The First Look: Travelers Championship

Jordan Spieth will defend his title against a strong lineup that includes multiple other high-profile U.S. Open cuts, as the PGA TOUR travels some 100 miles north from testy Shinnecock Hills to a more birdie-friendly TPC River Highlands next week for the Travelers Championship.  FedExCup titleholder Justin Thomas and Masters champion Patrick Reed also headline a field that features eight of the top 15 in the world rankings. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk will also return to the site where he carded the TOUR’s first 58 just two years ago. FIELD NOTES Bubba Watson, a two-time winner on Hartford’s outskirts, and THE PLAYERS Championship winner Webb Simpson also help bolter a post-Open lineup with 13 of the world’s top 30. Patrick Cantlay, whose 60 in the 2011 edition remains the lowest PGA TOUR round by an amateur, returns to River Highlands for the first time since 2014. He tied for 24th that year but missed two cuts in later visits. TPC River Highlands is set to welcome 50 players who teed it up at Shinnecock Hills this week. Hogan Award winner Doug Ghim, last year’s U.S. Amateur runner-up, makes his pro debut on a sponsor invite. Other exemptions went to former Illinois teammates Nick Hardy and Dylan Meyer. FEDEXCUP Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day all seek to bounce back after a rough two days at Shinnecock Hills. A bogey/bogey finish Friday kept Spieth from playing the weekend, while tough openers left McIlroy (80) and Day (79) unable to recover. Each of the past four Travelers winners have triumphed after competing in the U.S. Open, though Russell Knox’s 2016 win gets an asterisk. An Olympic shakeup that year moved the Travelers to August. Spieth has a chance to join Phil Mickelson (2001-02) as the only man to go back-to-back in Hartford. Just four New Englanders have won in Hartford, though two came back-to-back in 2005 (Brad Faxon) and 2006 (J.J. Henry). The others are Paul Azinger (1987, ’89) and Bob Toski (1953). Comedian George Lopez, ESPN’s Chris Berman and Boston sports legends Ray Allen (Celtics) and Tim Wakefield (Red Sox) top the marquee for the Wednesday celebrity pro-am. COURSE TPC River Highlands, 6,841 yards, par 70. Marking its 35th year as a PGA TOUR venue, the Pete Dye design overlooking the Connecticut River is the third course housed on the property dating back to 1928. Dye completely overhauled the footprint in 1982, and Bobby Weed provided an upgrade nine years later in consultation with former TOUR pros Roger Maltbie and Howard Twitty. Nos. 15-17 play around a four-acre lake, helping create a finish considered among the most thrilling on TOUR. River Highlands is the site of the TOUR’s only 58, when Jim Furyk reeled off 10 birdies and holed out for eagle at the par-4 No.3. 72-HOLE RECORD 258, Kenny Perry (2009). 18-HOLE RECORD 58, Jim Furyk (4th round, 2016). LAST YEAR Spieth’s first visit to River Highlands produced a highlight-reel finish last season, holing a bunker shot on the first hole of a playoff to dispatch Daniel Berger and celebrate with an emphatic shoulder bump with caddie Michael Greller. Unable to stave off Berger’s late charge in regulation, Spieth watched as his blast from 60 feet away dove into the cup on the second trip through No. 18. Berger nearly rendered the celebration premature when he just missed a 50-foot birdie try, but the FedEx St. Jude Classic winner came up shy in his bid to sandwich two wins around the U.S. Open. Berger forced the playoff with three birdies in the final six holes of regulation, erasing a three-shot deficit with a 3-under-par 67. Spieth became just the second man since World War II to collect 10 PGA TOUR victories before turning 24, taking up company with Tiger Woods (15 wins). HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (featured groups), 3:30-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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