Xander Schauffele and many other golfers are gearing up for more enjoyable times in New England this weekend. This follows their experience at Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open. The PGA Tour heads to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut for the Travelers Championship, a favorite among players.
The U.S. Open saw only three players finish under par in its third major event of the season. Contrastingly, the Travelers is known for its more generous scoring opportunities. Two years ago, Scottie Scheffler claimed victory after a playoff at 22-under, and Jim Furyk famously shot a 58 here.
Xander Schauffele holds up the Travelers Championship Trophy after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament.
(Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports)
Schauffele, who won the Travelers in 2022, expressed his excitement to Fox News Digital after practicing on Tuesday. He shared that getting away from the challenges of Shinnecock, where he finished at +2 in T11, makes the event appealing. The first tournament following the U.S. Open is truly a favorite for Schauffele, who is a two-time major winner.
The course has been adjusted, making it more challenging. Though scores in the low -20s like Keegan Bradley’s -15 win last year may not be expected, Schauffele appreciates the course’s difficulty. There’s plenty of tricky spots where you feel like you’re supposed to pick shots up and sometimes you don’t. But it is a fun course,” Schauffele commented.
If you can kind of get in the zone, you can shoot seven or eight under and there’s some days where you’ll be like, you know, even one over and you’re like, man, I feel like I’m losing all these shots.
Changes to the course, such as narrowing areas and growing the rough, have made the competition more interesting. Schauffele values a course where a mid-teens score is considered optimal for winning.
The allure of the Travelers extends beyond the course layout. Behind-the-scenes aspects contribute to its popularity among top stars. Everything from, you know, the food, to the coffee on the range, to the coffee they bring into the dining room, the food, there’s a gift when you register for your wife and yourself,” Schauffele stated. They go above and beyond to make you feel warm and almost like family when you’re on property.
The Travelers Championship kicks off on Thursday morning with Schauffele paired with Collin Morikawa, a three-time Ryder Cup teammate, at 10:55 a.m. ET.