Travelers Championship uses exemptions to help boost next generation of stars
Patrick Cantlay found the perfect way to follow up a low-amateur finish at the U.S. Open — tie a tournament record at the next PGA Tour stop.
In order to do so, though, he needed to receive a sponsor’s exemption.
The Travelers Championship granted him one in 2011, and then 19-year-old Cantlay made the most of the opportunity.
In the second round, Cantlay shot a 10-under-par 60, which tied the course record along with setting a PGA Tour mark for low round by an amateur.
Cantlay would go on to tie for 24th, then return the next summer to make his debut there as a professional.
“I was very happy to start my pro career off at Travelers,” said Cantlay, who got his first Tour victory last November at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. “It’s always nice to come back to a golf course that you’ve had some success at.
“I like the place and I like the golf course.”
Following the U.S. Open on the calendar, Travelers officials have had to make intelligent decisions to make sure fans have a quality field to watch in Cromwell, Conn.
One of the ways they have been able to achieve that is in offering the game’s next generation of stars an opportunity.
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“I remember like it was only yesterday when he shot 60 – it was very, very cool,” Travelers Tournament director Nathan Grube said of Cantlay. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking and trying to make the right decision on which guys (to give exemptions) to.”
While the schedule slot might not be ideal for landing a Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, it works out perfectly to reel in the younger players.
Cantlay maintained his amateur status long enough to play in the 2012 U.S. Open, but then he was ready to turn pro the following week.
“I think it’s a timing thing,” Cantlay said. “Guys are exempt as amateurs going into the U.S. Open and they don’t necessarily want to give up there U.S. Open exemption … and it’s usually right at the end of the college season, too, so it just falls on a good spot on the schedule for that.
“They have a history of giving exemptions to guys who are turning pro or have just turned pro and I think that bodes well for the tournament.”
Several players will make their professional debut this year, including Doug Ghim, who is the No. 1 amateur in the world and winner of the Ben Hogan Award from the University of Texas, and Nick Hardy, who played at the University of Illinois.
Dylan Meyer, who qualified for the U.S. Open, receives his first professional exemption after an All-American career at Illinois.
“It’s something where we tried to look at the future and build relationships with a lot of the young guys,” Grube said.
The plan started in 2007 when Travelers took over the title sponsorship. Grube and Andy Bessette, who is executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Travelers, took to the road to find ways to revive the struggling tournament.
“You get to know a lot of the agents, you get to know a lot of the writers, just kind of the whole crew that travels around on the Tour,” Grube said. “It’s amazing the information you can get when you are out on Tour and you are talking to the writers … or the agents and who they are looking at.
“You start to just look at the group and say ‘OK, those are some of the players we want to build relationships with.’”
The current world rankings have several players who played early in their careers at the Travelers through exemptions.
“Look at the top 10 in the world right now, and Justin Thomas, he was an exemption,” Grube said. “We got to know him, built a relationship with him when he was a freshman at Alabama and it was the first time we gave him an exemption.
“Jon Rahm, we gave him two exemptions, got to know him,” Grube added. “Rickie Fowler when he was at Oklahoma State. … Unrestricted exemptions, they are a tool that a tournament can use to build relationships with the next generation of players, so we take those very seriously.”