The Starter: Rd. 1, Travelers Championship

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The first round of the Travelers Championship is set to begin. We will have exclusive online coverage of No. 15 and No. 17 at TPC River Highlands from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.The Golf Channel will televise live action from 3 p.m to 6 p.m. ET.

Groups we're watching

Tee time Players   7:45 a.m. ET No. 10 Hunter Mahan, Zach Johnson, Padraig Harrington Mahan has played well at the Travelers, picking up his first win here in 2007. Johnson is one of the favorites to win this week, and Harrington tied for fifth in 2010. 12:44 p.m. ET No. 1 Keegan Bradley, David Toms, Ian Poulter All three players have won this year -- Bradley at the HP Byron Nelson, Toms at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and Poulter in the Volvo World Match Play. 12:55 p.m. ET No. 1 Bubba Watson, Brandt Snedeker, Geoff Ogilvy This is our featured group for the first two rounds. Defending champion Watson and Ogilvy and have struggled of late, but Snedeker is riding a string of four top-20s. 1:50 p.m. ET No. 10 Billy Horschel, Sunghoon Kang, Patrick Cantlay Horschel and Kang, 24, and looking to make their mark on the PGA TOUR. UCLA Bruin Patrick Cantlay(a), 19, accepted a sponsor's invite after finishing 21st at the U.S. Open.

MORE ROUND 1: Tee Times | TOUR REPORT: Travelers Championship news, notes

WHAT TO WATCH ON THURSDAY:
• A CHANGE AT THE TOP: Bubba Watson could regain the No. 1 position the FedExCup, where he won his first PGA TOUR title last year. Watson, currently No. 2, is only 38 points behind leader Luke Donald, who is idle this week. Playoffs update

• FURYK'S FALLOFF: Jim Furyk has struggled since he won the FedExCup last year. One possible reason? -- he switched irons. He switched back last week, and hopes for his old results. Story

Round 1 weather forecast

Afternoon thunderstorms Temp: 77 high/64 low Early sunshine with afternoon thunderstorms possible. Winds around 7 mph.

ShotLink Player notes

Here are some of the players you'll see on Golf Channel's coverage:

David Toms Toms has been a solid performer in his last four starts at the Travelers Championship, carding two top-6 finishes including a runner-up finish in 2009. Toms has now played 13 of his last 16 rounds at TPC River Highlands in the 60s and is a combined 42-under par. Keegan Bradley Currently 22nd in the FedExCup standings, Keegan Bradley is the second-ranked rookie on the 2011 FedExCup points list behind Masters champion Charl Schwartzel. Bradley is one of the rookies currently ranked inside the top 30 of the standings (Charl Schwartzel 19th and Jhonattan Vegas 24th). Ian Poulter Ian Poulter is making his first appearance at TPC River Highlands this week. Poulter is currently 95th in the FedExCup standings with just one top-10 in his first nine starts of the 2011 season. At this point last year, Poulter was 30th in the standings with one win and two top-10s in his first nine starts.

Shotlink notes provided by Alex Turnbull