16-05-2025
A PGA Tour tournament director called this Massachusetts course 'unbelievable.' Which one?
A PGA Tour tournament director called this Massachusetts course 'unbelievable.' Which one?
Nathan Grube, tournament director of the Travelers Championship, called it one of the top five golf courses he has played.
Andy Bessette, Travelers executive vice president and chief administrative officer, declared it was the most fun golf course he has played.
So which golf course were they talking about? No, it wasn't TPC River Highlands, site of the Travelers Championship June 19-22 in Cromwell, Connecticut. They enjoy that course as well, but believe it or not, they were referring to Worcester Country Club.
Bessette and Grube played in Golf Fights Cancer's Good Guy Invitational at Worcester CC last September. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan founded Golf Fights Cancer with Holy Cross graduate Brian Oates, the executive director of sales at Kraft Sports and Entertainment. Bessette and Grube have played in the event for about 15 years at various sites. Last fall was the first time they played at Worcester CC, and they raved about the course when asked about it at the Travelers media day at TPC River Highlands on April 29.
'Oh my gosh,' Grube said of the course, which ranked No. 13 in the state on Golfweek's Best private club rankings. 'That golf course is unbelievable. I've played a lot of golf courses in my life, but it became one of my top five favorite courses within probably the first seven or eight holes. The sightlines, the playability, the history. When you walk around that property, it's just like it wraps its arms around you.'
'That was phenomenal,' Bessette said. 'It was the most fun course I've played. Nathan and I both agreed.'
'We had the best time I've ever had on a golf course,' Bessette said. 'That's a great golf course. The people were fun, too. Worcester Country Club, I would join that country club in two seconds and drive an hour occasionally to go play it. That's a great golf course.'
Bessette also appreciated the history of Worcester CC, home of the 1925 U.S. Open, the inaugural Ryder Cup in 1927 and the 1960 U.S. Women's Open.
Worcester CC head pro Andy Lane was thrilled to hear that Grube and Bessette had praised the course.
'It's really exciting to hear feedback like that,' Lane said. 'I'm fortunate to spend every day at this golf course and see how much our membership and our guests know how special our golf course is, especially on the centennial year for our 1925 U.S. Open and two years away from our centennial of the first Ryder Cup. It's a special time here at Worcester Country Club. The golf course has never been better."
Lane credited superintendent Adam Moore and his staff with keeping Worcester CC in great shape.
'They're always on top of their game,' Lane said. 'They love every inch of this golf course, and it shows.'
Bessette said his son travels to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for his Type 1 diabetes care.
'Phenomenal facility,' Bessette said. 'It's a center of excellence.'
He urges golf fans from the Worcester area to make the drive to watch the Travelers.
When reminded about the upcoming 100th anniversary of 1925 U.S. Open at Worcester CC, Grube joked, 'If I went right now, I'd probably shoot a 100 on the 100th anniversary.'
That's because he's busy preparing for the Travelers Championship. As one of the PGA Tour's eight signature events, the Travelers will host most of the tour's top players. The entire field will consist of 72 players, half the number of a regular event, but there will be no cut. So there's no danger of a top player going home after two days.
Scottie Scheffler, No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings for 103 consecutive weeks, will defend his championship. The only other golfer to be ranked No. 1 for 100 or more consecutive weeks is Tiger Woods, who did it twice, for 281 and 264 consecutive weeks.
Bessette pointed out that unlike other sports, golf offers the opportunity to watch many of the top players perform at the same place on the same day. Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Ludwig Aberg and Justin Thomas are among those scheduled to play at the Travelers.
The Travelers has been the only PGA Tour event in New England since 2020 when TPC of Boston hosted its 17th and final PGA Tour event. Dustin Johnson won the Northern Trust that year at TPC Boston with no fans on hand due to the pandemic.
Grube said the Travelers offers more than the chance to watch many of the top golfers play.
'I would put our fan experience against any other professional sport in the country,' he said, 'and I would welcome people to come experience it.'
The Travelers offers convenient parking, sunscreen stations, free water and several free venues, including a treehouse constructed in a grove of trees between the 14th tee and the 15th green. Tree House Brewing Company of Charlton will host a beer garden there.
This is the 19th year that the Travelers has been the title sponsor, the longest reign of any title sponsor since the PGA Tour began holding events in Connecticut in 1952. 'The PGA Tour had killed the tournament,' Bessette said, 'and we brought it back to life.'
Travelers inherited the tournament debt and worked hard to draw the tour's best golfers. Last year the tournament raised more than $3.2 million for more than 100 charities, including some in Massachusetts. Since Travelers became the title sponsor in 2007, the tournament has raised more than $31 million for charity.
The Travelers is the only PGA Tour event to be voted as the players' favorite event for two years in a row.
'It's a week in which the players and our families and our caddies get treated as good as we do all year,' Scheffler said.
The Travelers provides a welcomed relief to golfers the week after they have to grind it out through the difficult conditions of playing in the U.S. Open. Scheffler defeated Tom Kim in a playoff at TPC River Highlands last year after they each shot 22-under for 72 holes. That was 16 strokes lower than the 6-under that Bryson DeChambeau shot to win the U.S. Open the week before.
'It's a fun, relaxing week for us as players,' Scheffler said. 'That's why I think we get excited to go play and go make some birdies and have some fun.'
Grounds tickets cost $109 for Thursday or Friday, and $115 for Saturday or Sunday. General admission tickets include access to four free venues. Admission is free for children ages 15 and under. There's also no charge for members of the military, veterans, health care workers and first responders, but registration is required.
For tickets, visit
Scheffler's caddie, Ted Scott, carried Bubba Watson's bag when he won the Travelers in 2010, 2015 and 2018. So when Scheffler plays TPC River Highlands, Scott keeps telling him what Watson did on each hole during those victories.
'After a few holes, that can get pretty annoying listening to Teddy talk about when Bubba won,' Scheffler said.
Scheffler joked that he told Scott he would hit him with his club if he kept talking about Watson.
Last Christmas, Scheffler suffered what he called a 'silly injury,' a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken wine glass while making ravioli. The injury required surgery and caused him to miss the first four tournaments of the season.
He wasn't as sharp as he would have liked for a while, but the week after the Travelers media day he shot 31-under par to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas, to set a 72-hole scoring record and win by eight shots.
—Contact Bill Doyle at bcdoyle15@
