Thomas returning to play at Travelers Championship
It has become routine for the Travelers Championship to secure some of the world’s top golfers for its June tournament during the winter months.
It just so happens that this year, the weather was warm enough on Wednesday afternoon that not only had people thinking about golf, but some out on the course playing when Travelers announced that Justin Thomas, currently the world’s fourth-ranked golfer, will be returning to play at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.
“We met Justin when he was still an amateur and have watched him become one of the most successful professional golfers in the world,” said Andy Bessette, the executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Travelers, in a statement. “We know that to have a successful tournament, we need the best players.”
Thomas, 26, has already won twice on the PGA Tour for the 2019-20 season, including the Tournament of Champions 10 days ago in Maui. He is the leader in the FedExCup standings.
Thomas played in the Travelers as an amateur in 2013 and has competed the last five years as a professional. His best finish was a tie for third in 2016 when he fired a final-round, 8under 62. He won both the PGA Championship and the FedExCup championship in 2017.
The Thomas announcement comes several days ahead of the first one for the 2019 tournament: Brooks Koepka. Two years ago, Rory McIlroy was the first announced into the 2018 field in late February.
But Thomas is actually the second player into this year’s field. McIlroy committed in late August, just days after winning the Tour Championship. McIlroy is currently ranked second in the world.
The Travelers Championship will be held June 25-28.