Travelers Championship next up on the PGA Tour

Fresh off the third major championship of the year, the PGA Tour is set to host its final signature event of the season this week. Another loaded field heads to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, to compete in the annual Travelers Championship.

Former OSU Cowboy star Viktor Hovland finished third in last week’s U.S. Open, which was his best finish in the event since turning pro. Eighth on the PGA Tour power rankings ahead of the Travelers Championship, Hovland shot a final round 3-over 73 at Oakmont Country Club and had this to say after this round, “I keep progressing in the right direction. To have a chance to win a major championship without my best stuff and not feeling very comfortable is super cool. So, I’m going to take a lot of positives with me from this week.”

At the U.S. Open, Hovland was second in greens hit, and he led the field in strokes gained. Trying to be more consistent with the driver off the tee, Hovland said, “In the interim, I can still perform at a high level. I just need to take that with me and be a little kinder to myself.”

As Hovland will try again to win his first major at the Open Championship next month, there was a first-time winner at the U.S. Open with J.J. Spaun sealing the deal with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18. Still riding high and in The Travelers field after missing last year, Spaun said, “I’m not fully in the clouds still, but we are getting a little below the ceiling. It has been a whirlwind, and the aftermath of the championship has been so crazy but so much fun. I’m super grateful to have won the championship and be given this experience. It is obviously something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

World number one Scottie Scheffler finished tied for seventh at the U.S. Open and enters this week as the defending champion. As you might expect, Scheffler is the betting favorite and first in the PGA Tour power rankings ahead of the Travelers Championship.

After a long week, Scheffler said, “I think mental and physical rest is more important after a tournament like that. I feel like my game is in a good spot, so I don’t have to go out on the range and figure anything out. I got a good feel for the bunkers; I have a good feel for the speed of the greens. A lot of it is getting the mind ready to go out and play.”

With this being a signature event, there is no cut this week, and the purse is worth $20,000,000. The first round begins on Thursday.