Five of the top-10 players in the OWGR are in the field, including three of the top-10 in the FedExCup Playoff standings. TPC River Highlands is a 6,841-yard, par-70 Pete Dye designed track overlooking the Connecticut River, and the routing on hole Nos. 15 through 18 provides the purest form of stadium golf on Tour.
Number 5
Fantasy Insider
Bubba Watson returns to defend his title, seeking his fourth Travelers Championship title (which would tie the late Billy Casper for most wins at this event. And number of big stars who teed it up last week at Pebble Beach Shinnecock Hills have also made their way to Cromwell. U.S. Open runner-up and World No. 1 Brooks Koepka makes his fourth start here. Phil Mickelson is making his first in this event since 2003, and has won this event twice. (in 2001 and 2002). While Tommy Fleetwood is making his tournament debut.
Bryson DeChambeau looks to continue his trend upwards in three previous starts at Travelers with a best finish T9 last year. Since returning to competition following a wrist injury, Justin Thomas has two missed cuts in last three starts, and in five previous appearances here has only finished inside the top-25 once. And notable sponsor exemptions include U.S. Open low am Viktor Hovland (making his professional debut), and Matthew Wolff (a former top-4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and also making his pro debut).
Number 4
That 58 Ball that Almost Wasn’t
U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk returns to TPC River Highlands this week, where he recorded the first 58 on Tour three years ago. Before the final round began, Furyk was in 70th place, had been on the road almost one full month, and just wanted to get home and sleep in his own bed. Fueled by seven consecutive birdies on hole Nos. six to 12 however, he went on to make stunning and unexpected history. Furyk donated his 58 ball to the World Golf Hall of Fame, however it almost didn’t make it to St. Augustine.
Furyk's playing partner Miguel Angel Carballo initially marked Furyk for a birdie on No. 14, when in reality Furyk only made a par. Fortunately Carballo realized his mistake, erased the wrong number, and penciled in the correct one. Had this error not been fixed, there would be no 58 ball, Furyk would have been disqualified, and the story would be instead about the most gut-wrenching round in history.
Number 3
Best Celebration Ever?
It’s mind boggling that professional golfers can hole out shots further away than two football fields and sink putts longer than a basketball court, but when it comes celebrating they look more uncoordinated than a newborn giraffe taking its first steps. That's what makes Jordan Spieth going bananas two years ago with caddie Michael Greller after his bunker blast on No. 18 even more amazing.
Spieth holed out, slammed his wedge into the ground, Greller tossed a rake into the air, and something really awkward seemed destined to happen. Instead, the two executed a perfectly-timed and hilariously spectacular chest-back-something bump that still gives fans chills today. Greatest chest bump in the history of golf? Absolutely. Then again, it might be the only chest bump in the history of golf. Either way, it was awesome.
Number 2
Exciting Way to End a Tournament
TPC River Highlands is one of the shorter courses on Tour at just 6,841 yards, but it’s also a par-70 track that's set up perfectly for drama down the stretch, particularly on hole Nos. 15 through 18. Fairway bunkers are shallow, greenside bunkers are deep, and the routing is superb. Most of the back-9 encircles a four-acre lake, making it ripe for scoring surges, but also significant collapse. Incredible vantage points and amphitheater settings around the greens keep the committed fan base engaged and almost part of every shot.
No. 15 is a drivable 296-yard, par-4 that produces eagles just as easily as double-bogeys with water all along the left side and sand to the right. No. 16 is a picturesque 171-yard, par-3 that requires a forced carry over water to a narrow green that's protected by bunkers on both sides, with tricky shaved down areas, and slopes back towards the tee. The daunting 420-yard, par-4, No. 17 requires two perfectly executed shots with water in play right off the elevated tee, and then again on approach the entire way to the green. Finally, although the tee shot on the closing 444-yard, par-4, No. 18 is fairly easy to keep in play, on approach the green runs diagonal from left to right with two deep bunkers on the right that are make or break time for victory or defeat.
Number 1
Young Stars
The Travelers Championship has a long history of awarding sponsor exemptions to up-and-coming players. Since 2007, players including Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler, Morgan Hoffmann, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jon Rahm have been granted exemptions by the tournament. And this year's crop includes a stellar foursome of the top-four ranked amateur golfers in the world entering the 2019 NCAA Championships.
Two players will make their professional debuts, Viktor Hovland (Oklahoma State) and Matthew Wolff (Oklahoma State), while Collin Morikawa (Cal) and Justin Suh (USC), each made their professional debuts earlier this summer. Hovland (T12) and Morikawa (T35) both competed in the U.S. Open, where Hovland became the first low amateur at the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same season since 1998. Hovland's 4-under, 280 at the U.S.Open broke the old mark (282) set by Jack Nicklaus in 1960 at Cherry Hills.
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