Travellers Championship 2026: Theegala, Bhatia Eye Strong Finish After Impressive US Open Runs

Indian-origin golfers Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia will tee off at the Travellers Championship in Cromwell, US, days after both finished inside the top 20 at the US Open. The event is the eighth and final Signature Event of the 2026 season, with Theegala at T-11 and Bhatia at T-17.

Bhatia will look to repeat the form that helped him win the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this year. He also has good memories of the Travellers Championship, where he finished T-5 in 2024. Theegala missed this event in 2025 because injuries affected his season.

Bhatia started 2026 with two missed cuts, then found form with two top-10 finishes and his first Signature Event win. He has three PGA Tour titles, all won in playoffs, giving him a perfect playoff record. Theegala narrowly missed a top-10 at the US Open in hard conditions.

Strong field for the week

PGA champion Aaron Rai is also in the field after finishing T-11 at the US Open at Aronimink Golf Club. Rai is the first Indian-origin player to win a major championship. Sudarshan Yellamaraju is first reserve with one day left before tournament week, after a T-8 at the RBC Canadian Open and a T-5 at The Players Championship.

Windham Clark, who recovered from one of the lowest points of his career at the 2025 US Open, arrives after winning his second US Open title in 2026. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is entered, along with Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley and Justin Rose.

Ban James is the hottest rookie on the PGA Tour after earning promotion through the PGA Tour University rankings. He became the first collegiate player in 25 years to earn First-Team All-America honours four times. At the University of Virginia, he equalled Ban Kohles’ record for the most individual victories.

Other leading names in the field include Sam Burns, the US Open runner-up, Alex Fitzpatrick, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood. The Travellers Championship now brings together several players coming off strong major results, along with rookies and proven winners from across the PGA Tour.