Travelers Championship 2019: Ryan Armour Among 6 Co-Leaders at 6-Under Par

The 2019 Travelers Championship got underway Thursday at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, with a six-way tie atop the leaderboard through 18 holes.

Ryan Armour, Bronson Burgoon, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Abraham Ancer, Mackenzie Hughes and Zack Sucher each shot a six-under 64 to enter the clubhouse with a share of the lead. As if the competition wasn't tight enough, seven other golfers are one shot back at five under.

Below is a look at the opening action at the tournament.

2019 Travelers Championship Leaderboard: 1st Round

T1. Ryan Armour 64 (-6)

T1. Bronson Burgoon 64 (-6)

T1. Kyoung-Hoon Lee 64 (-6)

T1. Abraham Ancer 64 (-6)

T1. Mackenzie Hughes 64 (-6)

T1. Zack Sucher 64 (-6)

T7. Chez Reavie 65 (-5)

T7. Keegan Bradley 65 (-5)

T7. Paul Casey 65 (-5)

T7. Robert Streb 65 (-5)

T7. Scott Langley 65 (-5)

T7. Brady Schnell 65 (-5)

Full leaderboard available on the PGA Tour's official website.

Fresh off a disappointing finish at the RBC Canadian Open, Hughes responded by starting this tournament off strong. He recorded six birdies in a bogey-free round, with three coming on the back nine.

With the opportunity to head into the clubhouse tied for the lead at six under, Hughes came through with a clutch putt from deep on No. 9: 

Also of note, Ancer put himself in the logjam for first by registering birdies on five of his final eight holes.

Phil Mickelson's round got off to a rough beginning with a bogey on No. 1. However, it would not be long before he found a groove.

Lefty notched three birdies during a four-hole span on the front nine to quickly put himself in contention:

He carried the momentum on the back nine, recording birdies on two of the first three holes there:

Back-to-back bogeys slowed him down a touch, but a birdie on No. 15 bumped him back to three under. He would remain there the rest of the day, putting him just three shots behind the leaders.

Mickelson has two titles at the tournament, though neither came under the current name. He previously won the tournament back in 2001 and 2002, when it was known as the Canon Greater Hartford Open.

Meanwhile, it was an up-and-down day for Spieth. 

Just two years removed from winning the tournament, it initially looked like Spieth was going to make a run at a second title:

While a bogey on No. 4 dropped him back down to even, he provided one of the highlights of the day with an impressive 43-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole:

Just like that, he was back to one under, but his fortune would soon take a turn for the worse.

The 25-year-old got off to a disastrous start on the back nine, bogeying the 11th and recording an eight on the par-five 13th. That dug him quite the hole, and he was unable to recover by day's end. He finished the first round at three over, putting him nine shots back of the lead.

Reigning champ and three-time winner Bubba Watson is in a tie for 61st place after shooting a one-under 69.

Round 2 is scheduled to get underway at 6:45 a.m. ET on Friday.