Travelers Championship Has Elite Field Featuring McIlroy, Spieth, Day

The PGA Tour Travelers Championship got underway today at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut, where Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth will compete "for the first time." Jason Day "returns for the first time in three years, giving the tournament three players ranked in the top half-dozen in the world." The field could be helped by the PGA Tour last year instituting a rule that "players who don't play a minimum of 25 tournaments each season must compete in at least one event that they haven't played during the previous four seasons." As much as the players "need a less stressful week after the year's second major," the Travelers "needs the shot in the arm they provide for everything from ticket sales to television ratings to sponsor interest" (ESPN.com, 6/21).