Russell Knox is back to defend the Travelers Championship title he won last year after canning a 12-foot par putt on the 72nd hole. The tournament will be played June 19 through 25.
Knox shot a third-round 64 to secure a spot in the final group on Sunday, three strokes behind Daniel Berger. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 pushed Knox in front, but a bogey at No. 16 and a final-round 64 by Jerry Kelly added to the drama. With a one-stroke lead heading to No. 18, Knox dug deep. After landing his approach shot in a bunker, Knox hit out to 12 feet and faced a par putt for the win.
Said Knox at this year’s Media Day, “Golf is about storing positive memories. So the putt that I made here to win, a 12-foot putt, the next time I have a putt that has similar meaning, maybe a putt to make the cut, I can go back to the memory that I’ve made this putt before. I’ve made the putt when I really had to. That’s what golf’s all about, creating positive memories. It’s all about storing them and using them when you have to.”
The 31-year-old Knox, from Scotland, also won the World Golf Championships HSBC Championship in 2016.
This year’s field looks strong, with young stars Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Justin Thomas among those giving early commitments, with more top names sure to be added to the list.
Tournament Director Nathan Grube promised a superb viewing experience for the fan. “You’re going to see areas that the fans, the general admission ticket holders, are going to be able to go and experience cooling benches and shades, and venues where they can go in and actually sit down and sit at tables to really take the fan experience to a whole new level. The community supports this event, we want to support the community. There are going to be some exciting things out there.”
He added, “We have partners who have gotten involved because of what they experience when they get here. And what they experience is a very passionate fan base, and a media who takes this event very personal. Sponsors feel a sense of ownership over this event. It’s very different than what you have anywhere else on Tour. All we ask is come see us once, and you will experience why we are different.”
The Travelers Championship is one of the longest running tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule. The tourney was founded in 1952 as the Insurance City Open and in 1967 it was renamed the Greater Hartford Open, a title that was retained through 2003. From 1973 to 1988, the GHO also bore the name of the late entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., who would often play in the pro-ams and bring in some of his big-name friends, such as Bob Hope and Flip Wilson. Canon, the camera giant, was a title sponsor from 1985 to 2002, the car company Buick was title sponsor from 2004 to 2006, and The Travelers Companies, a Connecticut-based insurance provider, took over sponsorship in 2007.
The tournament was played for its first three decades at cozy Wethersfield Country Club. 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 redesigned with a completely new back nine holes and renamed the TPC at River Highlands.
The Cromwell facility was the third PGA Tour-owned/managed golf course in what would grow to a network of over 30 TPC clubs. The purse for the first tournament, won by Ted Kroll, was $15,000. In 2006 tournament, under Buick’s sponsorship, the purse grew to $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. It is up slightly this year to $6.8 million, with $1.224 million going to the winner.
The tournament has seen a who’s who of professional golf claim the title over the years, from Arnold Palmer and Billy Casper to Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson. Its position on the calendar has varied. Part of the FedEx Cup, the Travelers Championship is now played in June, the week after the U.S. Open. The Travelers is one of the most attended events on the PGA Tour and the tournament set a record attendance in 2002 with nearly 400,000 fans for the week.
The Insurance City Open was founded by the Greater Hartford Jaycees as a means to raise funds to support their philanthropic causes. The Jaycees are international leadership development organization for men and women ages 21 and 40. In 1971, The Greater Hartford Jaycees Foundation, Inc. was established as a grant-giving entity by the Greater Hartford Jaycees, Inc. with the help of PGA pro Bob Murphy, who donated part of his winnings as 1970 Greater Hartford Open champion. The event raises almost a million dollars a year for local charities.
