Travelers Championship 2016 Preview: TV Schedule, Prize Money, Power Rankings

The 2016 Travelers Championship, one of the final major events before the start of the FedEx Cup, is set to begin at TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn., on Thursday.

Travelers Championship 2016 Preview: TV Schedule, Prize Money, Power Rankings

After struggling at the PGA Championship in Baltusrol last weekend, Bubba Watson will seek to defend his title at the same site he earned his first PGA Tour victory. He’ll head out with fellow Olympic golfers Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar at 1:25 p.m.

Other featured groups include major championship winners Keegan Bradley, Ernie Els, and Louis Oosthuizen teeing off at 8:10 a.m. Thursday morning and Justin Thomas, Zach Johnson, and Jim Furyk heading out at 1:15 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

Here are the details of the tournament:

What: Travelers Championship

Where: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, CT

When: Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 4-7

Purse: $6.6 million

Defending champion: Bubba Watson (-16 / Playoff)

TV Schedule:

Thursday: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Friday: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Saturday: 1-2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. ET (CBS)

Sunday: 1-2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)

Here are 10 players to watch in this event:

1. Bubba Watson: Watson enters as the defending champ and clear No. 1. He recorded his first PGA Tour win here in 2010, added a runner-up in 2012 and a T-4 finish in 2013 before returning to the winner’s circle last year. He clearly enjoys his annual trip to TPC River Highlands.

2. Branden Grace: Grace followed a major by winning the next week earlier this year at the RBC Heritage, and he may pull off the feat again this time in Connecticut. Grace finished T-4 at the PGA, his third top-10 finish in his last five starts, and as Watson has shown in recent years, this is certainly a course where bombers can thrive.

3. Matt Kuchar: Kuchar made an early exit from Baltusrol, but he has still racked up six top-10 finishes in his last nine starts. His tee-to-green consistency should be rewarded at TPC River Highlands, where he finished T-8 back in 2012.

4. Ryan Moore: Moore has an affinity for this course like few others outside of the defending champ. His record here includes a pair of runner-ups and five finishes of T-7 or better in his last nine starts dating back to 2009. If you’re looking for a course horse, he’s your guy.

5. Brooks Koepka: If the ankle were healthy, he’d be much higher on this list. If it’s bothering him, he should be a little lower, so let’s split the difference and put him in the middle. Koepka gutted out a strong performance at Baltusrol, but the urgency to do so again might be mitigated by the fact that his Ryder Cup spot is now all but wrapped up.

6. Patrick Reed: While he faded on Sunday, Reed’s T-13 finish at Baltusrol continues his quiet, perhaps underrated season. He has now finished T-15 or better in five of his last eight starts and will look to bounce back from a pair of recent Travelers missed cuts by displaying the form that took him to a T-18 finish in 2013.

7. Zach Johnson: Any course that requires accuracy from short range should catch Johnson’s attention, as it did last year when he finished T-6. While he has yet to win this season, Johnson did put together four straight top-20 finishes before falling only slightly off that pace with a T-33 result last week.

8. Charley Hoffman: While Hoffman has cooled somewhat since his torrid spring that included a win in San Antonio, he tends to perk back up at this event. Hoffman was a runner-up here in 2012 and finished T-7 the following year, and his 4.95 birdies or eagles per round average here since 2010 is the best of any player.

9. Jon Rahm: Having already secured his Tour card for next season in short order, Rahm has his sights set on a breakthrough victory. The former Arizona State product has needed no time to adjust to life as a pro, following his T-3 finish at Congressional with a runner-up performance two weeks ago in Canada.

10. Brendan Steele: Steele is another player who tends to rise to the occasion at this event, with top-25 finishes in four of his five prior appearances. That stretch was highlighted by a T-5 finish in 2014 and Steele had a run of five top-20 finishes in seven starts before missing the cut at each of the last two majors.

Caption:PACIFIC PALISADES, CA – FEBRUARY 21: Bubba Watson tees off on the 12th hole during the final round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club on February 21, 2016 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)