British Open 2019: Reavie, Howell III and Palmer earn Royal Portrush invites following Travelers Championship

Chez Reavie earned more than just his second career tour victory at the Travelers Championship on Sunday.

The 37-year-old's win moved him to 12th in the FedEx Cup standings, an important position as it bestowed an invite to next month's Open Championship at Royal Portrush. The Open rewards the top five players, not already exempt, within the top 20 of FedEx Cup points through TPC River Highlands, giving Reavie the nod to Ireland. It will be Reavie's third appearance at the championship, missing the cut in his first two starts.

Also earning bids in the Portrush field via the Travelers cutoff were Charles Howell III (15th in the FEC) and Ryan Palmer (20th). Though neither teed it up in Hartford, Palmer eked out a position in the top 20 by a mere 13 points over reigning Champion Golfer of the Year Francesco Molinari, the latter who finished T-57 at the Travelers. Palmer will be making his fifth start in the Open, Howell III his 11th. Neither has logged a top-25 finish at the event.

The same top five/top 20 parameter applied to the European Tour's Race to Dubai rankings following last weekend's BMW International Open. Snagging Portrush spots were Kurt Kitayama, David Lipsky, Robert MacIntyre, Richard Sterne and Erik van Rooyen. Ireland's James Sugrue, the underdog who captured the Amateur Championship at Portmarnock over the weekend, was another addition to the Open, as were Hwang Inn-choon and Jang Dong-kyu for high finishes at the Korea Open.

The Open Qualifying Series continues this week with two invitations for non-exempt players (who finish in the top eight) at the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. The final chance for PGA Tour players will be at the John Deere Classic, with one spot open to those who finish in the tournament's top five. On the Old World Circuit, chances for Open entry will be on the line at the Andalucía Masters, Irish Open and Scottish Open.

This year's Open Championship begins on July 18. It will be the first time the claret jug has visited Portrush since 1951.