Mickelson commits to play in Travelers
Each year, Andy Bessette would see his friend Steve Loy “under the tree” at the Masters tournament in April.
The “tree” is a popular meeting place during Masters week at Augusta National GC. Old friendships are rekindled and business matters are also tended to. For Bessette, the chief administrative officer for Travelers, and Loy, Phil Mickelson’s longtime business partner, it was about both.
That was where Bessette found out it was possible Mickelson would return to play in the Travelers Championship. Mickelson, the only golfer to win the tournament two consecutive years, officially decided last week to come play in the event June 20-23 at TPC River Highlands.
The tournament made it public Tuesday morning.
“For many years, Steve and I would talk about getting Phil back under the tree at the Masters,” Bessette said. “(In the past), before I would say ‘Hi,’ Steve would say, ‘We are going to get him back to Hartford.’ This year, he said, ‘I think this can work this year’ and I was like, Wow, really?’ … I feel good for Phil
and all the fans of golf in the Northeast.”
Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion, had been “trying to figure out a way to come back for years,” according to Travelers tournament director Nathan Grube.
“Excited to play the @TravelersChamp again and looking forward to seeing all the great fans in Connecticut out on the course!” Mickelson tweeted after the announcement was made.
Loy was Mickelson’s college coach at Arizona State University before becoming Mickelson’s business partner and agent. Loy is currently the president of the golf division at Lagardere-Unlimited.
Mickelson, 48, won the event in both 2001 and 2002, when the event was called the Canon Greater Hartford Open. This will be Mickelson’s sixth appearance at the event, the first since
2003.
Bessette was working at Travelers back in 2003, but in St. Paul, Minn. and not involved with golf. Grube was the executive director of the First Tee of Greater Birmingham that summer. And it was the year after Canon left and the year before Buick took over title sponsorship for three years
(2004-06). Mickelson, who has won
44 PGA Tour events including five major championships, committed to play in the inaugural Travelers Championship in 2007, but he injured his wrist in preparation
for the U.S. Open the week before and was forced to withdraw.
This is the first time Mickelson is playing the week after any major championship since 2006. Bessette said the Mickelson family normally goes on vacation the week after the Open — which is being held June 13-16 at Pebble Beach Golf Links, where Mickelson has won five times, including this past February — but that vacation has been pushed back a week.
“I went to speak with Phil in the locker room (at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina),” Bessette said. “He said, ‘I’m so excited to be coming back to Hartford.’ I said, ‘The fans of Connecticut love you.’ A lot of pieces have to fall in place for a golfer to be able and want to play at the Travelers.”
Mickelson, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012, is ranked 23rd in the world. His appearance makes 13 of the world’s top 25 golfers committed to the tournament next month, including three-time major winner Brooks Koepka (No. 3), 2017 PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas (5) and reigning British Open champion Francisco Molinari (7).
“It’s by far the best field we have had,” Bessette said. “I think we will end up with 15 of the top 25.”
This is Travelers’ 13th year as title sponsor.
To purchase tickets, visit TravelersChampionship.com.