Some names live on leaderboards.
Others make sure there is a leaderboard to look at.
That is where Ted May’s story belongs.
The Travelers Championship arrives this week at TPC River Highlands as one of the PGA Tour’s biggest events, a $20 million Signature Event with an elite field and all the modern shine that comes with being one of the strongest weeks on the calendar.
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But before the star names, the television windows, the upgraded purse and the Signature Event label, there had to be people who cared enough to keep Connecticut golf moving forward.
May was one of those people.
His passing, just before tournament week, is a reminder that golf history is not built only by players holding trophies. It is also built by volunteers, chairmen, player liaisons, board members and local leaders who do the quiet work that lets a tournament become part of a community.
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A Tournament Man In The Truest Sense
May’s connection to Connecticut’s PGA Tour event was not casual.
It was generational.
His father, Ed May, was one of the co-founders of the Insurance City Open, the original version of what eventually became the Travelers Championship. Ted May followed that connection into decades of service to the tournament, volunteering, leading and staying tied to the event long after most people would have stepped away.
He served as tournament chairman in 1983, the final year the event was held at Wethersfield Country Club before moving to what became TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. He also spent more than a quarter century as a player liaison, which is one of those roles that does not usually get much public attention but matters deeply to the week.
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Players remember how they are treated.
Families remember how they are treated.
A tournament’s reputation is built in those little moments, not just on Sunday afternoon.
May understood that.
Travelers Legacy
Ted May’s Connecticut Golf Footprint
Tournament Role
Chairman, 1983
Final year at Wethersfield before the move to TPC River Highlands.
Behind The Scenes
Player Liaison
More than 25 years helping shape the player experience.
Game Growth
First Tee Founder
Helped connect Connecticut’s Tour event to youth golf.
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Brendon’s Read:
The Travelers Championship is not just a big field this week. It is a living Connecticut golf institution, and Ted May helped make sure it stayed that way.
The Bridge That Helped Save The Event
One of the most important parts of May’s Travelers legacy came during a vulnerable time.
In 2003, when the Greater Hartford Open was left without a title sponsor after Canon dropped out, May helped put together a bridge sponsorship plan. Buick came aboard in 2004, and Travelers later became title sponsor in 2007.
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That is not a footnote.
That is the kind of behind-the-scenes moment that can determine whether a tournament keeps its place on the PGA Tour calendar or fades into memory.
Golf fans often see tournaments as permanent. They are not. They need sponsors, volunteers, civic support, strong leadership and people willing to fight for the event when the public conversation gets uncomfortable.
May was part of that fight.
Connecticut golf still benefits from it.
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The First Tee Piece Matters Too
May’s legacy also extends beyond professional golf.
He was one of the founders of The First Tee of Connecticut, now housed near the driving range at TPC River Highlands at the David & Geri Epstein Learning Center. That matters because it connects the tournament’s past to the game’s future.
The best golf communities do not only host tournaments.
They use tournaments to create pathways.
A PGA Tour event can inspire a kid who watches from outside the ropes. A First Tee chapter can give that same kid a place to learn the game, understand its values and find a community. May’s work helped connect those two worlds.
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That is a bigger legacy than a title.
Why This Week Hits Different
The 2026 Travelers Championship is a massive week for Connecticut golf.
Travelers announced that the event is a PGA Tour Signature Event featuring all but one of the eligible top 50 players in the world. The field includes Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa and defending champion Keegan Bradley.
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That is the modern tournament.
But May’s passing should make people look at it through a wider lens.
The tournament is not great only because the field is great. It is great because it survived long enough to become this. It carried enough local support, institutional memory and community commitment to keep evolving.
That is what Ted May helped protect.
The Real Legacy
Ted May, a longtime Connecticut golf leader, Travelers Championship contributor and founder of The First Tee of Connecticut, helped shape the state’s PGA Tour event and junior golf landscape through decades of service. May, Bonee & Clark Financial Services.May, Bonee & Clark Financial Services
Golf tends to remember winners first.
That is understandable.
But a tournament like the Travelers Championship also has another kind of memory. It remembers the people who opened doors, handled problems, worked the practice range, greeted players, kept sponsors engaged, built youth programs and believed Connecticut deserved a place on the PGA Tour map.
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Ted May was one of those people.
This week, the best tribute is not a moment of silence alone.
It is understanding that every roar at TPC River Highlands carries some of the work he helped do.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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