Fantasy Golf: 2008 Travelers Championship

June 16, 2008 10:00am CDT

The 2008 Travelers Championship
TPC River Highlands @ Cromwell, Connecticut
- Dates: Thursday, June 19 – Sunday, June 22
- FedEx Cup Points: 25,000
- 2008 Purse: $6,000,000 ($1,080,000 Winning Share)

TV Schedule
First Round – Thursday, June 19 – Golf Channel 3-6pm EST
Second Round - Friday, June 20 – Golf Channel 3-6pm EST
Third Round – Saturday, June 21 – CBS, 3-6pm EST
Final Round – Sunday, June 22 – CBS, 3-6pm EST


The Course

TPC River Highlands
Course Par Value: 70
Course Yardage: 6,820

Designed by the renowned Bobby Weed and the PGA Tour Design Service, along with the guidance of professional golfers Howard Twitty and Roger Maltbie, River Highlands is consistently rated as the best golf course in the New England area. The tees set for the professionals bring a smaller layout (just 6,841 yards) into a challenging test of overall golf skills.

The Tour has consistently targeted this course as a venue of choice during the warmer summer months, attempting to give the loyal sports fans of the greater northeast a PGA event to be proud of. The use of native Pennway Bentgrass is the trademark feature that runs throughout while natural waste areas lace the course as obstacles. There is water to be found, but not nearly as much as you will find on the courses of the south. The wind can be difficult to overcome as any physical feature on the course while the greens, undulated and sloped to test the best putters on the Tour, could be the deciding factor between success and failure.

Hole 4 (Par 4, 460 yds): One of the two most challenging holes on the course, the #4 can be made that much more difficult with strong winds. It's as dry as a bone with no water to be found, but sand traps line both sides of the landing area for tee shots as a bunker trapped in the middle left of the fairway that is just 311 yards from the TPC tees. Play it safe, but that forces an incredibly difficult iron shot to get on the green and have a shot at birdie. The precision required to get in position for such a reward is daunting, finished with a severely sloped green that moves from back to front.

Hole 10 (Par 4, 462 yds): This is one of two holes golfers fear on this course, for the risk-vs-reward offered can be so tempting yet so damaging to a round of golf. The fairway is lined with tremendous trees along the left side of the landing area, forcing the professionals to push right to optimize the view looking towards the dance floor. A strong drive leaves 175 yards towards an elevated green that is as tight as any on the Tour, and the slope will slide those shots misplaced left or right off the surface. More often than not, golfers will have to one-putt just to make par, and you can bet the television folks will be discussing the efforts to get "up-and-down" all week long.

Hole 13 (Par 5, 523 yds): This par 5 is short and it would stand to reason that more than a few strokes can be saved throughout the tourney at #13, and this is true. It can be more so if the prevailing wind is to your back on the tee box. However, the challenge comes ahead where pin placements on a green that can push just about any shot to less-than-desirable locations can be frustrating. The slopes are severe on this green, pushing everything towards the adjoining water hazard. Golfers can play cautious and aim right of the pond, providing a quality chip shot against a slope towards the flag.

Hole 17 (Par 4, 420 yds): Hopes of gaining par on this hole become the emotion of choice down the back stretch. Push the ball right and you're in the water. Choose to play cautious and aim left and you can end up in a fairway bunker or, worse yet, on a sidehill. The water is ominous and will eat more than a few errant shots over the week, an effort that is made much more difficult by difficult mounds that will carom mishits towards the drink. During the tournament, the locals will congregate at this very spot to cheer balls that fail to avoid getting wet. They should be forced to play the hole so they can see how maddening it can be.


2007 Review

~ 2007 Results
PLACE PLAYER FINAL
1 Hunter Mahan -15 (265)
2 Jay Williamson -15 (265)
3 Nick O'Hern -11 (269)
4 Vijay Singh -10 (270)
5 Fred Funk -9 (271)
T6 Bo Van Pelt -8 (272)
T6 Tom Lehman -8 (272)
T6 David Toms -8 (272)
T9 B.J. Staten -7 (273)
T9 Kevin Na -7 (273)
T9 Justin Rose -7 (273)
T9 Billy Mayfair -7 (273)
T13 J.J. Henry -6 (274)
T13 Steve Marino -6 (274)


2006 Review

*** In 2006, the Booz Allen Classic was held during this week of the schedule, played at TPC at Avenel. Instead, we will use the following week's tourney, then known as the Buick Championship, played at this same venue, TPC at River Highlands. ***

~ 2006 Results
PLACE PLAYER FINAL
1 J.J. Henry -14 (266)
T2 Hunter Mahan -11 (269)
T2 Ryan Moore -11 (269)
4 Nathan Green -9 (271)
T5 Woody Austin -7 (273)
T5 Shigeki Maruyama -7 (273)
T5 Stewart Cink -7 (273)
T5 Bubba Dickerson -7 (273)
T9 Skip Kendall -6 (274)
T9 Steve Flesch -6 (274)
T9 Peter Lonard -6 (274)
T9 David McKenzie -6 (274)
T9 Nick Watney -6 (274)
T9 Notah Begay III -6 (274)
T9 Joe Ogilvie -6 (274)


The Field

The tourney that follows the U.S. Open is forced into a position many sponsors might find frustrating. Many of the top players are going to take a pass and will be missing from the field. It is an unavoidable reality of the situation, and that same emotion is going to show in the audience as well. Many of the fans are coming off a week where long hours have been dedicated to watching golf, and a field viewed as lackluster mixed with the need for a break will result in a smaller audience.

However, there are benefits to the position in the schedule. The PGA values this tourney and the title sponsor that commits to that week. This portion of the PGA schedule has been the most volatile over recent campaigns. Sponsors have come and gone, venues have been changes, and the task of getting these weeks between the U.S. Open and the Open Championship settled has been a challenge (thus the long procession of commercial time for Travelers during last week's U.S. Open). For those commitments, the PGA goes out of their way to insure top venues are available to host, to encourage top competitors to hit the field, and to reward those dedicated golf fans and supporters with top-shelf entertainment.

These tourneys also benefit from the desires of the international constituents. Many of those golfers who come from overseas will harbor a desire to make an extended stay on the PGA. Coming for the U.S. Open will start a string of attendance that gives these golfers a chance to earn FedEx points, financial rewards, and to work for PGA status in the years ahead.

As a result, this year's field at the Travelers is much more competitive than you might have guessed. Top names committed to the tourney include Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard, Stuart Appleby, and Justin Rose. Other names of note include Chad Campbell, Kenny Perry, Vaughn Taylor, D.J. Trahan, Rocco Mediate, Zach Johnson, David Toms, Johnson Wagner, Arron Oberholser (attempting to get back into health and earn his status for next season), Peter Lonard, Nick Watney, J.B. Holmes, Steve Elkington, Jeff Quinney, Jerry Kelly, Nathan Green, Dudley Hart, Pat Perez, and the defending champion Hunter Mahan.

Enjoy.

To view the entire field:
http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r034/field.html