Top golfers in world to compete in ‘elevated’ Travelers Championship this week

Contributed The crowd gathers at the 18th hole at the Travelers Championship.

Write a Comment

The 2023 Travelers Championship begins today and will run through Sunday, with a field of top-ranked players competing for a purse of $20 million, which was elevated this year.

This year, players in the top eight include: Scottie Scheffler, who is No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings; Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion (No. 2); Rory McIlroy (No. 3); Patrick Cantlay (No. 4); Viktor Hovland (No. 5); 2022 Travelers Championship winner Xander Schauffele (No. 6); Max Homa (No. 7) and 2022 U.S. Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick (No. 8).

The PGA Tour announced last fall that the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell would receive “elevated status,” resulting in a total prize pool that is more than double what was offered in prior years. The higher purse has attracted many of the world’s top golfers.

The Travelers Championship comes at a time of increased scrutiny of the PGA Tour, following the announcement of a merger between the PGA Tour and its Saudi-backed rival, LIV Golf, in early June. The announcement not only startled sports fans but prompted U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to start an investigation.

This year’s Travelers Championship will feature 38 of 43 players, who are healthy and eligible to play, among the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

A total of 156 players will compete.

In addition to Schauffele, past tournament champions in the field include Harris English (2021), Chez Reavie (2019), Russell Knox (2016), Kevin Streelman (2014) and Stewart Cink (2008, 1997).

The tournament will be shown on the Golf Channel (3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday; 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday) and on CBS (3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday).

Spectators will be allowed on-site starting Wednesday, and tickets are still available. For more information, visit TravelersChampionship.com.

The Travelers Championship donates 100% of its net proceeds to charities. It has raised more than $25 million for nearly 900 local charities since 2007, when Travelers became title sponsor.

Blumenthal's letter is below: