Travelers Championship

Infobox_Golf_Tournament
tournament_name = Travelers Championship


location = Cromwell, Connecticut
establishment = 1952
course = TPC at River Highlands
par = 70
yardage = 6,820
tour = PGA Tour
format = Stroke play
purse = $6,000,000
month_played = June
aggregate = 259 Tim Norris (1982)
to-par = -25 Tim Norris (1982)
Current Champion = Stewart Cink The Travelers Championship is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It has been played annually in Cromwell, Connecticut since 1984, and since 1991 the tournament has been held on the course at the TPC River Highlands. Its position on the calendar has varied; in 2005 it was played in late August but in 2006 it was played in late June. Part of the FedEx Cup, the Travelers Championship has been played in late June, the week after the U.S. Open, in both 2007 and 2008.

For the tournament's first three decades, it was played at Wethersfield Country Club. In 1984, after the PGA Tour bought and redesigned Edgewood Country Club, the event moved to the new TPC of Connecticut in Cromwell. In 1991, the course was substantially redesigned with a completely new back nine holes and renamed the TPC at River Highlands. This TPC Property was the third PGA Tour owned/managed championship golf course in what would grow to a network of over 25 TPC Clubs (2007).

Over the last decade, longer hitters have done well at the tournament, with Stewart Cink, Hunter Mahan, J. J. Henry, and Phil Mickelson combining for five victories over an eight year span. Mahan also finished tied for second in 2006 and 2008. [cite web|url=http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r034/winners.html|title=PGATour.com Past Winners|accessdate=2008-06-17]

The purse for the 2006 tournament, under Buick's sponsorship, was $4.4 million, with $792,000 going to the winner. In 2007 and 2008, the purse under Travelers' sponsorship was $6 million, with $1,080,000 going to the champion.

The tournament was founded in 1952 as the Insurance City Open; in 1967 it was renamed the Greater Hartford Open, a title that was retained through 2003. From 1973-88, the GHO also bore the name of entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., who would often play in the pro-ams. Canon was a long-time sponsor of this tournament, and their employees would often take vacation time during tournament week to volunteer at the event.

The Insurance City Open was founded by the Greater Hartford Jaycees as a means to raise funds to support their philanthropic causes. The Jaycees are international leadership development organization for men and women ages 21-40. In 1971, The Greater Hartford Jaycees Foundation, Inc. was established as a grant-giving entity by the Greater Hartford Jaycees, Inc. with the help of Bob Murphy, who donated part of his winnings as 1970 Greater Hartford Open champion.

Winners

Travelers Championship
*2008 Stewart Cink
*2007 Hunter Mahan

Buick Championship
*2006 J. J. Henry
*2005 Brad Faxon
*2004 Woody Austin

Greater Hartford Open
*2003 Peter Jacobsen

Canon Greater Hartford Open
*2002 Phil Mickelson
*2001 Phil Mickelson
*2000 Notah Begay III
*1999 Brent Geiberger
*1998 Olin Browne
*1997 Stewart Cink
*1996 D. A. Weibring
*1995 Greg Norman
*1994 David Frost
*1993 Nick Price
*1992 Lanny Wadkins
*1991 Billy Ray Brown
*1990 Wayne Levi
*1989 Paul Azinger

Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open
*1988 Mark Brooks
*1987 Paul Azinger
*1986 Mac O'Grady
*1985 Phil Blackmar

Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open
*1984 Peter Jacobsen
*1983 Curtis Strange
*1982 Tim Norris
*1981 Hubert Green
*1980 Howard Twitty
*1979 Jerry McGee
*1978 Rod Funseth
*1977 Billy Kratzert
*1976 Rik Massengale
*1975 Don Bies
*1974 Dave Stockton
*1973 Billy Casper

Greater Hartford Open Invitational
*1972 Lee Trevino
*1971 George Archer
*1970 Bob Murphy
*1969 Bob Lunn
*1968 Billy Casper
*1967 Charlie Sifford

Insurance City Open Invitational
*1966 Art Wall
*1965 Billy Casper
*1964 Ken Venturi
*1963 Billy Casper
*1962 Bob Goalby
*1961 Billy Maxwell
*1960 Arnold Palmer
*1959 Gene Littler
*1958 Jack Burke, Jr.
*1957 Gardner Dickinson

Insurance City Open
*1956 Arnold Palmer
*1955 Sam Snead
*1954 Tommy Bolt
*1953 Bob Toski
*1952 Ted Kroll

References

External links

* [http://www.travelerschampionship.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r034 PGATOUR.com Tournament website]
* [http://www.ghjc.org Greater Hartford Jaycees website]