The Travelers Championship will remain a top-tier event on the PGA Tour for the considerable future.
The Tour and Travelers announced Monday that the tournament will become part of the PGA Tour Championship Series beginning in 2028. The Travelers Championship became the first official confirmed tournament to be named as part of the Championship Series or the Challenger Series.
The full Tour schedule for 2028, when the Championship Series debuts, will be announced at a later date, the Tour said in a release.
“Our goal every year is for the Travelers Championship to be one of the best tournaments on the PGA Tour, so being part of the upcoming PGA Tour Championship Series is validation of the collective effort that Travelers, the tournament team,
fans and volunteers have invested over the past two decades,” said Andy Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Travelers.
In June, at a press conference at the Travelers Championship, Tour CEO Brian Rolapp announced the Championship Series will feature the Tour’s top performers competing head-to-head across the season. There will be approximately 23-24 events, including the Players Championship, major championships, postseason events and international team events (Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup), with the Tour season running from February through August.
Asked during that press conference how the Travelers Championship might fit into the Tour’s new competitive model, Rolapp said, “This has been an extremely successful tournament by every metric. Our members love it. Travelers is an amazing partner. We obviously have an affinity for this course. … They do a wonderful job. I think they do a lot of things that we’re looking for in a Championship Series event.”
It’s no surprise that the Travelers Championship, which has been a signature event with a $20 million purse in recent years, would step up to the plate to maintain its position as one of the top tier events. Bessette had previously told Golfweek, “We support the Tour in the direction it is headed.”
The Travelers Championship has been held in Connecticut every year since 1952 and contested at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, annually since 1984. Travelers became the tournament’s title sponsor in 2007 and is the longest-serving title in the event’s history.
This year marked the fourth straight year of the tournament enjoying elevated status on the Tour schedule; it has been a signature event the past three years, and it was a designated event in 2023.
“This partnership with Travelers and with the PGA Tour has taken the tournament to incredible new heights,” said Nathan Grube, Travelers Championship tournament director. “We’re proud of the Travelers Championship, the economic impact it makes on our community and the state of Connecticut, and the hundreds of local charities that continue to benefit financially.”
With Travelers as title sponsor, the tournament has generated more than $40 million for over 1,000 charities. This year’s Travelers Championship set records, generating more than $5 million for over 270 charities. The event was won by Viktor Hovland on the first hole of a playoff.
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Travelers Championship locks in future PGA Tour status as first official Championship Series event
