Much has changed with the schedule on the PGA Tour in light of the delay for Covid-19 but one tournament which has been kept in its original slot is the Travelers Championship and that begins in Connecticut on Thursday.
As with the first two events since the return of the sport, this tournament has attracted a star studded field, one which Chez Reavie will look to get the better of and hold on to the title he won 12 months ago.
Recent Winners
2019 – Chez Reavie
2018 – Bubba Watson
2017 – Jordan Spieth
2016 – Russell Knox
2015 – Bubba Watson
2014 – Kevin Streelman
2013 – Ken Duke
2012 – Marc Leishman
2011 – Freddie Jacobson
2010 – Bubba Watson
The Course
It is TPC River Highlands that is staging the tournament again this week. You know what you are going to get from River Highlands. It is a par 70 which only measures 6,841 yards so it isn’t long. You can use length to your advantage here as there are a couple of drivable holes but in the main this is a second shot golf course and it is the iron play that is most important here.
One thing which should be taken into account is a bit of rain in the lead up to the tournament will have softened the greens up so this could end up being target golf. That rain might juice up the rough but it hasn’t been allowed to grow anyway. Accuracy is still going to be key around here but the emphasis is very much on iron play. A hot putter is never a bad thing either it has to be said.
The Field
Although this tournament usually takes place the week after the US Open, it often has a decent enough field and that is certainly the case this week with seven of the top eight in the world originally entered, although due to Covid tests Brooks Koepka and Webb Simpson have come out of it. That still leaves Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm teeing it up. There are plenty of other stars on show too.
The likes of Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im and Xander Schauffele all have lots of class as does Patrick Cantlay. Bubba Watson has been the king of this place over the last decade or so and he is back for more here. The likes of Abraham Ancer, Joaquin Niemann, Collin Morikawa and Sergio Garcia are all looking for big weeks while Paul Casey and Jordan Spieth are among the players with a good previous record around this track.
Market Leaders
We have joint favourites this week for the tournament. Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are the two men in question. Based on what we’ve seen in the past two weeks it is hard to get too excited about McIlroy at 10/1 although it should be noted that he can turn it on and off like a tap. DeChambeau would look a better option but I just wonder if he now has too much power for this course. His previous form can’t really be counted because he is a different player now. He’s too short anyway.
Justin Thomas comes next in the betting at 11/1. Much like the last two weeks, this is a course and a tournament that should suit him nicely but he hasn’t really threatened since the restart and you just wonder if motivation is an issue. If it isn’t then there is no reason for him not to be heavily involved come Sunday, but I just need to see him play four complete rounds before I part with my hard earned on him.
Jon Rahm has been very quiet since the return to action and he is 16/1 to put that right this week. You can forgive him his quiet start to the restart because the two tournaments have been on courses that don’t really suit him. The concern is that this one doesn’t play to his strengths either and when you consider how stacked this field is, I’m not sure playing anyone at 16/1 who isn’t ideally suited to the test is a profitable strategy. I’ll leave him alone here.
Dustin Johnson showed signs of life off the tee last week but he is another whose strengths aren’t necessarily the ones suited most to this particular test. That doesn’t mean that he can’t adapt his game to win but much of his game is about gaining off the tee and I’m not sure he’ll gain enough in that department to overhaul the rest of the field. Moving forward it would be good if DJ shows another positive week as there are some grip it and rip it tracks on the horizon but even at 22/1 it is a watching brief for me with regards to him here. It is 25/1 bar.
Main Bets
I’ll go with three main bets and a couple of outsiders this week rather than the usual tactic of the other way round. I think it is the way to go while the fields are as loaded as they are at the minute. The first main bet is the man who has already won three times here in the past in Bubba Watson. Admittedly he hasn’t beaten this sort of field before but he is a twice major champion so it isn’t as though he hasn’t got that in him. Bubba is the archetype creature of habit and when a course suits his eye he tends to go well there. As well as three wins he has also been second, fourth and sixth around this track. He showed some good form on a course which probably doesn’t fit his eye as much at Colonial a couple of weeks ago and he should be primed for another strong showing here off the back of that. He can’t be ignored here.
Another man who can’t be ignored given how well he played last week is Abraham Ancer. Only a cold putter at the wrong time denied him his first PGA Tour victory but it is only a matter of time before he delivers that. His tee to green game was so pure last week. He led the field in fairways hit and in GIR and if he is hitting the ball that sweetly here it is only a case of getting putts to the hole and he’ll have a real chance. Even in this field Ancer stands out with his form and his ball striking and I’m happy to climb back on his shoulders having backed him plenty prior to lockdown.
Joaquin Niemann is another man who I have followed closely this season and he is another player who came to the fore at Hilton Head last week. He was a few shots shy of that blitz by Webb Simpson but he put a fast finish in himself and that should have him primed for this week. Niemann has already won on a track where the second shot was key and it is an area of his game which is a real strength. If he can get his putter to warm up and stay hot then this challenge should be right up his street.
Outsiders
There aren’t many players hitting the ball better than Max Homa right now so the fact we can still get a three figure price on him is a little surprising. It has only been a dry putter that has cost Homa a much better couple of finishes than he has managed but I expect him to come good in that department soon because prior to lockdown he was in pretty good nick. It is all about the ball striking this week though and on slower greens his putter is likely to come good again. Homa went into lockdown with five successive top 25 finishes and once that putter gets hot again that’s where he’ll be once again. I’ll pay to see if that is this week.
As well as backing the winner Chez Reavie at 55/1 here last year, I was also on the man who came second in Keegan Bradley at 80/1. Bradley didn’t pull up trees at the Charles Schwab Challenge but he did shoot four rounds in the 60s, which at Colonial should never be underestimated. He now heads to a course where he has a good record. This is almost a home game for him which is never a bad thing, especially in these different times. It is no surprise he goes well here because there aren’t many better ball strikers in the game than him. If he can roll some putts in he shouldn’t be too far away. I was on at 80/1 last year so I need to be back on at 110/1 here.
Tips
Back B.Watson to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 29.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-8)
Back A.Ancer to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-8)
Back J.Niemann to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 36.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-8)
Back them here:
Back M.Homa to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 111.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back K.Bradley to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 111.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
