Some of the world's best golfers are heading to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship. Round 1 starts Thursday at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.
As golfers take to the green, Cromwell is gearing up for a steady stream of visitors.
Town Planning and Development Director Stuart Popper said the municipality doesn’t keep track of how many people visit the town, dine in restaurants and stay at local hotels. But, the impact is palpable.
“Everybody hears about Cromwell the whole time; it's on TV, and it gives us a great recognition event,” Popper said. “It's a lovely asset to our community, the course. The TPC Players Club, the facilities are all a benefit to the town.”
Many fans were in Cromwell Wednesday for the Travelers Championship Pro-Am, a golf event featuring celebrities.
While Cromwell’s hotels and inns are booked up, he said day trippers stop by in an economic ripple effect felt throughout the area.
“It's not like a convention where everybody's staying in one hotel, or in a giant convention center. It's more of a thing where people come to town, they go to the event, they eat and drink at the event, they attend the event,” Popper said. “They might go out and have dinner in Cromwell. They might come here and have breakfast before they go for the day.”
Here are other things to know about the tournament and the PGA:
About the tournament
Round 1 starts June 22. The total purse is up to $20 million; the winner will earn $3.6 million.
Learn more about how to get to the tournament and parking options.
Buy tickets here.
Many of the world's top golf players will be participating. Read bios here.
About the course
TPC River Highlands is a par 70, 6,841-yard course in Cromwell, 10 miles south of Hartford.
"The course is a well-balanced golf test with a mixture of long and short holes," the championship website says. "The most notable stretch is Nos. 15-17 which play around a four-acre lake. When you include the home hole, the four-hole collection is, according to Stewart Cink, 'four of the most exciting finishing holes in a group anywhere in the world.'"
Learn about the holes here.
Where to watch on TV/streaming
TV:
June 22, June 23: 3 p.m. Golf Channel
June 24, June 25: 1 p.m. Golf Channel; 3 p.m. CBS
Streaming:
June 22-25: PGA Tour on ESPN+
About the sponsorship
The tournament is sponsored by insurance giant Travelers, which is the lead sponsor of the event through 2030.
PGA merger with LIV raises questions
The golf championship is also drawing attention as the PGA tour recently merged with Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin called on the Saudi Public Investment Fund leaders to discuss the country’s involvement in the professional golf merger.
“Our goal is to uncover the facts about what went into the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and what the Saudi takeover means for the future of this cherished American institution and our national interest,” Blumenthal said in a statement.
Blumenthal and Johnson asked Saudi and PGA leaders to attend a hearing planned for mid-July.
The hearing will look at the planned agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian government and the future of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf in the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
