Story perspectives

Travelers Championship Launches June 25, $20 M Purse, No Cut

6/23/2026

Summary

Travelers Championship Begins

The 2026 Travelers Championship opens Thursday June 25 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
The event offers a $20 million purse with $3.6 million awarded to the winner.
The 72-player field includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and two-time Travelers champion Keegan Bradley, while Rory McIlroy skips the event.
TPC River Highlands plays as a par 70 over 6,844 yards, the shortest PGA Tour venue in 2026, and offers no cut.

Summary

SportsLine Predicts

SportsLine's model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulated the Travelers Championship 10,000 times.
The system has correctly predicted 17 major winners, including three in 2025 and the 2026 Masters.
It flags Cameron Young (+2200) as a likely top-10 miss, advising bettors to fade him.
Justin Thomas appears as a top-5 contender at +2700 while the model also points to a 35-1 long-shot as a high-payoff pick.

History

Historical Context

In 2005 the PGA Tour lifted the Players Championship purse to $8 million, up from earlier amounts and matching the $6.5 million prize at that year’s PGA Championship. The rise continued, with the PGA Championship offering $11 million in 2018 and the FedEx Cup Tour Championship slated for a $40 million purse in 2025, signaling golf’s shift toward high-stakes events.

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Travelers Championship Begins

The 2026 Travelers Championship opens Thursday June 25 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
The event offers a $20 million purse with $3.6 million awarded to the winner.
The 72-player field includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and two-time Travelers champion Keegan Bradley, while Rory McIlroy skips the event.
TPC River Highlands plays as a par 70 over 6,844 yards, the shortest PGA Tour venue in 2026, and offers no cut.

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