HARTFORD, Conn. – Since Travelers became the title sponsor of Connecticut’s biggest sporting event in 2007, officials of the insurance giant have lived by the motto that “the status quo is unacceptable.”
David Corrado, who is in his 11th year as general manager at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, has felt a takeoff of that theme while leading preparations for the Travelers Championship next week.
“It has been different,” a smiling Corrado said Wednesday.
You can start with several notable course changes and varying weather conditions the past few months.
“It was an interesting spring that was cool and wet and provided different conditions,” said Corrado, who hopes a record 15 consecutive Saturdays of rain ends during tournament week. “Because of the extra rain that we’ve had, we’ve managed things differently and the rough is more thick and dense.”
The Travelers Championship will be the PGA Tour’s eighth and final Signature Event for the third consecutive year with a $20 million purse, $3.6 million first prize, 700 FedExCup points, no cut and the 70 of the top-ranked players in the world. Eighteen of the top 19 ranked players are already in the field, led by No. 1 and defending champion and PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler, No. 2 and Masters champion Rory McIlroy, No. 3 and 2022 Travelers champion Xander Schauffele, No. 4 Collin Morikawa and No. 5 Justin Thomas.
“Because we’re a Signature Event, we tailor our services a little differently, the excitement service is higher and there’s more room in the locker rooms for the players and their families,” Corrado said.
Corrado took a final walkthrough of the course on Wednesday with TPC superintendent Jason Cannata, PGA Tour advance rules officer Andrew Miller and PGA Tour agronomist Jim Abate.
“We checked mowing lines and the height of the grass,” said Corrado, who oversees daily operations and drives business growth. “We’ll cut the rough to four inches over the weekend and not again before the tournament, though it’s already thick and dense.”
The most noticeable change to the course was a rock wall built in front of the 16th green, along the right side of the 17th fairway and in front of the 17th green.
“It was to combat erosion and is tremendously aesthetic,” Corrado said.
Also, two dying trees to the left of the second fairway were removed and replaced by fescue grass on the left, a narrower fairway, a ravine in front of the green and large mounding in front of the green. The third tee was also moved to the left.
“This is all part of the growth of the tournament and the community,” Carrado said.
Corrado, 47, lives in Southington with his wife, Karen, and sons Tony, 19, and Danny, 17, and daughter Trisha, 15. He received a Bachelor degree from Penn State University and previously worked at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., TPC Michigan and TPC Southwind.
Nathan Grube, who is in his 20th year as tournament director, said having top-notch off-course activities are as important as what goes on inside the ropes.
“I think our personality as an event is totally unique,” said Grube, who has been a major reason that the tournament has received 15 awards from the PGA Tour, including Tournament of the Year and Players Choice. “There was a player who told me years ago that we somehow manage to make it like a home game for all of us and that’s what we want. The volunteers buy into it, and everyone buys into it. We’re inviting them into our house and want to make sure we take care of them.”
The Travelers Championship is June 16-19 after the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, PA.
