Travelers Championship Named 2017 “Tournament of the Year”
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., Dec. 8, 2017 – The 2017 Travelers Championship was honored Thursday night by the PGA TOUR at the TOUR’s Tournament Meetings, winning the prestigious “Tournament of the Year” award. The Travelers Championship also won awards for “Most Fan-Friendly Event,” “Best Sales” and the inaugural “Players Choice.”
“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I am pleased to congratulate the Travelers Championship for being named the best among its peers on TOUR,” said Andy Pazder, the PGA TOUR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer. “The tournament team worked tirelessly with its title sponsor on new and innovative ways of improving the tournament experience, and this award is a testament to that.”
With record attendance, sales and fan engagement, the 2017 Travelers Championship raised the bar across the board through a strategic approach that focused on providing a first-class experience for fans, players, sponsors, volunteers and charity. This marks the first time that the Travelers Championship has been recognized as “Tournament of the Year.”
“We are incredibly honored and humbled to be named ‘Tournament of the Year,’ which reflects the selfless work by our volunteers and the support of the TOUR, its players, our sponsors and fans,” said Travelers Championship Tournament Director Nathan Grube. “What took place at TPC River Highlands this year will go down as one of the most exciting in tournament history. We’d like to congratulate all the other tournaments that helped make the PGA TOUR season so unforgettable.”
“We work hard on making sure everyone who attends or participates in our event has a world-class experience, so no detail toward that goal is too small,” said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers. “We are proud to associate our brand with the PGA TOUR and this event, and are honored by this tremendous recognition. The best part is that any success we have means more money and attention raised for so many local charities that partner with the tournament.”
This year’s Travelers Championship was won in dramatic fashion by Jordan Spieth, who holed out from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole to beat Daniel Berger on the first playoff hole.
As the “Most Fan-Friendly Event,” the tournament provided options for everyone, including affordable access, more than 18 food and beverage locations, fan and kid zones and public on-site concerts. The tournament increased fan engagement by 441 percent through creative video and dynamic content, and following Spieth’s thrilling hole-out to win, the tournament handle trended on Twitter for nearly four hours and the video reached YouTube’s front page within 24 hours.
The tournament continued to enhance the player and caddie experience, providing a complimentary charter flight from the preceding event, healthy food options and a variety of special features including caddie appreciation day, a performance by Kevin Nealon and multiple off-site events. To determine the new “Players Choice” category, TOUR players were asked to vote for one event based on tournament services, hospitality, player and family amenities, community support and attendance.
At the heart and soul of the tournament is its volunteers and charity. With approximately 4,000 volunteers working over 80,000 hours, the 2017 event generated more than $1.7 million for 165 deserving charities.
Through a collaborative approach with the PGA TOUR, the Travelers Championship has developed long-range planning goals and implemented software and programs that have resulted in a significant increase in sales, returning sponsor investment and admissions, year-over-year. For its efforts, the Travelers Championship was recognized with the “Best Sales” award in 2017.
The 2018 Travelers Championship will be held June 18-24 at TPC River Highlands.
ABOUT PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the leading global platform in professional golf, showcasing the highest expression of excellence, both on and off the course. The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, grow and protect the game of golf and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 25 countries (84 members are from outside the United States). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1.1 billion households in 227 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2016, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $166 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.46 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
About the Travelers Championship
The Travelers Championship, held in Cromwell, Connecticut, is one of the premier events on the PGA TOUR and part of the FedExCup series. The tournament proudly supports the PGA TOUR’s Tradition of Giving Back by donating 100 percent of net proceeds to charities. Travelers, a leading provider of property casualty insurance for home, auto and business, is the Official Property Casualty Insurance Provider of the PGA TOUR. The company became the tournament’s title sponsor in 2007. Travelers has been doing business in the community for more than 160 years and has been a corporate sponsor of this event each year since its inception in 1952. Complete details are available at www.TravelersChampionship.com.
