Travelers Championship

The Travelers Championship is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in Cromwell, Connecticut, a suburb south of Hartford. Since 1984 the tournament has been held at TPC River Highlands. It is managed by The Greater Hartford Community Foundation. In 2018 the Travelers Championship earned the Players Choice Award for the second consecutive year, which is voted on by PGA Tour members for its services, hospitality, attendance and quality of the course.

Travelers Championship

Tournament information
Location	Cromwell, Connecticut, U.S.
Established	1952, 69 years ago
Course(s)	TPC at River Highlands
Par	70
Length	6,844 yards (6,258 m)
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	$7.2 million
Month played	June
Tournament record score
Aggregate	258 Kenny Perry (2009)
To par	−25 Tim Norris (1982)
Current champion
Dustin Johnson
Location Map
TPC at River Highlands Location in United States TPC at River Highlands Location in Connecticut

The 2016 tournament was played in August due to the Summer Olympics,[1] but in 2017 the tournament returned to June.

History

The tournament was founded 69 years ago in 1952 as the Insurance City Open;[2] It was renamed the Greater Hartford Open in 1967, a title that was retained through 2003. From 1973 through 1988, the GHO also bore the name of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., who would often play in the pro-ams. Canon was a title sponsor from 1985 to 2002, and their employees would often take vacation time during tournament week to volunteer at the event. Buick was title sponsor from 2004 to 2006 and The Travelers Companies took over sponsorship in 2007.

For the tournament's first three decades, it was played at Wethersfield Country Club, about five miles (8 km) north. In 1984, after the PGA Tour bought and redesigned Edgewood Country Club, the event moved to the new TPC of Connecticut in Cromwell. In 1991, the course was substantially redesigned with a completely new front nine holes and renamed the TPC at River Highlands. This TPC property was the third PGA Tour owned/managed championship golf course in what would grow to a network of over 30 TPC Clubs (2010).

The purse for the 2006 tournament, under Buick's sponsorship, was $4.4 million, with $792,000 going to the winner. From 2007 to 2010, the purse under Travelers' sponsorship was $6 million, with $1,080,000 going to the champion.

Over the last decade, longer hitters have done well at the tournament, with Stewart Cink, Hunter Mahan, J. J. Henry, Phil Mickelson, and Bubba Watson combining for six victories over a ten-year span. Mahan also finished tied for second in 2006 and 2008.[3]

Its position on the calendar has varied; in 2005 it was played in late August but in 2006 it was played in late June. Part of the FedEx Cup, the Travelers Championship has been played in late June, the week after the U.S. Open, since 2007.

For the 2020 season, it is part of the Open Qualifying Series providing up to two spots in the Open Championship for the top two non-exempt finishers in the top 8.

Attendance

It is the second-most-attended PGA Tour event annually, behind only the Waste Management Phoenix Open.[4] In 2011, the tournament attracted 240,000 fans for the week and 70,000 fans on Sunday. The tournament set a record attendance in 2002 with nearly 400,000 fans for the week. In 2017 about 290,000 fans attended, the most since Travelers started hosting the tournament.[5]

Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Yards	434	341	431	481	223	574	443	202	406	3,535	462	158	411	523	421	296	171	420	444	3,306	6,841
Par	4	4	4	4	3	5	4	3	4	35	4	3	4	5	4	4	3	4	4	35	70

Source:[6]

Winners

Year	Player	Country	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)	Purse ($)	Ref
Travelers Championship
2020	Dustin Johnson	United States	261	−19	1 stroke	Kevin Streelman	1,332,000	7,400,000
2019	Chez Reavie	United States	263	−17	4 strokes	Keegan Bradley Zack Sucher	1,296,000	7,200,000
2018	Bubba Watson (3)	United States	263	−17	3 strokes	Paul Casey Stewart Cink J. B. Holmes Beau Hossler	1,260,000	7,000,000
2017	Jordan Spieth	United States	268	−12	Playoff	Daniel Berger	1,224,000	6,800,000
2016	Russell Knox	Scotland	266	−14	1 stroke	Jerry Kelly	1,188,000	6,600,000
2015	Bubba Watson (2)	United States	264	−16	Playoff	Paul Casey	1,152,000	6,400,000
2014	Kevin Streelman	United States	265	−15	1 stroke	K. J. Choi Sergio García	1,116,000	6,200,000
2013	Ken Duke	United States	268	−12	Playoff	Chris Stroud	1,098,000	6,100,000
2012	Marc Leishman	Australia	266	−14	1 stroke	Charley Hoffman Bubba Watson	1,080,000	6,000,000
2011	Freddie Jacobson	Sweden	260	−20	1 stroke	Ryan Moore John Rollins	1,080,000	6,000,000
2010	Bubba Watson	United States	266	−14	Playoff	Corey Pavin Scott Verplank	1,080,000	6,000,000
2009	Kenny Perry	United States	258	−22	3 strokes	Paul Goydos David Toms	1,080,000	6,000,000
2008	Stewart Cink (2)	United States	262	−18	1 stroke	Tommy Armour III Hunter Mahan	1,080,000	6,000,000
2007	Hunter Mahan	United States	265	−15	Playoff	Jay Williamson	1,080,000	6,000,000
Buick Championship
2006	J. J. Henry	United States	266	−14	3 strokes	Hunter Mahan Ryan Moore	792,000	4,400,000
2005	Brad Faxon	United States	266	−14	Playoff	Tjaart van der Walt	774,000	4,300,000
2004	Woody Austin	United States	270	−10	Playoff	Tim Herron	756,000	4,200,000
Greater Hartford Open
2003	Peter Jacobsen (2)	United States	266	−14	2 strokes	Chris Riley	720,000	4,000,000
Canon Greater Hartford Open
2002	Phil Mickelson (2)	United States	266	−14	1 stroke	Jonathan Kaye Davis Love III	720,000	4,000,000
2001	Phil Mickelson	United States	264	−16	1 stroke	Billy Andrade	558,000	3,100,000
2000	Notah Begay III	United States	260	−20	1 stroke	Mark Calcavecchia	504,000	2,800,000
1999	Brent Geiberger	United States	262	−18	3 strokes	Skip Kendall	450,000	2,500,000
1998	Olin Browne	United States	266	−14	Playoff	Stewart Cink Larry Mize	360,000	2,000,000
1997	Stewart Cink	United States	267	−13	1 stroke	Tom Byrum Brandel Chamblee Jeff Maggert	270,000	1,500,000
1996	D. A. Weibring	United States	270	−10	4 strokes	Tom Kite	270,000	1,500,000
1995	Greg Norman	Australia	267	−13	2 strokes	Dave Stockton Jr. Kirk Triplett Grant Waite	216,000	1,200,000
1994	David Frost	South Africa	268	−12	1 stroke	Greg Norman	216,000	1,200,000
1993	Nick Price	Zimbabwe	271	−9	1 stroke	Dan Forsman Roger Maltbie	180,000	1,000,000
1992	Lanny Wadkins	United States	274	−6	2 strokes	Dan Forsman Donnie Hammond Nick Price	180,000	1,000,000
1991	Billy Ray Brown	United States	271	−9	Playoff	Rick Fehr Corey Pavin	180,000	1,000,000
1990	Wayne Levi	United States	267	−13	2 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia Brad Fabel Rocco Mediate Chris Perry	180,000	1,000,000
1989	Paul Azinger (2)	United States	267	−17	1 stroke	Wayne Levi	180,000	1,000,000
Canon Sammy Davis Jr.–Greater Hartford Open
1988	Mark Brooks	United States	269	−15	Playoff	Dave Barr Joey Sindelar	126,000	700,000
1987	Paul Azinger	United States	269	−15	1 stroke	Dan Forsman Wayne Levi	126,000	700,000
1986	Mac O'Grady	United States	269	−15	Playoff	Roger Maltbie	126,000	700,000
1985	Phil Blackmar	United States	271	−13	Playoff	Jodie Mudd Dan Pohl	108,000	600,000
Sammy Davis Jr.–Greater Hartford Open
1984	Peter Jacobsen	United States	269	−15	2 strokes	Mark O'Meara	72,000	400,000
1983	Curtis Strange	United States	268	−16	1 stroke	Jay Haas Jack Renner	54,000	300,000
1982	Tim Norris	United States	259	−25	6 strokes	Raymond Floyd Hubert Green	54,000	300,000
1981	Hubert Green	United States	264	−20	1 stroke	Bobby Clampett Fred Couples Roger Maltbie	54,000	300,000
1980	Howard Twitty	United States	266	−18	Playoff	Jim Simons	54,000	300,000
1979	Jerry McGee	United States	267	−17	1 stroke	Jack Renner	54,000	300,000
1978	Rod Funseth	United States	264	−20	4 strokes	Dale Douglass Lee Elder Billy Kratzert	42,000	210,000
1977	Billy Kratzert	United States	265	−19	3 strokes	Grier Jones Larry Nelson	42,000	210,000
1976	Rik Massengale	United States	266	−18	2 strokes	Al Geiberger J. C. Snead	42,000	210,000
1975	Don Bies	United States	267	−17	Playoff	Hubert Green	40,000	200,000
1974	Dave Stockton	United States	268	−16	4 strokes	Raymond Floyd	40,000	200,000
1973	Billy Casper (4)	United States	264	−20	1 stroke	Bruce Devlin	40,000	200,000
Greater Hartford Open Invitational
1972	Lee Trevino	United States	269	−15	Playoff	Lee Elder	25,000	125,000
1971	George Archer	United States	268	−16	Playoff	Lou Graham J. C. Snead	22,000	110,000
1970	Bob Murphy	United States	267	−17	4 strokes	Paul Harney	20,000	100,000
1969	Bob Lunn	United States	268	−16	Playoff	Dave Hill	20,000	100,000
1968	Billy Casper (3)	United States	266	−18	3 strokes	Bruce Crampton	20,000	100,000
1967	Charlie Sifford	United States	272	−12	1 stroke	Steve Oppermann	20,000	100,000
Insurance City Open Invitational
1966	Art Wall Jr.	United States	266	−18	2 strokes	Wes Ellis	20,000	100,000
1965	Billy Casper (2)	United States	274	−10	Playoff	Johnny Pott	11,000	70,000
1964	Ken Venturi	United States	273	−11	1 stroke	Al Besselink Paul Bondeson Sam Carmichael Jim Grant	7,500	50,000
1963	Billy Casper	United States	271	−13	1 stroke	George Bayer	6,400	40,000
1962	Bob Goalby	United States	271	−13	Playoff	Art Wall Jr.	5,300	35,000
1961	Billy Maxwell	United States	271	−13	Playoff	Ted Kroll	4,300	30,000
1960	Arnold Palmer (2)	United States	270	−14	Playoff	Bill Collins Jack Fleck	3,500	30,000
1959	Gene Littler	United States	272	−12	1 stroke	Tom Nieporte	3,500	25,000
1958	Jack Burke Jr.	United States	268	−16	3 strokes	Dow Finsterwald Art Wall Jr.	3,500	25,000
1957	Gardner Dickinson	United States	272	−12	2 strokes	George Bayer	2,800	22,000	[7]
Insurance City Open
1956	Arnold Palmer	United States	274	−10	Playoff	Ted Kroll	4,000	20,000	[8][9][10]
1955	Sam Snead	United States	269	−15	7 strokes	Fred Hawkins Mike Souchak	4,000	20,000	[11]
1954	Tommy Bolt	United States	271	−13	Playoff	Earl Stewart	2,500	15,000	[12]
1953	Bob Toski	United States	269	−15	1 stroke	Jim Ferrier	2,400	15,000	[13]
1952	Ted Kroll	United States	273	−11	4 strokes	Lawson Little Skee Riegel Earl Stewart	2,400	15,000	[2]

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Main sources[3][14][15]

Multiple winners

Seven men have won the Travelers Championship more than once through 2018.

• 4 wins
  • Billy Casper: 1963, 1965, 1968, 1973
• 3 wins
  • Bubba Watson: 2010, 2015, 2018
• 2 wins
  • Arnold Palmer: 1956, 1960
  • Paul Azinger: 1987, 1989
  • Phil Mickelson: 2001, 2002
  • Peter Jacobsen: 1984, 2003
  • Stewart Cink: 1997, 2008

Highlights

• 1952: Ted Kroll wins the inaugural tournament. He beats Lawson Little, Skee Riegel, and Earl Stewart by four shots.[2][16]
• 1955: Amateur Bill Whedon becomes the first player in PGA Tour history to record two holes-in-one in the same round.[17]
• 1956: Arnold Palmer makes the Insurance City Open his first United States based PGA Tour victory by beating Ted Kroll in a playoff.[10] Afterwards Palmer said "Ted is a great guy—he even gave me the putter that beat him."[18]
• 1962: Bob Goalby defeats Art Wall Jr. on the seventh hole of a sudden death playoff after Wall misses an 18-inch putt for par on the 72nd hole.[19]
• 1967: African American golfer Charlie Sifford wins his first PGA Tour event. He beats Steve Oppermann by one shot.[20]
• 1968: Billy Casper becomes the tournament's first and so far only three-time winner. He beats Bruce Crampton by three shots.[21]
• 1972: Lee Trevino defeats Lee Elder in a sudden death playoff. If Elder had won, he would have become qualified for The Masters.[22]
• 1973: Billy Casper shoots a final round 64 to win for the fourth time at Hartford. He beats Bruce Devlin by one shot.[23]
• 1974: Dave Stockton wins by four shots over Raymond Floyd. After the tournament, Stockton gets a congratulatory call from then President Gerald Ford. Stockton also arranges to donate his entire $40,000 winnings check to charity.[24]
• 1977: Billy Kratzert beats Grier Jones and Larry Nelson by three shots. Two years earlier, Kratzert had quit golf and gone to work as a forklift operator.[25]
• 1981: Ninety-one players made the 36-hole cut, a PGA Tour record.
• 1982: Tim Norris sets tournament records for aggregate (259) scoring and under par (−25) as he wins by six shots over Hubert Green and Raymond Floyd.[26]
• 1986: Mac O'Grady shoots a final round 62 to catch Roger Maltbie, then defeats him on the first hole of sudden death.[27]
• 1989: Paul Azinger chips it in on the 72nd hole to beat Wayne Levi by one shot.[28]
• 1992: Lanny Wadkins, who had last played in Hartford in 1978, shoots a final round 65 to win by two shots over Dan Forsman, Nick Price, and Donnie Hammond.[29]
• 2000: Notah Begay III wins for the second week in succession after he makes birdie on the 72nd hole to edge Mark Calcavecchia by one shot.[30]
• 2002: Phil Mickelson becomes the first winner to successfully defend his title. He beats Jonathan Kaye and Davis Love III by one shot.[31]
• 2003: Nineteen years after his first triumph in Hartford, Peter Jacobsen wins again, beating Chris Riley.[32] Jacobsen's $720,000 winner's check was ten times what he earned in 1984.[33] The tournament was also notable when Suzy Whaley became the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA Tour event, though her appearance was controversial after playing from shorter tees during her qualifying tournament, the Connecticut PGA Championship.
• 2011: Patrick Cantlay, an amateur golfer from UCLA, set a course-record of 10-under 60, the lowest round ever shot on the PGA Tour by an amateur.[34]
• 2014: Kevin Streelman birdies the last seven holes in the final round, a PGA Tour record for an event winner.[35]
• 2016: Jim Furyk shot a 12-under-par 58 in the final round, becoming the first player to shoot 58 in a PGA Tour event.[36]
• 2017: Jordan Spieth wins in a playoff against Daniel Berger by holing his bunker shot for birdie on the first playoff hole. Berger had a chance to advance the playoff, but missed his long birdie putt.

References

1. Wacker, Brian (July 23, 2015). "Travelers Championship announces new date". PGA Tour.
2. "Ted Kroll wins first tournament". Ottawa Citizen. Associated Press. September 2, 1952. p. 18.
3. "Travelers Championship – Past Winners". PGA Tour. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
4. Inside the course: TPC River Highlands Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Spieth's Playoff Win Caps Record Attendance For PGA Tour Travelers Championship". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
6. "Course map" (PDF). Travelers Championship. May 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
7. "Dickinson Takes Insurance Golf". The Modesto Bee. California. United Press. September 3, 1957. p. 17. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
8. "Littler Listed Insurance City Golf Favorite". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. United Press. June 28, 1956. p. 2D. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
9. "Weather Rated Big Factor In Insurance Open". The Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Associated Press. June 28, 1956. p. 11. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
10. "Palmer takes Insurance Open after playoff with Ted Kroll". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. June 2, 1956. p. 16.
11. "Sammy Snead Takes Berth". Prescott Evening Courier. Arizona. Associated Press. September 6, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
12. "Bolt and Stewart Play Off For Wethersfield Golf Cash". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Associated Press. June 28, 1954. p. 19. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
13. "Toski Nabs $15,000 Insurance City Go". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. August 31, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
14. Travelers Championship – Winners Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine – at golfobserver.com (since 1970)
15. Johnson, Sal; Seanor, Dave, eds. (2009). The USA Today Golfers Encyclopedia. New York, New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-302-8.
16. Ted Kroll Cops Storm-Hindered Insurance Open
17. Staats, Wayne (October 29, 2018). "These are the only three golfers to make two holes-in-one in same PGA Tour round". PGA of America. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
18. Palmer Uses Foe's Putter for Playoff Win
19. 18-inch putt costs Wall $1,900
20. Charles Sifford Wins Hartford Tourney
21. Casper Grabs Hartford Win
22. Trevino Tops Elder To Cop Hartford Open
23. Billy Casper Leaves Mob to Capture Hartford Crown
24. Stockton Claims Hartford Win
25. Kratzert outduels Strange, wins Greater Hartford Open
26. Norris wins in Hartford by 6 strokes
27. Controversial Mac 'Grady wins Hartford Open
28. Azinger of a chip keys Hartford win
29. Lanny Wadkins wins his 21st title at the Hartford Open
30. Long Putt Gives Begay Back-to-Back Victories
31. Golf; Mickelson Earns Repeat Title at Greater Hartford Open
32. Hartford triumph for Jacobsen
33. Tournament History Archived 2011-05-04 at the Wayback Machine
34. "Patrick Cantlay's 60 is amateur record on PGA Tour". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
35. "Streelman sets birdie record in win". ESPN. Associated Press. June 22, 2014.
36. Sobel, Jason (August 7, 2016). "Jim Furyk notches record for best PGA Tour round". ESPN.

External links

• Official website
• Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site
• TPC River Highlands
• Greater Hartford Jaycees website