HARTFORD, Connecticut – It’s official. The Travelers Championship will have the winners of the first two major championships this year.
Xander Schauffele, the 2022 Travelers winner, committed to Connecticut’s biggest sporting event June 20-23 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell after winning his first major championship in the PGA Championship on Sunday. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, whose four victories in five starts in March and April included the Masters, was the first player to commit to the Travelers.
Schauffele had had 12 Top-10 finishes, including two seconds, before finally winning one of golf’s biggest prizes in his 28th start by shooting 21-under-par 263 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. He made a gutsy 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge 2022 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau by a stroke, set the record for most under par in a major championship and end a frustrating winless streak that had reached 22 months.
“I was actually kind of emotional after (last) putt lipped in,” said Schauffele, who received a $3.33 million winner’s as he was presented with the Wanamaker Trophy. “It’s been a while since I’ve won, and I really just kept saying it all week, ‘I just need to stay in my lane.’ Man, was it hard to stay in my lane (Sunday), but I tried all day to just keep focus on what I’m trying to do and keep every hole ahead of me. I just told myself, ‘This is my opportunity, and just capture it.’”
Schauffele, a 30-year-old from San Diego, Calif., led or shared the lead for all four rounds on the way to his eighth PGA Tour title after opening with a 9-under 62, which tied the all-time low in a major championship. The victory lifted the 2021 Olympic champion to second in the world and FedExCup rankings and virtually assured him that he would be in Paris for this year’s Olympics. He also has had two appearances on the U.S. Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams.
“Adding the reigning PGA Championship winner and Olympic gold medalist certainly builds upon the impressive list of players already in our field,” Travelers Executive Vice President Andy Bessette said in a release. “I know our fans will enjoy watching Xander, especially with how well he’s been playing and fresh off winning a major championship. As a past Travelers Championship winner, Xander is part of an exclusive club. I know he wants to contend once again at TPC River Highlands.”
Schauffele joins a field that also already includes defending champion Keegan Bradley, No. 3 Rory McIlroy, No. 5 Viktor Hovland (the reigning FedExCup champion who was third in the PGA Championship), No. 6 Ludvig Abert, No. 8 Patrick Cantlay, No. 9 Collin Morikawa, No. 10 Max Homa and crowd favorite Rickie Fowler.
The tournament is again one of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events with a $20 million purse and $3.6 first prize. There will be 70-80 players with no cut and several course enhancements and amenities for spectators.
Leave a Reply