The PGA Tour is in Connecticut this week for the 2025 Travelers Championship. Being the last big-money Signature event this season, the field is packed! Everyone will only have 1 goal in mind: to win the maximum from the $20 million purse. As the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy prepare for the event, they will be keenly looking at one particular hole that makes or breaks their run at TPC River Highlands. The cursed and blessed 15th hole on the Cromwell has been the decider of many fortunes in the tournament. So what makes this iconic hole so nerve-wracking? Let’s find out!

One side of the Bermuda Triangle

As the name suggests, TPC River Highlands is surrounded by huge bodies of water. And the most cursed stretches of fairway happen at the Bermuda Triangle, i.e., the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes. While golfers at 16 and 17 would also be presented with a tough challenge, 15 is known for triggering the hunger of pros looking to get that extra point, even two, if they are accurate. Stretching at 296 yards, the par-4 hole designed by Bobby Weed may seem easy on paper. A guaranteed birdie, maybe even an eagle. But the map of the layout might change your mind.

Depending on where you are placed on the leaderboard, you can decide to either reach the green from the tee or opt for the fairway that lies before it. The reason most golfers would choose the latter is that the left side of the green has no place for the ball to land. Even if you land on the fringe, your ball might roll down the slope and drop into the water. So you need to be very accurate and confident to land on the short grass to score an eagle or a birdie.

To the right of the greens are the dunes. A long-range drive from the tee box is at risk of getting dug into the sand if you end up landing it in the bunker. With the hole a good 50 feet away, it might be a bit difficult to get back within range to even finish at par. The rough on the right won’t do you any favor, and the incline might make it a bit challenging for you to connect your wedge and also land close to the cup.

Having said that, there are three strategies you can follow depending on different phases of the game:

1. Find the fairway

TPC River Highlands is known to reward the brave. But the difference between the bold and the regretful is only a few feet. So when you don’t need to rush for a point, it’s always wise to find the fairway first before going for the green. For the inexperienced, a 4-5 iron should help them get close to the green without challenging the obstacles on either side. A 200-yard shot off the fairway will help you land safely, and then get a pitching wedge to cover the remaining distance. For pros, they can manage to reach the distance with a 7-iron. It may vary from player to player, but the aim should be to remain in the safe zone. This is the ideal strategy for the first couple of rounds, as long as you are confirmed for the cut on the weekend.

2. Aim right

For the bold or when you need to take the risk, you should aim right rather than miss from the center and find the water. The rough and bunker on the right give you another shot at at least making a birdie. Even if you manage a par, you would still have a better chance of getting a deficit in the remaining 3 holes. But a penalty can make it impossible to make a par, let alone a birdie.

3. Low flight

If you are determined or confident to find the green, then one piece of advice you will always receive from the best is to keep the flight low. It’s hard to control the ball when it catches air. But with most of the fairway surrounded by tall trees, a low flight stroke has a better shot at finding the target than one that was hit with a high loft angle.

Take advantage of your surroundings, dig the pin low enough so you connect to the center of the driver or a 3-iron, and drive away below the tree level to get a shot at an eagle. The only time you should do this is probably in the last couple of rounds as you close in on the top of the table. While the weather at TPC River Highlands won’t be particularly windy during the 2025 Travelers Championship, it will still be wise to stay low.

As we have mentioned, the 15th favors the bold and the brave. And there have been a few instances in the past where some big names have been able to execute their stroke on the 15th perfectly.

Big risk leads to big rewards for big names

Considered the most drivable par-4 hole, they say you can score anywhere between a 2 and a 6 on the 15th hole. The huge margin suggests that many have failed in their attempt to get the maximum from the cursed green. But a few have turned the dangerous into opportunities and produced some outstanding results. One of them was former LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman. In the 1995 version of the Travelers Championship, which was known as the Canon Greater Hartford Open back then, the Australian produced some magic.

At one point, Norman was tied with 3 individuals for the top prize on the Connecticut course. Eager to prove himself after the disastrous run at ANGC, Norman wanted another trophy to his name before the end of the season. Teeing off on the 15th, he took his shot at tried to find the green. Norman failed miserably, landing in the bunker on the right. For a player of his calibre, it was easy to wedge from the dunes 40 feet away to get close to the cup. But what he did instead was aim at the hole. As the ball slowly bounced and rolled over, it dropped down the cup to give him a 2 stroke advantage. That was enough for him to capture the title that year.

Ken Duke was also able to take advantage of the easy challenge back in 2013. A birdie on the 15th helped him tie the lead with Chris Stroud. Ken beat Chris in the playoffs to win the title, the first of his career after 9 years on the PGA Tour. It will be interesting to see who blunders on the 15th hole and who conquers it in the 2025 Travelers Championship.