Over the years, the Travelers Championship has been a fantastic venue for some of the best young players in the game. The Travelers Championship is also a designated event, so this year’s young players will be taking on the TOUR top players.
All eight of the top players in golf are scheduled to play at TPC River Highlands. This includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, FedExCup leader Jon Rahm and defending champion Xander Schauffele.
Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen is among the kids on the field, having finished fourth at last year’s Travelers.
He said that competing in a TOUR was “surreal”. It’s even better than I imagined. It’s very loud. It was a very warm welcome. “I can’t believe I have to wait until next year, and then the years after that.”
Thorbjornsen was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year for the year. He is surrounded by Benjamin James, Sam Bennett and Ludvig berg.
Will TPC River Highlands serve youth? Will one of golf’s biggest names win the title of the season or will another of its top players?
It’s going to be an exciting week for Connecticut, regardless of who wins the trophy on Sunday.
FIELD NOTICES:Xander Schnauffele will try to defend his title in the Travelers Championship. He was tied for third after 36 holes of the U.S. Open. Schauffele is the only player to have not missed a single cut in this season. He has also had seven top-5 finishes. The top eight players in the world rankings will be all in Connecticut… Schauffele, 2021 champion Harris English, and FedExCup leader Jon Rahm will also be playing at TPC River Highlands. English was T8 at the U.S. Open, after being in fifth position halfway through the tournament… Sahith Theegala is returning to try and avenge his loss last year. After leaving his approach in a fairway sand bunker on the 72nd, he double-bogeyed and finished two shots behind Schauffele. Rickie, who tied for first place at the U.S. Open after 54 holes and is a second-year TOUR player, will be one of many notables to tee off at the Travelers. The tournament will feature 14 of the top 20 golfers in world rankings. Fowler placed T5 after leading the Los Angeles Country Club for three rounds.
Highest-Rated Players on the Field
SPONSOR DISPENSATIONS: Ludvig Aberg, who finished first among this year’s PGA TOUR U graduates, will make his second TOUR start. Sam Bennett is back after finishing tied for 25th in his debut at the RBC Canadian Open… Bennett was the only golfer in the top 10 halfway through both the Masters and U.S. Open this year. Bennett, the winner of the 2022 U.S. After the NCAA Championships, Bennett turned professional. Ben James, the NCAA Freshman of the Year for this year, will play in his home state event for the second consecutive time. James, a Connecticut native, was the top junior golfer in the country before he joined the University of Virginia. The Stanford Michael Thorbjornsen, who finished fourth at the Travelers Championship last year, returns this year. Charley Hoffman and Dylan Wu complete the list of sponsor invites. Hoffman has had three top-25 finishes this season, while Wu has five. Wu’s top-25 finishes include a tie for tenth place at The Honda Classic. He was T12 at the U.S. Open after two rounds, and finished T49.
STORYLINES:
After a major weekend, a major one follows
Since 2016, every Travelers champion, including the defending champion Xander Schaffele, has played at the U.S. Open in the week preceding. This year’s logistics are different, as those who played the Los Angeles Country Club will need to fly across country to Connecticut. The precedent is set. The U.S. Open has prepared players for the Travelers. Scottie Scheffler won another major with a top 3, Sahith Theegala finished T27 and Xander Schauffele continued his strong U.S. Open performance streak with a T10.
Next-gen talent
Travelers Championship is a launching pad for many of the brightest stars in golf. Michael Thorbjornsen, who finished fourth last year, will be looking to improve on that result. The list of sponsors invited from for this season joins the impressive list of stars who have teed it up at TPC River Highlands in the early stages of their careers. Collin Morikawa is on the list, as are Sahith Theegala and Chris Gotterup. Patrick Cantlay shot a famous 60 at TPC River Highlands as an amateur in 2011.
The designated hitter
The Travelers Championship was the final of four events to be elevated to designated status in this year. The first three events produced some exciting results. Scottie Scheffler defended his title at WM Phoenix Open. Matt Fitzpatrick won at Harbour Town, his hometown, in the RBC Heritage. And Wyndham Clark claimed his first title at Wells Fargo. As the Regular Season comes to an end, players will begin vying for spots in the smaller Playoffs. The FedExCup Playoffs will only be open to the top 70 players in this year’s FedExCup.
FEDEXCUP :Winner gets 500 FedExCup Points
COURSE: TPC River Highlands, par 70, 6,852 yards. TPC River Highlands is still one of the TOUR’s shortest courses, and this year marks its 40th anniversary as a TOUR venue. TPC River Highlands’ key stretch comes at the end of the round, when golfers are playing around a 4-acre lake on Nos. 15-17. Jim Furyk, who shot the TOUR’s lowest round of 58 at TPC River Highlands, in 2016, was the TOUR’s record holder.
72-HOLE REEL:258, Kenny Perry (2009
18-HOLE RECORD: 58, Jim Furyk (4th round, 2016).
LAST TIMES:Xander Schnaffele won with two shots over J.T. Poston and Sahith theegala to win his sixth PGA TOUR championship and second this season. Schauffele had two rounds of 63 in a row, but was caught up by the chase pack going into Sunday’s final. The final round saw Schauffele make a birdie on 72, but Theegala had to take two shots out of the bunker to avoid a double bogey. Theegala, who was in the group that led the way on the No. After driving the green, Theegala won No. He leapt Schauffele but could not hold on. Michael Thorbjornsen, an amateur, finished the tournament at 15 under par and was fourth. This is the best result for a non-professional on TOUR in 2016. Chesson Hadley was the sole fifth finisher at 14 under.
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