Watson
2014: Kevin Streelman
2013: Ken Duke
THE COURSE
TPC River Highlands
Yardage: 6,844
Par: 70
Greens: Bentgrass with Poa overseed
Fairways: Bentgrass
Comp Courses: TPC Potomac, Harbour Town, Colonial, and Sedgefield
Located in the tri-state area TPC River Highlands was originally designed by Robert J. Ross and Maurice Kearney in 1928, It was then reworked by Pete Dye in 1982 and again by Bobby Weed in 1989.
The hazards around this place are plenty with water in play on 5 of the holes, tree-lined fairways, and 64 bunkers that will test the very best sand players this week.
Holes 15, 16, and 17, are nicknamed the Golden Triangle. These holes wind around a lake, creating a dramatic backdrop for a theatrical finish. All 3 holes feature dramatic run-off areas around the greens and all played over par in last year’s championship, so the golfers this week will have to be wary when they get here.
KEY STATS
Strokes Around The Green
Strokes Gained Putting
Opportunities Gained
TPC River Highlands ranked 6 out of 40 courses in up and down percentage from the fairway last year and historically has always ranked inside the top-six. It ranked first in 2017 and 2018, and there’s certainly something about the short grass that pros seem to really struggle with so strokes gained around the green are well worth a look at this week.
This is a moderately challenging course from tee to green, but it still places an emphasis on putting. The top-20 on last year’s leaderboard all gained strokes putting, and the top-five all gained over four strokes putting. 2020 and 2019 told a similar story so it’s worth a look this week alongside that ever-important 5-10ft range.
TPC River Highlands is neither a birdie fest nor a grind-it-out course either. So I will turn my attention to opportunities gained because of all the scoring clubs that players will have here. Opportunities gained measure the amount of birdie looks inside 15 feet that a player gives themselves per round.
THE CONTESTS
The PGA Tour rolls on and to TPC Highlands for the Travellers Championship. This week’s main contest has a €12 buy-in with a €4,000 progressive prize pool.
€12 entry – Travellers Championship Main Event – €4,000 Progressive – 23rd June – 26th June
€2 entry – Travellers Championship Mini Main Event – €1,000 Progressive – 23rd June – 26th June
€75 entry – Travellers Championship High Roller Main Event – €150 Progressive – 23rd June – 26th June
€5 entry – Travellers Championship Round 2 – €500 GTD – 24th June
€5 entry – Travellers Championship Round 3 – €500 GTD – 25th June
€5 entry – Travellers Championship Round 4 – €500 GTD – 26th June
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