Travelers Championship 2017: 5 groups to watch in Rounds 1 & 2
By Luke Norris
3. Marc Leishman, Russell Knox, Bubba Watson
Round 1: 1st tee, 12:50 p.m.
Round 2: 10th tee, 7:50 a.m.
It’s hard not to include a group featuring three former Travelers Championship winners and that’s exactly what he have here. Defending champion Russell Knox, who ended 2016 as the 18th-ranked player in the world and now sits at No. 41, is looking to right the ship after somewhat of a rough 2017. He started the year well, with top 20s at both Hawaii tournaments, but outside of a tie for 11th at the RBC Heritage, he hasn’t played very well. He’s missed the cut in half the tournaments he’s entered this year, including The Masters and U.S. Open, so a week back at TPC River Highlands might do him some good.
Bubba Watson has fond memories of the Travelers Championship. He won his very first PGA TOUR event here in 2010 and took home the title again in 2015, both wins coming in playoffs and both coming on the second playoff hole. He defeated Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank seven years ago and outlasted Paul Casey for his eighth TOUR win. Watson shot an opening-round 62 that week so he certainly knows how to go low here. He’s had an up-and-down couple of months, missing the cut at The Masters, then finishing tied for 26th at the Shenzhen International on the European Tour and followed that up by missing the cut at THE PLAYERS. He came back with a nice T-6 at the Memorial but then missed the cut at Erin Hills by three shots after rounds of 73 and 75.
2012 Travelers champ Marc Leishman is having a very productive 2017. The 2009 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year finally picked up his second win earlier this season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and has made the cut in 12 of the 14 tournaments he’s entered and has finished in the top 30 in nine of those events, including a tie for 27th at the U.S. Open.