HARTFORD, Conn. – The Travelers Championship completed a “Major Championship Slam” this week when Patrick Reed committed to the $7.2 million tournament at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on June 20-23.
Reed defends his Masters title in Augusta, Ga., next week and joins a field that already also includes Brooks Koepka, the fourth-ranked player in the world who repeated as U.S. Open champion last year and then captured the PGA Championship, and No. 7 Francesco Molinari, who became the first Italian to snare a major championship when he won the British Open.
Reed, ranked No. 18 in the Official World Golf Ranking, will be making his eighth start at River Highlands and gives the tournament nine of the top 20 players. Others are No. 5 Justin Thomas, No. 6 Bryson DeChambeau, No. 11 Paul Casey, No. 15 Tony Finau, defending champion Bubba Watson (No. 17) and 2012 Travelers Championship winner Marc Leishman (No. 19). Watson will try to join World Golf Hall of Famer Billy Casper for most victories in tournament history (four) in June.
“Patrick is another great addition to the list of top players who already have committed,” tournament director Nathan Grube said. “Patrick adds to the world-class golf that will be on display at TPC River Highlands this summer.”
Reed is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, with other titles coming in the 2013 Wyndham Championship, the 2014 Humana Challenge and Cadillac Championship, the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and The Barclays in 2016.
Reed burst onto the PGA Tour scene in 2012, when he successfully qualified on Monday for six tournaments, including the Travelers Championship. He secured full PGA Tour status in 2013 and has been a constant ever since, with five straight appearances in the season-ending TOUR Championship, which is limited to the top 30 players on the points list. Reed participated in the 2016 Olympics and represented the United States at the Presidents Cup in 2015 and 2017 and in each of the past three Ryder Cups. His performances at those events — especially in singles competition (3-0 Ryder Cup record) — earned Reed the nickname “Captain America.”
“With a green jacket, multiple wins and memorable performances for Team USA, Patrick is one of the top stars on the PGA Tour and we’re happy that our event will once again be on his schedule,” said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers.
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