The Travelers Championship is no well-kept secret. Now closing-in on the top spot, PGA attendance-wise, it has returned to the origin of its finest golf memories. In purse, the event has seen one of the highest percentage hikes this decade. Recently, it has upped the PGA's hopes for this under-respected tour. A tour intermittently at odds with itself, the tournament has been a sleepy giant that never quite sold its last sponsor's product. (There are still very few Buicks in Connecticut. Right?) Now this tournament has a name that fits its image: Travelers.

Things are moving in the right direction, things are looking good for this event. It has always been played when the whole world likes to watch a good golf match, mid summer, peak U.S. Open time. That has been standard fare. Still, there are some things about this summer tournament that may surprise you. The course is not the only thing that has been revamped at the Buick (it is hard not to call it that). There is an air of seriousness in the matches these days. No one wanted to see Buick nor any Detroit-based PGA sponsors have to tough-it-out and then not quite make it out of the figurative sand trap. The ordeal had sobering effects for the PGA event, the players, and fans alike. The Travelers Championship has a lot to shoulder, keeping in mind its great past. Steeped in the middle of the PGA jungle of June events, it has become a game where the focus is focus. Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson, even Sammy Davis Jr. have put a lot of heart into this tournament. The name of this Open has always been "important," in the minds of the players and fans. Now that it is "The Travelers," it intrinsically represents the event perfectly. No matter where it goes, it survives, sure to be around for a long time to come. Look out! FBR Open, you got competition.

Hartford's historic tournament is still in full swing. Since 2007, with a new sponsor, it finally has attracted the finest PGA field it's had in years. Cromwell, the old home city, has seen the championship blanch and ebb to other towns. Wethersfield Country Club was the original host'for the first thirty years. Today, TPC at River Highland has the reigns guiding the event, while the championship is set to enjoy a June tournament week. (It used to be held in August.) This year the tournament is coming June 21: TPC at River Highlands. It occurs, through the 27th, importantly, between the U.S. Open and AT&T National.