After a very entertaining week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the PGA TOUR is headed from New York to New England for the final Signature Event of the season. The Travelers Championship tees off on Thursday, June 25, and will conclude on Sunday, June 28, with all four rounds at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

Let’s start the week with a look at the format, history, and course for the Travelers Championship this week.

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The Format of the Travelers Championship

Since it is a Signature Event, this week’s tournament has a limited field of 72 golfers, who will play a no-cut format with all players set to play four rounds, barring withdrawal or disqualification.

The purse for the Signature Event is a massive $20 million, with the winner earning $3.6 million and the final Signature Event title of the season.

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The history of the tournament

The Travelers Championship is the only regular PGA TOUR stop in New England, although that could change with a re-worked schedule coming soon. The event dates back to 1952, when it began as the Insurance City Open. It was the Greater Hartford Open for several years until Travelers took over as title sponsor in 2007.

A variety of courses in the area hosted the event until 1984, when it found its home at TPC River Highlands, where it has been held each of the last 42 years. While the location has been consistent, the place in the calendar shifted several times before landing in June and taking place the week after the U.S. Open since 2007. The event moved to August in 2016 to make room for the Summer Olympics, but has been back in its traditional June slot in the calendar since 2017.

The event typically draws big crowds and is a very spectator-friendly event. After the fans were such a big part of the story at the U.S. Open as well, it will be interesting to see how the players and fans react and interact this week at TPC River Highlands.

Last year, fan favorite Keegan Bradley came back for a big win by passing Tommy Fleetwood on Sunday. Bradley claimed his second Travelers Championship, which is an especially important event to the U.S. Ryder Cup Captain due to his local ties. Bradley also won in 2023, sandwiching his two victories around a triumph by Scottie Scheffler in a playoff over Tom Kin in 2024.

There is plenty of course history to consider for most of the top players since this has been such a big event for most of the last several seasons. While Rory McIlroy won’t be playing this week, the rest of the top golfers on the PGA TOUR are ready to tee it up for what should be a great week of golf in The Constitution State.

Check out the full field and odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to see all the players teeing it up this year.

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A Closer Look at the Course

TPC River Highlands is a par-70 that remains one of the classic Pete Dye courses on the PGA TOUR rotation each year. Dye redesigned the course in the 80s before Bobby Wood modernized it into its current form. It has the typical Day risk/reward opportunities throughout the tree-lined course and requires players to decide how aggressive to be off the tee and on approach. Even though it’s one of the shortest courses, it still has enough variety and strategy to be a solid test for players across every aspect of their game.

The rough is usually tough, although not as difficult as what players face at the U.S. Open, and the green complexes are tricky with multiple tiers and levels. The winning score was -15 last season after it had been -19 or lower in four of the previous five seasons.

While there are several key sections of the course, the most iconic stretch is definitely the four finishing holes, which are the epitome of Dye’s risk/reward strategy. Holes No. 15, 16 and 17 make their way around a large lake that can result in birdies, eagles, bogeys or double-bogeys, often leading to wide variations in scoring and thrilling finishes.

Of the last 22 editions of the Travelers, 16 have been decided by a single stroke or in a playoff. If you are looking for some drama down the stretch, this tournament and course are set up for you.

Since it is a shorter track, Strokes Gained: Approach specifically from shorter ranges is important, along with Strokes Gained: Around the Green. Par 4 scoring is also key, as is almost always the case with par 70s. Since this has been a Signature Event for the last few years, most of the top players have plenty of course history to consider as well.

As you get ready for the final Signature Event of the season, be sure to get your DFS fantasy golf lineups and betting cards filled out with help from DK Network! We’ll have ongoing coverage throughout the week to help you enjoy this weekend’s tournament.