Tour gets back to business at Travelers
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2007 Travelers Championship | Preview | 20 Jun 2007
The USPGA Tour gets back to some sort of normality this week when the Travelers Championship is played at the TPC River Highlands just outside of Hartford and for those who endured the rigours of Oakmont last week, and who are playing here this week, it will seem like a snack. Not that this golf course is a walkover by any stretch of the imagination but after last week, any golf course would seem like a walk in the park.
The tournament has been renamed once again having previously been known as the Buick Championship for the last three years and by several other variations of the Greater Hartford Open since it was first played back in 1952. The TPC River Highlands was originally designed in 1928 but in 1998 Bobby Weed and Peter Dye upgraded it to its current status. It has a closing stretch of holes that captivates golfing audiences. The reachable par four 15th, the par three 16th across water, the demanding tee shot at the 17th and then a relatively straight forward par four to finish. The 15th is a fine example of a short par four – full of opportunity but on the other hand full of danger.
The field is headed by Vijay Singh who is playing the event for just the third time in twelve years. His 20th place last week at Oakmont was good enough and he will be a deserving favourite.
Justin Rose gets a great opportunity this week to win his first USPGA Tour event. Rose finished third in this event two years ago and was very much in the hunt last week at Oakmont. Despite a recent back injury he is clearly fit enough to have done as well as he did when 5th last week. He has put together some brilliant rounds on this golf course and with the added experience behind him he looks very good.
David Toms was very good last week and although he has not played this event since 1999 he is in such good form at present and is a real chance to improve on his rather ordinary record on this golf course.
Ryan Moore finished runner up in this event last year after he had hit his tee shot into the water at the 16th when in a position to win. He finished runner up at the Memorial three weeks ago and now it would seem well and truly over his injury worries, he is on the verge of a huge PGA Tour career. If that is the case then he should do well again this week.
Zach Johnson has won two events in his last seven starts. After withdrawing from the Memorial with illness he returned to play the US Open and did neither good nor bad when 45th. He did finish third in this event in his rookie PGA Tour season and is clearly a much more credentialed player now.
One player who often plays well at this venue and who is playing well enough for that record to continue, is Tim Herron. Herron did not play the US Open and that might be of benefit as he enters this event fresh and ready to go. He finished runner up to Woody Austin in 2004 but there have been many other solid weeks at the TPC River Highlands.
The Australians are strong numerically with fourteen in the field. Perhaps Nick O’Hern can do the best of them having played this event for the first time last year and finishing 31st. He had a reasonable week last week at the Open while Stuart Appleby also played well in stretches at Oakmont. Appleby has seldom played this event but has made the cut when he has.
Other Australasians in the field include Rod Pampling.
