HARTFORD, Connecticut – The Travelers Championship field started with No. 1 this week.
Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world whose eight victories in 2024 included a playoff victory in Connecticut’s biggest sporting event, is the first player to commit to this year’s tournament June 19-22 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.
Scheffler, the PGA Tour Player of the Year and FedExCup champion in 2024, parred the first playoff hole to defeat close friend Tom Kim last June in Cromwell after each had shot 22-under-par 258 for four rounds. The two-time Masters champion shot 9-under 275 to tie for 25th Sunday in the WM Phoenix Open after a tie for ninth in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in a belated start to his season. He needed surgery to remove small glass fragments from a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand sustained while preparing Christmas dinner.
Scheffler, 28, has 13 PGA Tour victories, including the Masters in 2022 and 2024, and has had mixed results in the Travelers Championship, missing the cut in 2020 and finishing tied for 47th in 2021, tied for 13th in 2022 and tied for fourth in 2023 before winning last year.
“I can’t think of a better way to start our 2025 player commitments than to announce that our defending champion and the top-ranked golfer in the world intends to play in our event this year,” Travelers Executive Vice President Andy Bessette said in a release. “Scottie is a once-in-a-generation talent who is as composed off the course as he is on. It will be another exciting year watching him tee it up against the best players on the PGA Tour to try to defend his title at this year’s Travelers Championship.”
The tournament will be a Signature Event for the third consecutive year, meaning the field will consist of most of the top players with no cut and a $20 million purse, with $3.6 million going to the winner, and increased FedExCup points (700).
“Travelers has played a critical role in our shared goal of becoming one of the best events on the PGA Tour, leading us to eventually become a Signature Event,” tournament director Nathan Grube said in a release. “We are fortunate to have them as our title sponsor, and we appreciate their long-standing commitment. We also couldn’t do it without the support from others in our community, including the state of Connecticut, corporate partners, tournament volunteers and our passionate fans. Our team is working hard to deliver another exceptional experience for everyone at TPC River Highlands this June.”
The Travelers Championship has had a lasting impact on its surrounding community. Since Travelers became title sponsor, the tournament has generated record amounts for local charities, $31 million for more than 900 charities, including the most money ever in 2024 of more than $3.2 million, which was distributed to 206 organizations. Travelers has a title sponsorship agreement with the PGA Tour through 2030, and the tournament is slated to be a Signature Event every year during that time.
