Michael Kim has an affinity for the Travelers Championship, but his spot in this week’s field at TPC River Highlands wasn’t finalized until Sunday evening.

The good news: Kim hung onto his spot in the Aon Next 10 and was able to board a charter flight (courtesy of Travelers) from the U.S. Open to the Travelers on Sunday evening. Funny enough, the players were seated based on their FedExCup ranking for the short flight from Pittsburgh to central Connecticut, as Kim relayed Sunday evening on X.

Both the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5 for the Travelers Championship, the 2025 PGA TOUR season’s final Signature Event, were finalized after the U.S. Open at Oakmont. Although the Aon Swing 5 ranking did not include points from the U.S. Open (it was comprised of FedExCup points across the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Canadian Open), the five Travelers Championship qualifiers weren’t determined until after the U.S. Open.

This was because the Aon Next 10 (comprised of the top 10 players on the season-long FedExCup standings, not otherwise exempt) also included points earned at Oakmont. Kim, who entered the U.S. Open at No. 10 on the Aon Next 10, could have been theoretically bumped from the Aon Next 10 by a high U.S. Open finisher. This didn’t happen – no players moved inside the Aon Next 10 at Oakmont – and Kim safely boarded the charter flight on Sunday evening.

The Aon Swing 5 wasn’t yet finalized because Ryan Fox, who won both the ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic and RBC Canadian Open, stood ninth on the Aon Next 10 into the U.S. Open and could have been surpassed by a high finisher – but in that event, he would have still qualified for the Travelers Championship via the Aon Swing 5. This would have bumped England’s Harry Hall from the Aon Swing 5 – and outside the Travelers field. But as the dust settled at Oakmont, Hall’s spot at the Travelers was secure.

(Kim hadn’t earned enough points to be included in the Aon Swing 5 if he was bumped from the Aon Next 10, but as things shook out, he had ample wiggle room for a Travelers spot as the field filled to 72 players with five players beyond No. 10 on the Aon Next 10 – Jacob Bridgeman, Lucas Glover, Ryan Gerard, Sam Stevens and Jordan Spieth. Justin Rose, ninth on the Aon Next 10, elected not to play the Travelers.)

There’s never a dull moment when it comes to status and eligibility, as epitomized by this intricate Travelers scenario. But the field is set as the TOUR heads to TPC River Highlands, a longtime host venue outside Hartford, Connecticut, for the season’s final Signature Event. It’s a key juncture with just nine events remaining before the FedExCup Playoffs, as players fight for spots inside the top 70 after the Wyndham Championship in early August to qualify for the first leg, the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. With elevated points available at the Travelers (700 FedExCup points to the winner), it’s a valuable opportunity for players to ascend the FedExCup standings and solidify their post-season positioning.

Kim enters the Travelers at No. 29 on the FedExCup standings, a resurgent season for the 2018 John Deere Classic winner who navigated a severe slump (and a return to the Korn Ferry Tour) to regain elite form in recent years. After keeping his TOUR card at No. 104 on the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings, Kim has taken another step in a 2025 campaign that has been highlighted thus far by a run of five straight top-13 finishes across February and March, including a runner-up at the WM Phoenix Open.

Far from sweating the possibility of losing his card, Kim has a serious chance to qualify for the TOUR Championship and chase the FedExCup – and a strong week at the Travelers would greatly bolster that pursuit.

The Aon Next 10 for the Travelers Championship (top 10 players on the 2025 FedExCup standings through the U.S. Open, not otherwise exempt) includes:

• Ben Griffin
• J.J. Spaun
• Maverick McNealy
• Andrew Novak
• Harris English
• Nick Taylor
• Daniel Berger
• Ryan Fox
• Justin Rose (not competing at Travelers Championship)
• Michael Kim

The Aon Swing 5 for the Travelers Championship (top five FedExCup points earners across ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Canadian Open, not otherwise exempt) includes:

• Matti Schmid
• Kevin Yu
• Bud Cauley
• Mackenzie Hughes
• Harry Hall

Germany’s Schmid finished runner-up at the Charles Schwab Challenge; Chinese Taipei’s Yu finished fourth at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic and third at the RBC Canadian Open. Cauley finished third at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Hughes finished runner-up in a playoff in Myrtle Beach and added a T27 at the RBC Canadian Open (which allowed him to move ahead of Harry Higgs, his fellow runner-up in Myrtle Beach). Hall earned his spot with consistent form across the three-event series: the Englishman notched a T20 in Myrtle Beach, a T6 at the Charles Schwab Challenge and a T24 at the RBC Canadian Open.