TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
BEST IN THE WORLD
Scottie Scheffler returns to the Travelers Championship as the reigning champion and the No 1 player in the world. Scheffler, on a dominant run, is reason enough to watch this year’s PGA Tour event in Connecticut. But he’s far from alone: Travelers will have the majority of the top 15-ranked players, including No 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Xander Schauffele It will be perhaps the deepest field that fans have ever seen in Cromwell. How does the Signature Event keep drawing the best players in the sport?
James Gilbert/Getty Images
Scottie Scheffler of the United States reacts to his winning putt on the 18th green, the first
River Highlands on June 23, 2024, in Cromwell.
TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
HOW TRAVELERS PULLED THE BEST GOLFER IN THE WORLD TO CT
‘STRONGEST FIELD WE’VE HAD’
By Joe Morelli STAFF WRITER
In the nearly two decades Travelers has been the title sponsor of the Travelers Championship, the field has gotten better and deeper as time moved on.
Now, being one of eight Signature Events on the PGA Tour a great field is expected each year This year is no exception, with 15 of the top 17 in the field less than a month before the tournament begins June 19 The Travelers Championship is the last of the eight Signature Events for this PGA Tour season. The Travelers Championship is held annually the week following the U.S. Open whether it’s held on the East Coast or West Coast so the choice to play at TPC River Highlands is Cromwell is a logisitcal challenge. And it’s a choice, of course It is not mandatory for each golfer eligible to show up to the Signature Event.
“Guys don’t have to come,” said Nathan Grube, the Travelers Championship tournament director for the last 21 years.
Case in point: Defending champion Scottie Scheffler, the No 1 player in the world rankings since May 22, 2023, skipped the Truist Championship, a Signature Event, in May, choosing instead to play the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, an event near Dallas, where Scheffler lives. In that event, he tied the PGA Tour’s all-time scoring record for 72 holes
Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 ranked player, missed two Signature Events: The Sentry in January and the Memorial Tournament, the latter a surprise given who the tournament host is: Jack Nicklaus. McIlroy has talked about reducing his schedule and played the RBC Canadian Open the week after The Memorial.
And remember, McIlory withdrew from last year’s Travelers Championship the Mon-
day before the tournament began after a collapse at the U.S. Open. McIlroy and Scheffler are among 13 of the top 14 in the world rankings to commit to the event as of the first week of June
“We feel very confident this will be statistically the strongest field we’ve had,” Grube said.
The only player among the world’s top 14 not playing at the Travelers is Bryson DeChambeau at No. 10 DeChambeau is ineligible because he plays on the LIV Golf Tour
“You look at the strength of the field,” Grube said. “At the same time, guys who are coming are getting bigger Rory is coming as a Grand Slam champion (achieved at the Masters in April), Scottie is coming in (as the PGA Championship win-
ner).”
Going into June, the Travelers Championship had five of the last six major champions in its field, with DeChambeau (2024 U.S. Open) the only one not entered. Granted, Scheffler and 2022 Travelers winner Xander Schauffele (ranked third in the world) each had two of those majors. But the 72player field does have depth. And even though most of the top PGA Tour golfers will show up, the routine on recruiting trips for Grube and Andy Bessette the chief administrative officer and executive vice president of Travelers, doesn’t change. Grube said they have pages of documents on each player eligible so when they go talk to the player prior to these tournaments, they are more than prepared
“When you have that 2-minute conversation, you want to maximize that time with him,” Grube said. “Andy and Travelers don’t take anything for granted. You have to go out and earn these guys trust.
Grube and Bessette made four recruiting trip this year to Signature events: The Masters, the Players Championship, the Truist Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. In each of those trips, in each and every player meeting, they need to know who is in their field at that time, who is on the verge if being in it etc And that could have changed by the next recruiting trip.
“When you walk up and see aguy, or run into a guy on the course Andy and I should know whether they are coming, whether they said ‘I’m not sure (previously) whether or not they have qualified yet, whether they need an exemption (or not),” Grube said.
All of that adds up to a starstudded, 72-player field that will be finalized on June 13
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Scottie Scheffler watches his approach shot on Hole No. 18 during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Scottie Scheffler is presented the Travelers Championship trophy at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on Sunday, June 23, 2024.
Landis/Associated Press
TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Golfers to watch at 2025 Travelers
By Joe Morelli STAFF WRITER
/ Tom Kim, left, and Scottie Scheffler shake hands on Hole No. 18 in 2024
Seth Wenig/Associated Press
Xander Schauffele holds the trophy after winning the Travelers Championship in 2022.
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press Keegan Bradley celebrates winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament in 2024
TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
When Rory McIlroy made the final putt and dropped to his knees at Augusta National in April, finally winning the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, he established a new bottom line for where performance and emotional swings can take him.
McIlroy is a legend now, a status built over time and unaffected by what the future holds. He hasn’t entered a stress-free phase of his career because one doesn’t exist at this level of competition or in golf at any level, for that matter but he sure can walk the fairways of the world without a burden that must have felt like a bag of bricks
“I got choked up and teared up when I saw him on the 18th green,” said Nathan Grube, Travelers Championship tournament director “You know a guy, and you know what he’s going through.”
The two men most responsible for the growth and perseveration of our state’s annual PGA Tour event, Grube and Travelers chief administrative officer Andy Bessette, have taken particular satisfaction in McIlroy’s breakthrough. They have developed close professional and, therefore, personal relationships with McIlroy.
No player has been more visible, more popular, more outspoken, more controversial, more helpful, more involved or more of a magnet for the eyes the world in Cromwell in recent summers McIlory has handled himself gracefully at the Travelers addressing golf’s global issues even while managing his own. Maybe this time around, he won’t have to try so hard.
When McIlroy addresses the media this time around at TPC River Highlands, he’ll do so with the benefit of more relaxed surrounding circumstances. He’s got that green jacket, and a crowning achievement as one of six players to win all four majors, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. All gravy now. No more sense of incomplete attached to anything about his body of work
“You have wicked highs and you have wicked lows,” said Bessette, a 1980 Olympian in the hammer throw. “It’s not always so happy and fun. So I live this with him I feel every inch of it I’ve felt lows like you wouldn’t even want to know. And I’ve felt the highest of highs. So it even means more to me The timing and the stick-to-itiveness, to get that
STAR POWER
last win at the Masters and get the Grand Slam, that just means so much.”
‘Ambassador of the game’
McIlory’s been through so much over the years. There has been a public breakup with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, an announcement of both a split and reconciliation with wife Erica Stoll. McIlroy positioned himself quite passionately with a megaphone at the heart of golf’s great divide, speaking to and for the international golf community at the contentious PGA Tour/LIV Golf fault line. He’s sprinkled unfiltered, confident honesty onto the TPC River Highlands grounds.
It doesn’t mean McIlroy is entirely unflappable He strangely grabbed the phone of an obnoxious heckler during a practice round at the Players Championship in March. And in May, just weeks after his Masters breakthrough, he chose not to speak to the media all four days at the PGA Championship, drawing pointed criticism. Choosing occasional silence is McIlroy’s right of course There’s no rule or obligation in place regarding player interviews But considering his recent accomplishment, and the fact that his driver was deemed non-conforming during a pre-tournament inspection, fans would have liked to
hear from him after the PGA. By going that stretch without speaking some would say, he shirked responsibility to the sport he’s spent a lifetime growing and defending. Weeks later, Nicklaus wondered publicly why McIlroy didn’t simply call him when he decided to skip the Memorial tournament. The guy isn’t perfect. He’s like anyone else managing responsibilities and in his case some of them are of global sporting impact and all of them are under a microscope
To be appreciated, though, is who he’s been and what he’s done in recent years, inside and outside the ropes. Golf’s division remains, but McIlroy has toned down his messaging toward defecting players whose actions he once called, during a press conference in Cromwell, “duplicitous.” He was put in a terrible position, as it turned out, with the Tour, unbeknownst to him, set to explore a merger with LIV He weaved in and out of these high-profile conversations during the 2022 and 2023 Travelers Championships, his thoughts creating international headlines out of the River Highlands’ cart-barn-turnedmedia center
“We started seeing this when Travelers made the investment to be a signature, elevated event, Grube said “The
international golf community paid more attention to these events. The media center got fuller quicker. The number of media requests are insane Everything got bigger. It was more of a global conversation that was taking place at the Travelers Championship.
“Rory, it seems like, that third week in June, has had to stand on that stage and talk as an ambassador of the game because he is. What we try to do for the guys is create an environment where, hopefully, they can do their jobs. And Rory’s job the last few years has involved being a spokesperson. It’s interesting standing in there and watching comments about the global game and the future of the game happening at the Travelers Championship It’s because the best players in the world are here.”
Star in CT
Aconversational lightning rod as much as a thunderbolt driver of the golf ball, McIlroy returns to the Travelers this year after a 2024 absence spent recalibrating Remember the cloud of stress and angst he dragged out of last summer’s U.S. Open and into sabbatical?
He had missed a couple short, tricky putts at Pinehurst, one on 18 where moments later Bryson DeChambeau won with a near miraculous upand-down from a greenside
bunker
McIlroy was beside himself
He left the course abruptly, then spent a few weeks away from golf He pulled out of the Travelers, needing a deep breath or a nap or both, and finally fully exhaled in April, waking from what was becoming a professional nightmare There’s been no more visible pressure release in professional sports over recent years than when McIlory going to his knees on the 18th, having defeated Justin Rose in a playoff to win his fifth major and first since 2014 It was April 13 Sixty-seven days later, he will tee off at River Highlands for the sixth time He has finished in the top-20 every appearance In 2022, McIlroy started the week with a first-round 62 It felt like that was to finish the week, really. LIV Golf had started plucking players from the Tour, including Brooks Koepka, whose departure was announced by LIV while commissioner Jay Monahan was on stage in Cromwell for a state-of-the-tour press conference McIlroy, a fierce supporter of the tour and vocal critic of the LIV option, spent the pretournament days patiently and passionately defending his views.
In 2023, McIlory again was the voice of a sport, then a voice for the state of competition at the Travelers after Keegan Bradley won at a record score of 23 under par TPC River Highlands was rendered obsolete by the advanced technology of equipment McIlroy said after finishing tied for seventh at 18-under The Tour, which owns River Highlands, was motivated to make some significant changes to the course for the 2024 tournament He offers thoughts on issues large or small. A couple years earlier McIlroy had suggested a coffee bar at the Travelers practice facility One was put in place. Leadership in Cromwell values such feedback because they’ve built this tournament into one of the sport’s best by focusing on details. And star power. No one brings more than McIlroy, one of the most accomplished players in golf history, still in his prime, set to make tee shots disappear over the TPC hills and horizons. McIlroy playing the Travelers is Wayne Gretzky coming to town to play the Whalers. It’s Larry Bird in his prime at the Hartford Civic Center It’s golf history as our golf present. “Rory has played a big role in us becoming the world class event we’ve become,” Bessette said. “He has helped make us who we are.”
Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the first tee during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands.
Rory McIlroy returns to Connecticut as Masters champion
By Mike Anthony
David J. Phillip/Associated Press
Winner Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, holds the trophy at the Masters golf tournament, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga
TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Return of reigning champion
Scottie Scheffler is dominating the PGA Tour
By Joe Morelli STAFF WRITER
It was going to be difficult to even match the season
Scottie Scheffler had on the PGA Tour last season: seven victories, including asecond Masters, a Players Championship title, a Tour Championship and three Signature Events. Take into account Scheffler injuring his right hand in a freak accident preparing Christmas dinner, which meant a later start to his 2025 season, and that only made it more difficult. And it indeed was a slow start for Scheffler —no wins in his first eight tour events.
But Scheffler has had a month to remember heading into the U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship, where he is the defending champion of that Signature Event. He won three of the four tournaments he played in May, including his first PGA Championship. He repeated as champion of The Memorial Tournament on June 1.
So who better to assess the No 1 player in the world rankings for more than two years then arguably the greatest golfer of all-time?
“Once I got myself into position, you know to win, then you got to be smart about how you finish it,” said Jack Nicklaus, an 18-time major champion following the Memorial, his tournament on the tour “And that’s the way he’s playing. (Scheffler) reminds me so much of the way I like to play. I don’t think I played nearly as well as he played. He’s playing better than I played and more consistent. He’s just been playing fantastic, and I love
watching him play Whether it’s here or on the television or whatever it is, I love to watch. Anytime he’s playing, I want to watch.”
Scheffler won The CJ CUP
Byron Nelson, tying the PGA Tour 72-hole scoring record of 253, good enough for an 8stroke victory. Two weeks later Scheffler claimed his first PGA Championship winning by five strokes. He tied for fourth place the following week at the Charles Schwab Challenge, then won The Memorial by four strokes. In his 12 events heading into the U.S. Open, Scheffler placed in the top 10 nine times and no worse than in a tie for 25th place When he appeared remotely for Travelers Champion-
ship Media Day as the reigning champion on April 29 two days before the start of the CJ CUP Byron Nelson Scheffler felt things were coming together despite having no victories to that point.
“I think my expectations at times were even lower because I hadn’t been able to practice the way I normally would (due to the injury),” Scheffler said at the time ”Like you said, I’ve had some good starts recently. I’ve had some top finishes, and I’ve been close to the lead in some events. So I feel like I’m definitely trending in the right direction.”
Since World War II, Scheffler is one of three golfers to have won 15 PGA Tour events and three major champion-
ships before turning 29 The others? Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
In winning The Memorial Tournament for the secondstraight year the only other golfer to accomplish that in 50 years of the tournament was Woods, who did it threestraight times.
“He never put himself in jeopardy. He didn’t put himself in a position to lose the golf tournament. He was always in a position to win,” Nicklaus said about Scheffler “And if he had to do something more spectacular, he was in a position to do so But he didn’t have to.”
Nathan Grube, the tournament director for the Travelers Championship, believes this will be “statistically the
strongest field we’ve had” since Travelers took over title sponsorship of the tournament in 2007 That starts at the top with Scheffler who he noted is one of those players “getting bigger”, as seen by his domination. Then there’s the $86 million-plus he has won on tour
“Winning is a lot of fun, and Ithink winning as often as I can is a lot of fun. Each week you’re playing in a tournament and you want to try to give yourself a chance to win,” Scheffler said after winning the PGA Championship.
“When I stepped on the tee on Thursday, I’m not thinking about what’s going to happen on Sunday. I’m preparing for a 72-hole event. That’s what I tell myself on the 1st tee: It’s 72 holes. That’s a lot of time
That’s a lot of holes. That’s a lot of shots. I always focus on my preparation, and so when I show up on the 1st tee, I just tell myself to stay patient, remind myself that I’m prepared for this and go out and just compete.”
Scheffler won last year’s Travelers Championhip by defeating Tom Kim in a sudden-death playoff
“Yeah it’s pretty special. It’s been a great season. I’ve been fortunate to come away with some wins and it’s been a lot of fun,” Scheffler said following that win at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.
Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion, is halfway to a career grand slam, something Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 ranked golfer in the world, achieved at the Masters in April. It took him nearly 11 years to get that last of the four majors.
Scheffler will turn 29 during the third round of the Travelers Championship. Don’t be surprised to see the birthday boy on top of another leaderboard at a PGA Tour event.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Scottie Scheffler holds the championship trophy after winning the Travelers Championship at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on June 23, 2024
By Christine Butterfield STAFF WRITER
TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Connecticut will again be at the center of the golf world for a week in June
The Travelers Championship is back with one of the best fields in tournament history. The Cromwell-based PGA Tour event is expected to draw another huge crowd to the state as the top players in the world perform.
Here’s everything fans need know about the 2025 Travelers Championship:
Where’s the course?
TPC River Highlands, located at 1 Golf Club Road in Cromwell. The TPC is off Main Street in Cromwell, about 12 miles from Hartford and 30 miles from New Haven.
When’s the tournament?
The Travelers runs from June 16 to June 22, when the final round is staged on a Sunday.The first round is Thursday, June 19 but things really kick off with the popular Celebrity Pro-Am on June 18
Who’s playing?
The Travelers field is scheduled to have 15 of the top 14 golfers in the world, led by by No. 1 Scottie Scheffler Scheffler returns to Cromwell as the defending champion. Also back is No. 2 ranked Rory McIlroy, who missed the Travelers last year World No. 3 and 2022 Travelers winner Xander Schauffele is in the field, along with 2023 winner Keegan Bradley (ranked 17th). Also committed from the
FAN GUIDE
Top 10: No 4 Collin Morikawa No 5 Justin Thomas, No 6Russell Henley, No. 7 Sepp Straka, No 8 Ludvig Aberg, and No. 9 Hideki Matsuyama.
What’s the purse?
The Travelers will have a $20 million purse, with $3.6 million going to the winner Fan amenities
There are bars and lounges open to all fans on the ninth green 14th green and 18th fairway. There’s a beer garden on the 14th, a wine bar at the Event Lawn, and advanced
bars at the Fan Zone, Practice Facility and 8th hold
The Hartford HealthCare
Sports Zone is at the 15th tee
There are seating options throughout the course with bleachers at the practice area and at 8 Tee, 9 Green, 10 Tee, 11 Tee. There’s seating between Holes 2 and 5.
The Fan Zone is between Holes 1 and 18
Cell phone charging kiosks with complimentary text-torent power banks are available around the course A Family Care Station, including a baby changing and lac-
come with a complimentary lunch service from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m and a full-service in a climate-controlled atmosphere This venue offers a covered, open-air stadium with a view of the 18th green. These tickets range from $222 on Wednesday to $447 on Sunday, according to Ticketmaster
The Mohegan Sun Club ticket offers a completely covered, open-air venue overlooking the 16th and 17th holes. Complimentary lunch service from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and non-alcoholic beverages are included with the ticket. This also includes two drink vouchers upon arrival to the venue valid for beer, wine and hard seltzer These tickets are sold out and only available through resale Agrounds ticket will provide guests with access to the course and views of the PGA Tour Ticket holders will access to multiple
How
tation area, is at the Trinity Health Of New England tent in the Fan Zone
There is a cool down at a Stanley Black and Decker Chill Zone located at Event Lawn, Hole 5, Hole 9, and in the Fan Zone
And spectators with special needs can take a golf cart around the course to specific pick up and drop off locations including the Main Gate, 9 Gate, 18 Green and 17 Green.
What are the ticket options?
The Champions club tickets
Retaining wall at ‘Triangle’ among course changes
By Mike Anthony STAFF WRITER
CROMWELL A retaining wall lining the pond at the signature back-nine “triangle of TPC River Highlands wasn’t built with oohs and aahs in mind, but it might create some during the Travelers Championship in June
Consider Sunday, the final round, and a player in contention teeing up at the par-4 17th hole, water to the right Many shots have been pushed in that direction over the years, some splashing into the water on the fly or trickling through the rough before rolling into its wet golf ball grave Now there’s a wall that surely, a few balls will find just enough momentum to clear before falling the two feet or so a little drop and plop that make tee shots gone awry potentially more dramatic in the way they disappear
“With the topography there and a little slope, you have fairway, transition to the first cut, then transition to a lower mow of rough that is a little bit angled toward the water, said David Corrado the TPC general manager “Chances are if a ball is trending right, it’s going to bound its way over the wall and down into the water.”
The wall, about 2 feet high throughout, extends from the bridge the 16th hole, a par 3 over one corner of the pond, across to the area in front of the that green, where it ends in favor of the pre-existing natural slope back to the water The wall starts back at the start of the17th fairway and extends the length of the hole, which bends to the right around the opposite corner of the pond.
Built for the purpose of staving off erosion, the wall ends just past the 17th green. The body of water is big enough to take on waves when it’s windy, which over time has taken a toll on the shores.
As the course’s irrigation source, the lake serves a purpose beyond aesthetics for fans and heartbreak for players TPC holds a permit to suck water from the nearby Connecticut River in order to replenish it The lake was drained entirely to
construct the wall. Otherwise, water is constantly circulating, pond to course replenished by river water and rain, with a stream that runs behind the14th green connecting it all.
“With the fluctuation of water levels and the wave action it gets, we were seeing erosion in some key spots, predominately on the 17th fairway side as well as the 16th green side,” Corrado said.
“We felt like a retaining wall, a nice rock wall, was really necessary The benefit of that is we can stop the erosion but we also have an aesthetically beautiful piece added to the course.”
The design team drew inspiration from the walls are various points of Merion Golf Club
—a five-time past, and future, U.S. Open site in Haverford County, Pa The stacked rocks at TPC match the décor of the clubhouse redesigned in 2019 Tweaks are made every year the course, owned by the PGA Tour, with both the year-round health of the grounds and Travelers Championship playing conditions in mind. Last year, the tour responded to recordlow 2023 scores and feedback from players with several “competitive enhancements” designed to add more careful deliberation for players. Several fairways were narrowed (Nos. 1,
6and13), and another was shortened (No. 12). Mounding was added to Nos. 6 and 13 the tee box at No. 9 was shifted to create amore difficult angle and the green was reduced in size at the par-3 11th.
Consideration for these changes came after Rory McIlroy suggested that modern-day equipment had rendered the course obsolete The Tour made River Highlands slightly more difficult. Still, Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 winning score of 22-under par was just one shy of the record set by Keegan Bradley, who won at 23-under in 2023
Changes for this year are less dramatic There are just two with the potential to impact scoring to any noticeable degree. (The weather, as always, will affect strategy more than anything.)
On hole No 2 at 341 yards, the second-shortest par 4 on the course two unhealthy trees needed to be removed short and left of the green. Those trees had presented a challenge to play up and over, obscuring the view of the green from players who drove the ball to the left side. The tour filled in a pot-style bunker in the area and built a mound, with produces a similar challenge in that it shields the green visually, forcing players to trust
the yardage
“We also carved out a deep swale,” said Gary Young senior vice president of rules and competition for the PGA Tour “If a guy tries to drive the green, it’s going to get filtered to the left and into the rough. It also created a really difficult front hole location, where if you hit a second shot with too much spin you can now bring it back off the green and into that swale You couldn’t quite see it yet [in the spring] because it’s too early, but when the fescue comes in on the left is going to be a challenge. Anyone who tries to get aggressive and drive that green is going to have some problems if they tug it left.”
Corrado’s take: “The two trees were in decline and had become a bit of a safety hazard. What’s been created is a change to the fairway line and the rough line on the left side, a number of moguls and land forms, especially front left of the green. So the fairway, you’re hitting up the slope you get up into the flat and as you’re getting close to the green it drops down a little bit, a couple of feet, and then it rises back up to the green. Ultimately the hole takes on a little different character, a little different look, instead of the trees a number of adifferent land forms that really
define it It will certainly put a lot of decision making on the tee for the tour player, whether they decide to hit driver and knock it up there close to the green, especially with that ravine It’s about 340 from the back tee Certainly the longest hitters have an opportunity to get there but with that ravine in front it’s a little bit of decision time.”
The other change worth noting is a new tee box on the par-4 3rd.
“We moved a little farther back, 10-15 yards, but also to the players’ left, which now brings the big tree on the corner into play,” Young said. “Now a player has to shape a shot from right to left. He needs to worry about hitting it straight through and into the bunker.”
Last year’s changes did not produce a single complaint from players, Young said. He called that very unusual, saying there are typically numerous players critical of change.
“I think we’re getting a nice balance to the golf course where, regardless of your driving statistics, whether you’re the shorter guy or the longer player, the further you try to hit it down the hole the more challenge you’re going to face,” Young said. “Thirteen [a par 5] is a great example of that. We haven’t taken away your ability to hit it, but if you try to hit it farther down that hole, you are going to have a much more narrow fairway and now we’ve got mounding on the left with fescue that’s going to capture it It’s got that risk/reward nature you’re looking for. We’re not saying you can’t, but if you want to try it to hit it farther you’re going to take on more risk.”
The wall at the triangle won’t affect play much, if at all. It’s just there for protection, and to dress up the most visible section of the course Tournaments are celebrated on the 18th but they are often won or lost at the triangle, where the signature Travelers umbrella floats on the water every June
“Not only did the wall stabilize it, but it adds a very unique look a more finished look,” Young said. “When the water is still, you can see reflection off the wall and it looks twice the size.”
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Spectators gather around the green on Hole No. 17 during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on June 23, 2024
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Cromwell and Portland high school golf teams play Hole #15, a short par-4 at TPC River
Highlands in Cromwell on April 29 Preparations continue for the Travelers Championship PGA Tour golf tournament at TPC River Highlands June 16-22.
By Roger Cleaveland STAFF WRITER
Offering value as prices rise
CROMWELL In 2006, a year before Travelers took over as the title sponsor of the state’s professional golf tournament which began in 1952 as the Insurance City Open Travelers Vice President Andy Bessette and his choice as tournament director going forward, Nathan Grube, undertook an in-depth assessment of the event.
They asked themselves and the fans a lot of hard questions: What was the value of the ticket in the market? Were people with tickets even utilizing them? What do you want out of the event? What would provide enough value to convince you to spend your time and money to attend it?
“We started the process of Travelers basically re-launching the tournament with this understanding that nobody really felt like the experience had value 20 years ago in 2005 and 2006,” Grube said. “The crowds were really down, and there were so many free tickets in the market. It was such a very different environment.”
The feedback they received from extensive questionnaires and conversations was that three things clearly resonated with the fans:
First, they wanted to see the best golfers in the world rather than fields filled with secondtier players; Second, a more enjoyable overall on-site experience was needed to make the tournament more than just ball striking and birdies; Third, they disliked the fact that the charitable impact within the community had dropped.
Grube said that fans basically told them having one of the top 50 guys in the world wasn’t worth their investment of time or money
The tournament has since grown to the point where it has received Signature Event sta-
tus from the PGA Tour and will have a deep field this year
Grube estimated that the tournament gave “a couple hundred thousand dollars to charity in 2006,” whereas last year it gave $3.2 million, and this year it is expected to donate $3.5 million.
Meanwhile the tournament has upgraded elements such as parking, merchandise, concessions, seating, viewing areas, shade and climate-controlled spaces.
“I would say everything we have done has completely resonated with the fans and the ticket buyers,” Grube said. “I can see with the ticket sales and the crowds on-site that fans have responded with their personal resources. ”
The big payoff has been the fact that last year Travelers was named the “Most FanFirst Event” when the PGA Tour handed out is annual superlative awards
“Travelers is unbelievable when it comes to being a fanfriendly environment and event,” said PGA vice president of tournament business
Matt Kamienski “They provide bleachers and climate controlled facilities across the property quality food and things with a local flair It is a great environment for fans of all ages, because it is kidfriendly, as well.”
All that attention to detail comes with rising costs and ticket prices, but it is a compromise Grube and the fans are willing to make. Fans keep asking for more amenities, and Travelers keeps providing them for a price
Three years ago, general admission grounds tickets ranged from $56 for a Wednesday ticket to $76 for Saturday and Sunday. As of June 1, this year’s tickets range from $95 for Wednesday to $119 for Saturday and Sunday.
The price of premium tickets has gone up significantly more
The Mohegan Sun Club that includes covered open-air seating with views of the 16th and 17th holes as well as lunch, snacks and soft drinks was $155 in 2022 This year it is $309
The Global Atlantic Champions Club, both climate-controlled indoor seating and covered open-air seating as well as lunch, snacks and a full-service bar sold tickets for between $290 and $310 in 2022
This year tickets range from $417 to $442
“General admission tickets at PGA Tour events can be anywhere from $50 to $150 depending upon the day, the event, the location,” Kamienski said. “Travelers ranks right up there in terms of competitiveness with other Signature Events and events with the same caliber of field.”
The Truist Championship, which is the Signature Event held prior to Travelers, charged $100-$300 for general admission tickets. According to the Sports Business Journal, Truist offered individual premium tickets for up to $5,000 per person and luxury suites for 16-60 people at a cost of $50,000 to $200,000 for the week
Grube said that he worked
with Bessette to provide the value that made sense for fans. He added that elevating the tournament to Signature Event status didn’t come in and of itself with a higher ticket price tag.
As the corporate sponsor, Travelers decided to pay the $20 million purse required for the players by using additional TV money and making a greater company commitment.
As for the rising cost of attending the tournament, Grube doesn’t see it so much as raising ticket prices as it is providing the fans more amenities to keep elevating the experience to the level fans have been requesting It costs more to include better food, drinks, seating and private bathrooms in a premium ticket, but fans have been willing to pay for it Almost all the premium packages were sold out weeks before the start of the tournament.
Organizers say they strive to provide a great experience, from the time fans enter the facility Fans are met by a welcome group that provides free sunscreen, misting fans, lip balm and phone charging Shuttles have been added to take fans everywhere on the
course so they don’t have to walk everywhere
There are four free climatecontrolled venues on holes 9, 14 15 and 18 that fans can walk into to cool down. There is free water at every first aid station, and there are even cooling benches all around the course that blow cold air like the ones they have on NFL sidelines. There is a fan zone with free mini golf, a rock climbing wall and arts and crafts stations. Kids can make bracelets and get their faces painted while adults can get swing analysis and other tips to improve their golf game There is also huge video board and bleachers at the driving range so fans get an immersive experience watching players practice
“I joke that you come here and essentially buy a ticket to Disneyland and get ride all the rides,” Grube said. “We make it family-friendly by making sure that kids 15 and under still get in free That is a huge priority no matter how big we grow and how popular we get, because we never want to outgrow our ‘this is a family event’ DNA.”
With fans spending as long as 12 hours per day on the grounds, they have asked for a larger variety of better concessions, and the tournament has responded. In addition to chicken fingers, hot dogs and burgers, there are salads, lobster rolls and build-your-own Mexican food. They have started bringing in some of the best food trucks in the state and have grab & go stands across the course with fresh hot snacks
“We compare our concession pricing to everything in the region from Boston to New York that is a professional event,” he said. “We want to make sure we are below what that average is, because we want to provide a really cool experience that offers great value.”
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Spectators take photos and video on Hole No 1 during the final round of the Travelers Championship in 2024.
