The PGA Tour closes out its Signature Event slate this week with the Travelers Championship, running June 25-28 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, with a $20 million purse. The loaded 72-player field will compete in a no-cut format, guaranteeing four rounds from the world's best. Defending champion Keegan Bradley returns looking to capture his third Travelers title after birdying the 72nd hole in 2025 to edge Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley by one stroke at 15-under 265.

Fresh off the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, many of the tour's top names make the short trip from Long Island to New England for one more week before The Open Championship looms. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is the notable absence, electing to skip the final Signature Event following his T-32 finish at the U.S. Open.

Course setup: short but sharp

TPC River Highlands is a par 70 measuring just over 6,800 yards, making it one of the shorter courses on the PGA Tour, yet it consistently produces exciting finishes and rewards a different skill set than many modern venues. The course was first opened in the 1920s before being completely redesigned by Pete Dye in 1982 and renovated in 1989 by Bobby Weed.

Don't let the yardage fool you. Precision off the tee, strong iron play, and a hot putter are often the keys to success. The course features tree-lined fairways, strategically placed bunkers, several water hazards, and relatively small greens. The key stretch comes late in the round as golfers play around a four-acre lake on holes 15-17, where tournaments are routinely decided.

Four of the last five champions have finished at 15-under par or lower, making birdie opportunities plentiful but demanding flawless execution. A large percentage of approach shots come from the 125-175 yard range, so players who excel with their short and mid-irons should create more birdie chances. Course history is stickier at TPC River Highlands than the average Tour course, rewarding those with familiarity.

Players to watch

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler enters as the betting favorite, continuing his remarkable run of consistency with eight top-five results in just 13 PGA Tour starts this season. Scheffler won at TPC River Highlands in 2024, so he brings proven course history. Though the gap between himself and the rest of the game's elite has shrunk this year, his ability to grind out strong finishes on less-than-peak form remains unmatched.

Cameron Young has well and truly shrugged off his perennial runner-up tag, winning the Players Championship and Cadillac Championship earlier in 2026. The third-ranked player in the world brings the complete package. He has always hit the ball a mile but has now realized that hitting it in the fairway is more important, and he's worked incredibly hard on his putting. His elite ball-striking and improved touch around the greens suit River Highlands perfectly.

Matt Fitzpatrick's rise and fall and return to the top again has been well documented, with his success this season something to celebrate as he's worked harder than anyone on his game. The Englishman's precision-based approach fits the tree-lined demands here. Ranked fourth in the world, Fitzpatrick's iron play and course management give him the profile to contend.

Wyndham Clark is looking to ride his momentum from the U.S. Open, where he won his second major, back into action after winning two of his last four starts including THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, and he has notched two of his best three results at the Travelers the last two seasons, including a T9 in 2024. If the putter stays hot, he's a serious threat this week.

Pool picks strategy

Just 10 players in the field rank above average in all 10 key stat categories: Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg, Sam Burns, Russell Henley, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Aaron Rai. That's your statistical foundation. But at a course where course history has proven to be one of the more predictive factors, with players who have experienced success here often continuing to contend year after year as familiarity with the sightlines, green complexes, and strategic decisions provides a meaningful advantage, don't overlook proven performers even if their current form is merely solid rather than dominant.

Stuck between players? Our player comparison tool uses real PGA Tour strokes-gained data and weights each category by what this course rewards, then names the pick with a probability score.

Make your picks

The Travelers Championship represents the final chance this season to build your Signature Event pool before the tour shifts into its summer stretch. Whether you're running a season-long pool or a one-week contest, this is prime real estate on the calendar.

Create your free Travelers pool in minutes, or log in to set up your pool with our full suite of scoring options. Our platform handles everything from invites to live scoring to automated payouts, so you can focus on the picks that matter.