The Travelers Championship
This stoke play tournament was created in 1952 and originally called the Insurance City Open. In 1967 it was renamed the Greater Hartford Open until 2004, when it was renamed to the Buick Championship. However in 2007, Travelers Companies took over as title sponsor therefore renaming it the Travelers Championship.
For the first thirty years of competition, the tournament was held at Wethersfield Country Club in Wethersfield, CT. In the early 1980’s the PGA Tour bought Edgewood Country Club in Cromwell, CT. Once they finished all the renovations for the course, the championship was moved over to Cromwell at now what is the called the TPC at River Highlands.
Initially this tournament was featured in late August until 2005 when the announcement came for newly created Fed Ex Cup series. Since then, the championship is played in late June, always the week after the US Open.
The current purse for the championship is set a $6.1 million with the champion taking home $1.09 million and 500 Fed Ex Cup points.
NOTABLE RECORDS:
- Tournament record: 258 – Kenny Perry, 2009 (TPC River Highlands)
- Wethersfield CC 18 hole Record: 60, Tommy Bolt, 1954 (Wethersfield CC)
- TPC at River Highlands: 61 – Kirk Triplett, 2000
- Most Wins: Billy Casper (4)
DID YOU KNOW?
- For 15 years, the tournament was called the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open. To this day it is still unclear why it was called that. According to biographical records, Davis Jr. has no ties to Hartford or the state of Connecticut in general.
- This championship was Arnold Palmer’s first PGA US Based Tour win (1956)
- Phil Mickelson is the only person to win the championship back to back years. (2001-2002)
Winners
| Year | Player | Score | To par | First Prize | Purse ($) |
| Travelers Championship | |||||
| 2013 | Ken Duke | 268 | –12 | 1,098,000 | 6,100,000 |
| 2012 | Marc Leishman | 266 | –14 | 1,080,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 2011 | Fredrik Jacobson | 260 | –20 | 1,080,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 2010 | Bubba Watson | 266 | –14 | 1,080,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 2009 | Kenny Perry | 258 | –22 | 1,080,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 2008 | Stewart Cink | 262 | –18 | 1,080,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 2007 | Hunter Mahan | 265 | –15 | 1,080,000 | 6,000,000 |
| Buick Championship | |||||
| 2006 | J. J. Henry | 266 | –14 | 792,000 | 4,400,000 |
| 2005 | Brad Faxon | 266 | –14 | 774,000 | 4,300,000 |
| 2004 | Woody Austin | 270 | –10 | 756,000 | 4,200,000 |
| Greater Hartford Open | |||||
| 2003 | Peter Jacobsen | 266 | –14 | 720,000 | 4,000,000 |
| Canon Greater Hartford Open | |||||
| 2002 | Phil Mickelson | 266 | –14 | 720,000 | 4,000,000 |
| 2001 | Phil Mickelson | 264 | –16 | 558,000 | 3,100,000 |
| 2000 | Notah Begay III | 260 | –20 | 504,000 | 2,800,000 |
| 1999 | Brent Geiberger | 262 | –18 | 450,000 | 2,500,000 |
| 1998 | Olin Browne | 266 | –14 | 360,000 | 2,000,000 |
| 1997 | Stewart Cink | 267 | –13 | 270,000 | 1,500,000 |
| 1996 | D. A. Weibring | 270 | –10 | 270,000 | 1,500,000 |
| 1995 | Greg Norman | 267 | –13 | 216,000 | 1,200,000 |
| 1994 | David Frost | 268 | –12 | 216,000 | 1,200,000 |
| 1993 | Nick Price | 271 | –9 | 180,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 1992 | Lanny Wadkins | 274 | –6 | 180,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 1991 | Billy Ray Brown | 271 | –9 | 180,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 1990 | Wayne Levi | 267 | –13 | 180,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 1989 | Paul Azinger | 267 | –17 | 180,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | |||||
| 1988 | Mark Brooks | 269 | –15 | 126,000 | 700,000 |
| 1987 | Paul Azinger | 269 | –15 | 126,000 | 700,000 |
| 1986 | Mac O’Grady | 269 | –15 | 126,000 | 700,000 |
| 1985 | Phil Blackmar | 271 | –13 | 108,000 | 600,000 |
| Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | |||||
| 1984 | Peter Jacobsen | 269 | –15 | 72,000 | 400,000 |
| 1983 | Curtis Strange | 268 | –16 | 54,000 | 300,000 |
| 1982 | Tim Norris | 259 | –25 | 54,000 | 300,000 |
| 1981 | Hubert Green | 264 | –20 | 54,000 | 300,000 |
| 1980 | Howard Twitty | 266 | –18 | 54,000 | 300,000 |
| 1979 | Jerry McGee | 267 | –17 | 54,000 | 300,000 |
| 1978 | Rod Funseth | 264 | –20 | 42,000 | 210,000 |
| 1977 | Billy Kratzert | 265 | –19 | 42,000 | 210,000 |
| 1976 | Rik Massengale | 266 | –18 | 42,000 | 210,000 |
| 1975 | Don Bies | 267 | –17 | 40,000 | 200,000 |
| 1974 | Dave Stockton | 268 | –12 | 40,000 | 200,000 |
| 1973 | Billy Casper | 264 | –20 | 40,000 | 200,000 |
| Greater Hartford Open Invitational | |||||
| 1972 | Lee Trevino | 269 | –15 | 25,000 | 125,000 |
| 1971 | George Archer | 268 | –16 | 22,000 | 110,000 |
| 1970 | Bob Murphy | 267 | –17 | 20,000 | 100,000 |
| 1969 | Bob Lunn | 268 | –16 | 20,000 | 100,000 |
| 1968 | Billy Casper | 266 | –18 | 20,000 | 100,000 |
| 1967 | Charlie Sifford | 272 | –12 | 20,000 | 100,000 |
| Insurance City Open Invitational | |||||
| 1966 | Art Wall, Jr. | 266 | –18 | 20,000 | 100,000 |
| 1965 | Billy Casper | 274 | –10 | 11,000 | 70,000 |
| 1964 | Ken Venturi | 273 | –11 | 7,500 | 50,000 |
| 1963 | Billy Casper | 271 | –13 | 6,400 | 40,000 |
| 1962 | Bob Goalby | 271 | –13 | 5,300 | 35,000 |
| 1961 | Billy Maxwell | 271 | –13 | 4,300 | 30,000 |
| 1960 | Arnold Palmer | 270 | –14 | 3,500 | 30,000 |
| 1959 | Gene Littler | 272 | –12 | 3,500 | 25,000 |
| 1958 | Jack Burke, Jr. | 268 | –16 | 3,500 | 25,000 |
| 1957 | Gardner Dickinson | 272 | –12 | 2,800 | 22,000 |
| Insurance City Open | |||||
| 1956 | Arnold Palmer | 274 | –10 | 4,000 | 20,000 |
| 1955 | Sam Snead | 269 | –15 | 4,000 | 20,000 |
| 1954 | Tommy Bolt | 271 | –13 | 2,500 | 15,000 |
| 1953 | Bob Toski | 269 | –15 | 2,400 | 15,000 |
| 1952 | Ted Kroll | 273 | –11 | 2,400 | 15,000 |