PGA Tour: Travelers Championship Preview

With another major championship now in the rear-view mirror (catch our U.S. Open review here), the 2018/19 PGA Tour season continues unabated and reaches Cromwell, Connecticut for the Travelers Championship.

TPC River Highlands was the scene of arguably the most dramatic Tour victory last season and we expect to see similar fireworks this time around. Jordan Spieth, the 2017 champion, seeks to defend the title he snatched from right under the nose of fellow 'Class of 2011' graduate Daniel Berger with a memorable playoff bunker hole-out.

Catch a reminder of Spieth's stunning bunker shot below:

To help peak your interest in this week's tournament we've gathered together our own preview of a post-U.S. Open tournament that never disappoints:

The Venue

Course: TPC River Highlands
Par: 70
Yardage: 6,841 yds

After the PGA Tour acquired this facility back in the 1980s they commissioned the golf course architectural guru Pete Dye, and latterly Bobby Weed, to bring us the TPC Highlands we know today.

Excitement tends to unfold as golfers head for the clubhouse as holes 16-18 play around a four-acre lake with tee shots and approach shots equally threatened as golfers wrap up their rounds.

Watch below as Head Golf Professional Larry Antinozzi gives his take on the tricky trio:

The galleries at TPC River Highlands are huge and turn out to support the event almost like no other. In fact, the Travelers Championship is second only to the raucous spectacle that is the Phoenix Open in terms of most-attended PGA Tour events.

The Field

As with last year's tournament, the 2018 Travelers Championship will boast an elite level field and we could easily make the case for a dozen or more men to prevail this Sunday.

As well as boasting countless winners of PGA Tour events, this year's field includes many major champions. Spieth, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Patrick Reed and Zach Johnson immediately spring to mind and each will arrive in Connecticut hoping to add another Tour win to their golfing CVs.

Who Wins It?

Leading Contender: Rory McIlroy

Ignoring his disappointing performance at Shinnecock Hills last week, Rory has the game to take most courses on the PGA Tour apart on any given week, and TPC River Highlands is no different.

Remember his 64 at the Memorial Tournament?

There have been some scintillating rounds of golf by the Northern Irishman over the past month or so and if he can put two or three of those in this week then it would take a similarly awesome performance to stop him.

It would be surprising if Rory weren't to better his T-17 of last year. We expect that he will go well.

Lively Outsider: Xander Schauffele

The 2017 PGA Tour 'Rookie of the Year' finished T-2 at The Players Championship back in March and then failed to make the cut in his next two outings.

It's that performance at TPC Sawgrass that we're looking back to for some confidence that Schauffele could go well this week (and his awesome win back at the Tour Championship season-ending event in September 2017).

Catch a reminder of his biggest win to date below:

Who do you think could win this week in Connecticut? Let us know below:

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