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Xander Schauffele, along with dozens of others, is about to have a lot more fun this coming weekend in New England than he did last time in the Hamptons.
After the run that is Shinnecock Hills to the US Open, the PGA Tour stops at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, for a player favorite in the signature championship, the Travelers Championship.
Only three players finished under par in the third major of the golf season, but the Travelers, almost notoriously, are the opposite. Two years ago, Scottie Scheffler’s win was at 22 under after a playoff, and that’s where Jim Furyk shot his 58.
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Xander Schauffele holds the Travelers Championship Trophy after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament. (Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports)
“I didn’t even mind the rain today, to be honest,” Schauffele, the 2022 Travelers winner, told Pakinomist Digital after practicing Tuesday.
Sure, some of that is probably due to simply getting away from Shinnecock (Schauffele’s +2 was good to finish T11). But everything about the first event to follow the US Open is what makes it a favorite among the two-time major winner.
Don’t expect scores in the minus-20s this weekend (Keegan Bradley won at -15 last year) as the course has gotten a bit tougher. A 58 may not be in the cards either.
But that’s exactly how Schauffele likes it.
Xander Schauffele plays his shot from the third tee during the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship golf tournament in Memphis, Tenn., on August 7, 2025. (Steve Roberts/Imagn Images)
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“There’s a lot of tricky spots where you feel like you have to make shots and sometimes you don’t. But it’s a fun course,” Schauffele said. “If you can kind of get in the zone, you can shoot seven or eight under and there’s some days where you’ll be like, you know, even one over and you’re like, man, I feel like I’m dropping all these shots.
“So I think the changes to the track have been big, narrowing down certain spots, growing some rough in certain spots. So definitely I think we’re enjoying, you know, kind of a mid-teens victory.”
It’s not just the layout of the course, but the behind-the-scenes aspects of the event that keep the Tour’s top stars coming back for more.
Xander Schauffele watches Aldrich Potgieter chip onto the green at the ninth hole during the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 8, 2025. (IMAGN Syndication: The Commercial Appeal)
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“Everything from, you know, the food, to the coffee on the course, to the coffee they bring into the dining room, the food that’s a gift when you sign up your wife and yourself,” Schauffele said, “they go above and beyond to just make you feel warm and almost like family when you’re on property.”
The Travelers kick off Thursday morning, and Schauffele will be paired with three-time Ryder Cup teammate Collin Morikawa at 10:55 a.m. ET.
