The Five: Stars who got their start at Travelers Championship

CROMWELL, Conn. – Michael Thorbjornsen will not feel the typical rookie blues this week at the TPC River Highlands because, while he’s making his pro debut after finishing No. 1 in PGA TOUR University, it’s not his TOUR debut nor his first Travelers Championship.

Thorbjornsen memorably finished fourth at the Travelers in 2022, shooting 66-66 on the weekend to vault up the leaderboard and finish four strokes back of winner Xander Schauffele. It was a convincing declaration by Throbjornsen that his talent – which helped him win a Drive, Chip & Putt title at Augusta National and the U.S. Junior – would translate to the highest level once he finally got there.

That time is now, and he’s not the first golfer who counts the Travelers as a major milestone in their rise to TOUR stardom. Nearly every year, Travelers extends at least one sponsor exemption to a stud collegiate player or an up-and-coming pro – many of whom have gone on to be successful PGA TOUR players, winning majors, THE PLAYERS Championship and FedExCups.

The Travelers has played a significant part in the early days of stars’ careers. Here are five top players in the field this week who got their start (or close to it) at the Travelers.

Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa

The 2019 Travelers is the best example of the youth movement coming to Cromwell. Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff and Justin Suh all played the event in their first summer as professionals. Hovland and Wolff made their pro debuts, while Morikawa and Suh had a few starts under their belts.

“I feel comfortable when I'm on the course. I don't feel as comfortable off the course,” Hovland said in his introductory press conference.

Oh, how much has changed since that debut. Hovland finished T54 that week and admitted he was still getting comfortable with TOUR life and all that it entailed. It was a valuable week, though, setting Hovland up for a successful summer. He made four more starts that season, finishing T13-T13-T16, and claimed a solo fourth at the Wyndham Championship, the best result of his young career. Hovland won the Puerto Rico Open the following year to fully secure his TOUR card.

It was a similar story for Morikawa, who finished T36 at the Travelers and immediately finished runner-up to Wolff at the 3M Open. He finished T4 at the John Deere Classic the following week and won the Barracuda Championship later that month.

Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay made his first non-major start on the PGA TOUR at the 2011 Travelers, and it was a historic one.

Cantlay shot 60 in the second round at TPC River Highlands, marking the first time an amateur shot 60 in a TOUR event. Cantlay held that record alone until earlier this year when Nick Dunlap matched it with a 60 in the third round of The American Express.

Cantlay didn’t parlay his 60 into a victory like Dunlap, but it was the first inclination of Cantlay's talent. He finished T24, shooting 72-70 on the weekend, then added a T20 and T9 in his final two starts of the summer.

“I'll just remember the whole experience,” Cantlay said after his final round in 2011. “I can't really name one thing. But you know, I'm just going to -- it inspires me to work harder and that my game is good enough. And you know, if I can learn more and get myself in that position more, I can only do better.”

Cantlay returned to UCLA for his sophomore season and turned pro the following summer. His first pro start? A missed cut at the Travelers. Cantlay will make his seventh consecutive start at the event this week. He finished a career-best T4 last year.

Wyndham Clark

Unlike some others, Clark did not make any starts on the PGA TOUR or any of its sanctioned tours as an amateur. So when he rolled up to the 2017 Travelers, everything was new.

The first two years of Clark’s pro career were an adjustment and his appearance at TPC River Highlands was no different. He shot 78-74 to miss the cut. He missed six of eight TOUR cuts in his first two years as a pro.

“You know, my first few starts there definitely was (pressure),” Clark said at the 2017 Sanderson Farms Championship, where he finished 17th, his best result up to that point. “I felt pressure to play well and try to earn my status that way. But honestly, this event is really to get me ready for Q-School, which is next week. I'm using it as just a great testing ground and practice tournament to get ready for Q-School.”

Clark parlayed that form into a T23 at Q-School presented by Korn Ferry, earning status on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2018. He played well there and earned TOUR membership for the 2018-19 season. He hasn’t lost his card since.

It’s a reminder that success is not linear, and though Clark was a standout collegiate player, it did not translate as quickly as it did for Hovland, Morikawa, Cantlay and others. Even once he joined the TOUR, it took several years before he became the player he is now.

Rickie Fowler

You can add Fowler to the list of pros who got their feet wet at the Travelers and went on to find success quickly afterward. Fowler missed the cut at 2009 Travelers, notable for it being his final event as an amateur. Then, in his first pro start a few months later, Fowler finished T7 at the Shriner’s Children’s Open and followed it with a runner-up finish at the Fortinet Championship, losing in a playoff to Jamie Lovemark.

It was a quick rise for the mop-headed fan favorite and Fowler cited his experience at Travelers and other events as an amateur to his fast rise once he turned pro.

“I knew I could play out here,” he said at the Fortinet.

Fowler’s career took off quickly. He was on the TOUR full-time in 2010 and finished runner-up twice.