Pádraig Harrington comes to Travelers riding high

Pádraig Harrington comes into this week's Travelers Championship brimming with confidence as he seeks to continue the run of form that saw him secure a tied 13th finish at the US PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

Harrington arrived in Connecticut for one of his favourite tour events happier with his game than he has been in a long time and with one eye on next week's Olympics where he is targeting a place on the podium.

Shane Lowry won't be in Rio but is seeking redemption in Hartford following a run of three missed cuts, including the British Open and US PGA, in the wake of his US Open heroics in June.

Emotional ties

Defending champion Bubba Watson’s emotional ties to the Travelers Championship mean he was never going to skip this week to give himself a break before the Olympics.

The left-hander is due to represent the United States in Brazil next week. But it was not just the thought of defending his title, which he won for a second time last year, which brought him back to TPC River Highlands in Connecticut.

“Winning the Travelers Championship for myself is very important because of my dad,” he said. “In 2010 my dad passed away three months after the event so it’s the only win he got to see me.

“Travelers has been a big supporter of my family and helped over the years. “When my dad passed away they were the first people there to help me and support me and see how my mom needed help so Travelers means a lot to me not just because of the golf and because the checks clear but because of the other stuff, too.”

Watson sits just outside the automatic qualification places for the United States Ryder Cup team and will hope a good week at the Travelers will boost his chances.