Travelers Championship

This week will prove exciting for Middlesex County as we once again welcome a major PGA tournament event to our region. We are set to embark on an exciting time for professional golf at the TPC at River Highlands in Cromwell as the Travelers Championship kicks off today. This will be the second year with Travelers as the title sponsor for the tournament, and judging on the success of last year, this is sure to be an exciting week ahead. The 2008 Travelers Championship promises to deliver another year of exciting golf action.  The world's most elite golfers, including D.J. Trahan, Ryuji Imada, Johnson Wagner, and Brian Gay will compete for a purse of $6 million. The Chamber gives a big thanks to Travelers and its Chairman and CEO, Jay Fishman, for continuing this great tradition and to Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Travelers, for all of his hard work. A terrific charity event, this golf tournament has been the sole fundraiser of the Greater Hartford Jaycees. For 56 years, the Jaycees have planned and operated this tournament through volunteers raising over 23 million for charity. Proceeds from this event go to such projects as feeding the hungry, building affordable housing, helping children, and much more. The Greater Hartford Jaycees is an organization of approximately 600 volunteers, ages 21-39, which promotes leadership training through community service. This is an exciting and busy week for the Chamber as we help to kick off the tournament.  We had our Annual Travelers Championship Business After Work at the Courtyard by Marriott in Cromwell last week, which was again a huge success. The Courtyard generously hosts this Business After Work year after year and we thank them for making this such a fun event for our members, and this year was no different. Our Annual Member Breakfast will take place tomorrow morning at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cromwell.  We have golf pro Jay Williamson as our guest speaker.  Jay was the second place winner at the 2007 Travelers Championship and is a graduate of Trinity College.  We also have PGA Pro Brad Faxton and Henry Hughes, CEO of the PGA Tour Players Championship coming.  I encourage both Chamber members and non to sign up for this terrific morning. Bringing in over 250,000 spectators in past years, the Travelers Championship is a boon for the business community in the state and in Middlesex County. Events like this are a great asset to our region and its success can directly be linked to the enthusiasm of our community. With such consistent crowds and volunteer participation, this event has established itself as one of the best sporting events in the country, and we are proud to be involved. I would like to thank Tournament Chairman Betsy Udal and the dedicated Travelers Championship staff who have all poured numerous hours into making this tournament a success. I urge you to continue to support this great event that is located right here in Middlesex County. This event brings our region great exposure and significant economic impact.  It is covered by regional, national and international news outlets, and people from all over the world come to watch it. For information on attending the Travelers Championship Member Breakfast tomorrow morning, please call the Chamber at (860) 347-6924.

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393 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457
Phone: (860) 347-6924 | Fax: (860) 346-1043 | info@middlesexchamber.com
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