What’s in a name?
From the Insurance City Open to the Travelers Championship, here are the many names
The Travelers Championship is returning for its 70th event and 15th under the same name.
It has been won by some of the greats in the sports’ history, such as Billy Casper (four times), Bubba Watson (three times), Arnold Palmer (twice), Phil Mickelson (twice), Lee Trevino (once) and Sam Snead (once).
With this year’s tournament, the Travelers Championship is now the longest-running name in the competition’s history. Counting 2021 there will be 15 Travelers, surpassing the 14 by the Canon Greater Hartford Open which ran from 1989 to 2002. In total there have been eight different names for the event.
Insurance City Open (1952-1966)
The first iteration of Hartford’s PGA Tour event, the Insurance City Open began as a fundraiser event for the Greater Hartford Junior Chamber of Commerce. The Jaycees, as they are known, had started a turtle race fundraiser the year prior with limited success, so they pivoted to hosting a golf tournament at the Wethersfield Country Club. Fast forward 69 years, the tournament is still a staple in professional golf.
Greater Hartford Open (1967-1972)
While some variation of this name was used for the competition for over 35 years, this moniker lasted just six years initially.
Sammy Davis, Jr. Greater Hartford Open (1973-84)
Entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. frequently performed at the event and helped it get national coverage. Davis frequently played concerts in Hartford during the tournament and helped attract fans and celebrities to the event, including President Gerald Ford and Liza Minnelli, according to the AP.
Canon Sammy Davis, Jr. Greater Hartford Open (1985-88)
Canon took up sponsorship of the event in 1985, the first name sponsor in its history. Davis was attached to the tournament until 1988, when he left the 15-year relationship because of scheduling issues.
Canon Greater Hartford Open (1989-2002)
This era of the tournament was most notable for its growth. The total prize money jumped from $700,000 to $4 million in this 14-year stretch.
Greater Hartford Open (2003)
The GHO returned for another year in 2003, when Peter Jacobsen won his second event in Hartford. This was also the first PGA Tour event that featured a woman golfer since 1945, as Suzy Whaley qualified for the event. Whaley later took over as PGA of America president in 2018 and now serves as the honorary president.
of Connecticut’s only PGA Tour stop:
Buick Championship (2004-06)
It was named the Buick Championship for just three years, the shortest amount of time for any of the eight names. Fairfield native J.J. Henry secured his first PGA Tour win with the victory in his home state in 2006.
Travelers Championship (2007-present)
Travelers has sponsored the tournament for 14 years now. In its time as the event’s patron, elite golfers have taken the title on several occasions, but it started with two golfers gunning for their first respective victories — Hunter Mahan, the winner, and Jay Williamson. Bubba Watson earned his first PGA victory at TPC River Highlands as well — a title he has won two more times. Current PGA major winners Jordan Spieth (2017) and Dustin Johnson (2020) have also won the competition.