Full Breakdown
Travelers Championship Joins PGA Tour Championship Series Starting 2028
7/28/2026, 2:26:52 PM
Core Event
The PGA Tour announced on Monday that the Travelers Championship will become the first confirmed tournament in the Tour’s new Championship Series, slated to launch in the 2028 season. The event, held at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, will join 14 other tournaments that sit alongside the major championships, The Players, reimagined playoff events, and the Ryder and Presidents Cups. The series will feature 120-player fields and $20 million purses, with a 36-hole cut.
Background & Context
First played in 1952 as the Insurance City Open, the tournament has been hosted at TPC River Highlands since 1984. Travelers became the title sponsor in 2007, replacing Buick, and has supported the event for four consecutive seasons as a $20 million signature tournament. The PGA Tour’s CEO Brian Rolapp outlined the Championship Series earlier this year, describing it as a season-long competition among the Tour’s top performers across roughly 23–24 events, including majors and international team competitions.
Data & Statistics
- The Championship Series will comprise 15 tournaments, each reportedly paying a $30 million title-sponsor fee (Sports Business Journal).
- The Travelers Championship carries a $20 million purse and has generated more than $40 million for over 1,000 charities since Travelers assumed sponsorship.
- In the most recent edition, the tournament raised over $5 million for 270 local charities.
- The series will feature 120-player fields and maintain the existing $20 million purse level for its events.
Official Statements & Responses
Travelers executive vice president and chief administrative officer Andy Bessette said the inclusion validates the long-term effort of the tournament’s partners, staff, and volunteers. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp praised the event’s success metrics and its alignment with the series’ criteria. Tournament director Nathan Grube highlighted the partnership’s impact on the Connecticut community and charitable contributions.
Verbatim Quotes
- “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,” — Andy Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Travelers
- “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.” — Brian Rolapp, PGA tour CEO
- “This partnership with Travelers and with the PGA Tour has taken the tournament to incredible new heights,” — Nathan Grube, Travelers Championship tournament director
- “Our goal every year is for the Travelers Championship to be one of the best tournaments on the PGA Tour,” — Andy Bessette, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Travelers
