Travelers Championship director says he would 'love' to have LIV players back at tournament

The Travelers Championship does not need any help bringing in golf fans in June.

It's already the second-most attended PGA Tour event of the year, behind only the Waste Management Open in Scottsdale.

The tournament itself is also a hit. Last year, Scottie Scheffler defeated Tom Kim in a playoff. And, with the lack of a tournament in the tri-state area, fans from numerous states flock to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. for the experience.

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A general view of the Travelers Championship Tee on the third hole during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands.  (Gregory Fisher-USA Today Sports)

But some stars, of course, are missing.

Some of the sport's biggest names (Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka) are, of course, ineligible for the Travelers, being a part of LIV Golf.

But, as LIV and the PGA continue to work on their deal (two years in the making), the Travelers would welcome those who defected back with open arms, if and when it happens.

"I’ve been doing this for 20 years, I know the guys. These are personal to us," Travelers Championship director Nathan Grube said in an interview with Fox News Digital. We saw all the LIV guys at Augusta, and we love those guys. It’s personal for us. I have no control over when the guys will be back, but we’re making sure that when that does happen, we know they’re going to want to come here and play. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but we love the guys, we invest in them, we get to know them. I wish them the best, and I’d love to see them here."

A general view of the 18th green during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament.  (Vincent Carchietta-USA Today Sports)

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Since the Northern Trust no longer exists, though, many in New Jersey and New York don't have a more local option, and Grube and his team have jumped at the chance to make their tournament's attendance one of the best on tour (while still claiming New England as their target audience).

"We've done media events with different groups of people. We go down there, we have sponsors. I have board members in the tri-state area. We do media buys, players have helped us. We are New England's event, right? And we embrace that, we try to be aware of that, and we try to make sure families understand that you can spend your day with us. And we're starting to pull more and more and more from the whole New England region. I love that. This is something that New England should be proud of."

The pin in the first hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TCP River Highlands.  (Gregory Fisher-USA Today Sports)

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Scheffler can concur.

"It's a week in which the players, our families and our caddies get treated as good as we go all year. If you ask any caddie on tour what their favorite event is, I think they'd say the Travelers Championship," Schefflersaid at the tournament's media day this week.

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