McIlroy commits to play at Travelers

The Travelers Championship announced Friday morning that Rory McIlroy, the world’s thirdranked golfer, will be playing in the Travelers Championship in June.

The news was first reported by Brian Wacker from Golf Digest early Friday morning.

This is the first time McIlroy, 27, will play in the Travelers. He has won four major championships, including two PGA Championships.

“I’m delighted that the Travelers Championship is part of my schedule this year. It’ll be such a great experience,” McIlroy said in a statement. “The course should really set up well for my game and I’m really looking forward to teeing it up there in June against

FROM PAGE 1 some of the (PGA) Tour’s best players.”

Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube said the first time he had an inkling that McIlroy may be interested in coming was last spring at the Players Championship.

McIlroy is the highest ranked player at the time of his commitment the Travelers has had since taking over title sponsorship in 2007.

“I’m incredibly excited,” Grube said. “We’ve been talking to (McIlroy’s agent) enough the last six, seven, eight months. Going back to June gave us a chance (to get him). We’re thrilled to see it come together.”

The Travelers was held in the first week of August last year when the entire PGA Tour summer schedule was altered due to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Grube and Andy Bessette, the tournament’s executive vice president and chief administrative officer, were at the Honda Classic this week on their first recruiting trip of the calendar year. McIlroy isn’t playing this weekend — he withdrew with a rib fracture back in January — but the duo had a feeling before they left Florida that McIlroy would soon be committing.

“We had a sense talking to his agent in the last week or so that stuff was brewing and this was likely to happen,” Bessette aid. “I think in the next 30-45 days, this will attract other players who have not been here before (to commit) or who want to come back.”

McIlroy has been at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell before — site of the Travelers Championship during August of 2011. He used the practice facilities while in town for the Connecticut Open tennis tournament and before heading down to the Barclays, the first leg of the FedExCup playoffs.

“Rory is a very smart guy,” Bessette said. “He’s done his homework and studied the course intently. He believes he can score well on this course.”

McIlroy is scheduled to return to the PGA Tour at next week’s WGC-Mexico Championship.

NG HAN GUAN - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2016 file photo, Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits a tee shot during the WGC-HSBC Champions golf tournament at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China. McIlroy is targeting the Mexico Championship in March...