Justin Leonard, Woody Austin, Nick O’Hern and Billy Mayfair have committed to the Travelers Championship June 25–28 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.
Leonard, who was a member of last year's victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team, is currently the No. 27 ranked player in the world and has finished in the top-10 four times this year. Austin won the Travelers event in 2004.
O'Hern finished third at the Travelers in 2007. Mayfair returns for the 18th time to the tournament, where he finished in the top-10 in 1992 and 2007.
These new commitments join a strong list, including the world’s No. 3 and No.9 ranked players Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh, defending champion Stewart Cink, and some of the PGA TOUR’s most popular players, such as Kenny Perry, Anthony Kim and Stuart Appleby.

In other golf news, Gaylord Sports Management, the agency representing Phil Mickelson, reported today that the world's No. 2 golfer is taking a leave of absence immediately from the PGA Tour to be with his wife Amy, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Mickelson was supposed to have played the next two events, the Byron Nelson and the Colonial, where he is the defending champion.

Masayuki Kobayashi of Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield shot a 1-over-par 73 Monday to take a one-shot lead into the final two rounds of the sixth Russell C. Palmer Cup at Hop Meadow CC in Simsbury.
There is a three-way tie for second place at 74 between Evan Beirne (New Haven CC), a finalist in last year’s Connecticut Amateur championship, Dave Szewczul (Tunxis Plantation CC) and Dan Quatrocelli (Manchester CC). All 36 holes will be played today.
Ronald LaVerdiere of Laurel View CC in Hamden is in a four-way tie for ninth place at 4-over 76. Matthew Dziubina (Brownson CC, Shelton) and Randy Hoder (New Haven CC) both shots 77s.

The fourth edition of the Average Joe series on Thursday heads to the difficult 13th hole at the Great River Golf Club in Milford. After a birdie, par and a bogey on the first three holes, expectations are beginning to rise for my alter ego.
The hole coincides with the story of Jordan Cherebetiu, a first year teaching-pro at Great River who is just four years removed from her only season on the LPGA Tour. She is working at the Tom Rosati Golf Academy throughout the summer.