HARTFORD, Conn. – One of the most successful players in the PGA Tour’s annual stop in Connecticut has committed to play in the state’s biggest sporting event in June.
Bubba Watson, a three-time winner of the Travelers Championship, joined an already star-studded field that will be at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on June 23-26.
“There might not be a current player on the PGA Tour more synonymous with the Travelers Championship than Bubba,” tournament director Nathan Grube said in a release. “He’s obviously done well here, but he’s also embraced this community. Bubba will have a lot of people rooting for him at TPC River Highlands this year.”
Watson has 12 PGA Tour victories, including the Travelers Championship in 2010, 2015 and 2018. His first career win came at TPC River Highlands 12 years ago when he defeated Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank in a playoff. Watson’s other victories include the Masters in 2012 and 2014, and he also has won the Genesis Open three times and captured the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship in 2018.
Watson will be looking to join World Golf Hall of Famer Billy Casper as the only four-time winners in the tournament that began as the Insurance City Open at Wethersfield Country Club in 1952. Casper won in 1963, 1965, 1968 and 1973.
Off the course, Watson has pledged his support for local charities aligned with the Travelers Championship. In 2016, he donated $100,000 to the Bruce Edwards Foundation Benefit Dinner, which raised $1.1 million for ALS research. After winning the tournament in 2018, Watson donated $200,000 to enable the event to reach a then-record $2 million in money generated for charity. Watson directed that his money be sent to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, the chief beneficiary of the tournament. When a fire destroyed four buildings at Camp headquarters last year, Watson made a $25,000 donation to help the rebuilding efforts.
“Bubba has shown, time and again how involved he wants to be when it comes to causes that are important to the Travelers Championship and to our community,” said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers. “We can’t thank Bubba and his family enough for their personal contributions and support of the tournament’s charitable efforts. We’ve gotten to know the Watsons really well over the years and look forward to welcoming them back to Connecticut this summer.”
Watson joins a field that already included Scottie Scheffler, who became No. 1 in the Official World Rankings when he won the WGC-Match Play Championship on Sunday, No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, No. 7 Justin Thomas, No. 8 Dustin Johnson, No. 9 Rory McIlroy and No. 10 Xander Schauffele.
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