JT Time? Three Players to Watch at the Travelers Championship

CROMWELL, Conn. — Admittedly, I’m a little biased when it comes to the Travelers Championship, but it’s one of the best weeks of the year. The New England crowd comes out in droves, the players adore the tournament, and the annual birdie-fest is a nice pallet cleanser after a brutal week at the U.S. Open.

Rory McIlroy decided to stay at home instead of making the trip up to Cromwell, Connecticut, but the rest of the PGA TOUR’s best are on property. World No. 1 and 2024 champion Scottie Scheffler highlights the tee sheet, and he’ll be joined by Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Aberg, Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, and Jordan Spieth, among others.

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TPC River Highlands checks in as a par 70, measuring just 6,844 yards. This week on the women’s side, they’ll play Hazeltine at 6,807 yards for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. As I said earlier, if you’re a fan of birdies and rounds that threaten 59, this is the week for you.

Now, let’s go over three players I’ll be keeping my eye on at the Travelers Championship.

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Last year, Fleetwood had his heart ripped out at this tournament. But with a TOUR win under his belt this time around, I could see him seeking some revenge.

Since missing the cut at the PGA Championship, he’s tied for fourth at the Memorial and for 11th at both the RBC Canadian Open and U.S. Open.

On top of his silver medal at last year’s Travelers, he finished 15th in 2024.

JT enters the week with five straight top-20 finishes, he just hasn’t been able to string four rounds together. But if he can do it anywhere, it’s at River Highlands.

Since missing the cut here in 2020, he’s rattled off finishes of T-9 (2023), T-4 (2024), and T-9 (2025).

If the putter behaves, I like his chances.

Morikawa is finally starting to look healthier after his back injury at THE PLAYERS. He’s coming off a top-20 finish at the U.S. Open, and returns to Cromwell a few years removed from tying for 13th in 2024.

At this golf course, his lack of distance off the tee won’t hurt him at all. Plus, with it being a birdie fest, Morikawa can lean on his stellar iron play—he’s ranked second on TOUR this season in Strokes Gained: Approach.