Strong UConn presence at Travelers Championship Pro-Am

Last week, the Travelers Championship announced the competition for their annual Celebrity Pro-Am, which will take place at TPC River Highlands on June 21. Out of the 13 participants, six are associated with UConn.

Randy Edsall, Ray Allen, Jim Calhoun, Chris Dailey, Mike Cavanaugh and Geno Auriemma are among the many with UConn ties in the tournament’s lighter event a day before the weekend competition begins.

Calhoun was the men’s basketball coach from 1986-2012, winning three national championships and seven Big East Tournament titles. The Naismith Hall of Famer was Big East Coach of the Year four times and won the Big East regular season title 10 times. UConn made the NCAA Tournament in 18 of his 26 seasons at the helm. Calhoun will tee off with Cavanaugh and current CCSU coach Scott Burrell at 12:40 with professional Harold Vamer III at the first tee.

Auriemma has been the women’s basketball coach since 1985 and has rewritten the history books, with 11 national championships, six national coach of the year awards, three Olympic gold medals and winning streaks of 111 and 90 games, respectively. His teams have made 18 final fours as well. Auriemma will tee off with Chris Jackson, Dane DeHaan and professional Webb Simpson at 12:30 on the first tee.

Dailey is currently the UConn women’s basketball associate head coach, joining up with Auriemma when he was hired by the school 1985 and has played a major role in taking the program to unprecedented heights. She has been a part of 11 national championships, six undefeated seasons and two separate 90-game winning streaks. Dailey will tee off with UConn legend and soon to be Hall-of-Famer Rebecca Lobo and Ben Bishop with professional Retief Goosen.

Edsall is now in his second stint as head coach of UConn Football and was the coach for the Huskies’ transition to Division I-A from Division I-AA. Allen played for the Huskies’ men’s basketball program from 1993-96 and went onto a successful NBA career, winning the 2008 and 2013 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, respectively. The two are paired with former UConn football star and NFL quaterback Dan Orlovksy, and will tee off with professional Hunter Mahan at 1 p.m. at the first tee.

Aside from the Pro-Am, UConn will also have a presence in the actual tournament. Former UConn golfer Zach Zaback shot a 67 at Ellington Ridge Country Club on Monday as part of the Travelers Championship Qualifier to earn one of four available spots for the event. Zaback, who currently lives in Cromwell but grew up in Farmington, served as UConn’s captain for the 2015-16 season.