HARTFORD, Conn. — This is your viewer’s guide to the weirdest edition of a PGA Tour event that’s been a summer staple in central Connecticut for seven decades. So sit back, nod your head a few times so your coworkers think you’re participating in that Zoom meeting and get ready to watch the world’s best golfers take aim at the $1.3 million winner’s check and a snazzy blue blazer.
From how to watch on TV or stream the action on your laptop or tablet, to the must-see holes that will likely separate the contenders from the pretenders, we’ve got you covered.
The particulars
No. of entrants: 156
Purse: $7.4 million, with $1,332,000 going to the winner
FedEx Cup points for the winner: 500
Course info: TPC River Highlands is a par-70, 6,481-yard course in Cromwell that was first built in 1928, redesigned in 1984 and renovated at a cost of $3.5 million in 2016
How to watch
The Golf Channel will air Thursday and Friday’s action from 3-6 p.m. Eastern time. The network will then air two hours of weekend coverage, from 1-3 p.m., before CBS takes over on Saturday and Sunday from 3-6 p.m. (or whenever the final round concludes).
You can also stream coverage on PGA Tour LIVE, the Golf Channel app and CBS All Access. But those platforms all require a subscription or an existing cable TV package. Radio broadcasts are available on PGATOUR.com/liveaudio and SiriusXM.
Additionally, the PGA Tour debuted some unique viewing alternatives on social media beginning with the Charles Schwab Challenge. Twitter multicasts featuring guest announcers such as Darius Rucker, Golden Tate and Dude Perfect lent a casual feel to the typically buttoned-up commentary that accompanies live golf coverage. The tour has clearly prioritized engaging with a younger audience upon its return.
Contenders
Look, when you’ve got the top five players in the world in the field, eight out of the top 10 and 11 out of the top 16, you don’t have to be a bookmaker to land on a smart pick. But, as the saying goes, there are “horses for courses.” And for several of the studs in this lineup, worldwide success hasn’t yet translated to TPC River Highlands.
The layout can be confounding, the bogeys just as plentiful as the birdies, particularly coming down the home stretch. It’s also a place that’s produced its share of multi-time champs. With that in mind, we’ll pare down the list to five contenders.
Bubba Watson: Three times a winner in Cromwell, most recently in 2018. A lefty bomber with a deft touch around the greens, you simply can’t count him out on a Sunday at the Travelers.
Patrick Cantlay: The seventh-ranked player in the world once tied the old course record at River Highlands with a 60 as a 19-year-old amateur. At 28, he’s battled back from injuries to reclaim his place as one of the most promising young players on tour.
Paul Casey: In five starts, Casey has been a runner-up, tied for 17th, tied for fifth, tied for second and tied for fifth again. One of these years, he’s simply got to break through.
Justin Thomas: Overshadowed by Jim Furyk’s 58 when he fired a final-round 62 in 2016 to finish in a tie for third. He’s second on the tour in scoring average (68.50) through June 14 and has the game to run away from the field in Cromwell.
Daniel Berger: Flirted with the title in 2017 but was denied when Jordan Spieth buried the bunker shot heard ‘round the world. He’s been one of the best players on tour this year, picking up where he left off when he won at Colonial in a playoff.
Sleepers
Keegan Bradley: Winner of the 2011 PGA Championship, he’s got a great track record at River Highlands, including a tie for second last year. The Vermont native won’t have the backing of a New England crowd though.
Abraham Ancer: The 29-year-old Mexican went 64-73-70-63 to finish in a tie for eighth at last year’s Travelers. If he cleans up those middle rounds, he could break through for his first tour victory.
Charley Hoffman: The four-time PGA Tour winner is looking to end a drought that ends back to 2016. He’s had three top-10 finishes here, including a tie for second in 2012.
Stewart Cink: One of three players to win the tournament in multiple decades, with victories in 1997 and 2008. Could the 47-year-old become the first player to notch a win in three separate decades?
Brian Harman: The 5-foot-7 lefty has shown off a big game in Cromwell, tying for sixth in 2018 and following it up with a tie for eighth in 2019.
Boisterous crowds have co-starred in the Travelers Championship’s signature moments. So how will Sunday drama look and feel without them? »
A can’t-miss finish
From the driveable par-4 15th hole and onward, TPC River Highlands can lay claim to an exhilarating cluster of closing holes. It’s a four-hole stretch that’s engineered for drama, all of it encircling a four-acre lake where the iconic Travelers umbrella floats throughout the tournament.
In any other year, you’d want to post up at one of those holes as a spectator. This year they’ll just provide some can’t-miss theater from the couch.
“I think it has one of the best finishes in all of golf,” Tony Finau said last year.
It starts with the 296-yard, par-4 15th, where many of the pros can reach the green with less than driver, and proceeds to the 171-yard, par-3 16th. The pros can take an eagle and a birdie with them to the 17th tee, or they can familiarize themselves with the drop zones; it’s all in play.
The 433-yard, par-4 17th hugs the water hazard from start to finish, and the green can be among the toughest to read. And while the 444-yard, par-4 18th hole will be lacking in electricity without the fans, wayward tee shots will still be punished by the hilly terrain and the green is well-guarded by an iconic bunker.
“You can score on (the closing holes), and you can also mess up, as I’ve done both,” Watson said in 2015. “So yeah, it’s a very tough stretch. It’s a very scary stretch, especially for a head case like myself.”
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