There had to be one PGA Tour event to draw the short straw of being shoved down the schedule to fit in between the USPGA Championship and the Olympics and it was the Travelers Championship, which takes place in Connecticut this week.
Given the new temporary place in the schedule this week the tournament has struggled in terms of attracting a top class field but there are a few stellar names sprinkled in with the rest. Someone has to win this week though and the usual benefits of doing so will come with it.
Recent Winners
2015 – Bubba Watson
2014 – Kevin Streelman
2013 – Ken Duke
2012 – Marc Leishman
2011 – Fredrik Jacobson
2010 – Bubba Watson
2009 – Kenny Perry
2008 – Stewart Cink
2007 – Hunter Mahan
2006 – JJ Henry
The Course
TPC River Highlands is being used for the tournament once again but since it last staged the event last year it has undergone a major refurb. Several bunkers have come out and those that remain have been altered to collect balls from the tees while some of the greens have been reshaped too.
Trees have been taken out but that hasn’t widened the fairways. If anything they have narrowed so there is a much tougher outlook to this course now and it may no longer be the grip it and rip it birdie fest that it has been in previous years.
At 6,841 yards playing to a par of 70 this isn’t the longest course going around and the changes that have been made would appear to make it more of a ball striker’s course than it used to be. As ever scoring is likely to be good so those who gain strokes on and around the green are worth keeping on side.
The Field
The defending champion Bubba Watson is in the field this week. He is joined by potential Ryder Cup teammates Brooks Koepka, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Reed and Zach Johnson while Branden Grace tees it up here too.
Several Europeans are in the field and they are headed by last year’s runner up Paul Casey. Francesco Molinari, Russell Knox, Jon Rahm, Tyrell Hatton and Padraig Harrington are some of the others representing this side of the pond this week.
Market Leaders
With two wins around here and a couple of other decent performances Bubba Watson is an obvious favourite. He begins the week as a 14/1 favourite and if the changes to the course haven’t affected his appetite for it then it is hard to put anyone off him.
Brooks Koepka and Branden Grace share second favouritism this week. Both men went well in the USPGA Championship last week although whether that is a good thing ahead of this week given the rushed ending to that tournament I am not sure. They can both be backed at 16/1.
It was a rare bad week for Matt Kuchar in New Jersey but he comes here towards the head of the betting market at 22/1. That makes him fourth favourite to win the tournament and it is 25/1 bar the previously mentioned four men.
Main Bets
I’m going with a couple of main bets this week. I’m keeping it pretty simple in that both are solid ball strikers who are decent putters and that should be the formula to success this week.
The first of those is Zach Johnson. I was going to hang fire with Zach with it being the John Deere Classic next week, a tournament he runs well in but there is no reason he can’t play well twice. Johnson should love this course. He is so solid from tee to green and that famous putting stroke is starting to deliver the goods once again.
He isn’t the longest on the tour but that has never troubled him even on the longest courses. This certainly isn’t one of those so at 25/1 I’m going to pay to see just how many putts the American can get to drop.
I’m also going to follow up the second place finish of Paul Casey here last year in the hope he can go one better this year. Tee to green he was very proficient last week ranking in the top 10 for greens in regulation and proximity to the hole and if he can strike the ball as well this week he has every chance.
Casey is a streaky putter but we know he gets on well with these greens by his run here on debut last year. Having had experience of the course now he should fare even better this year. If he does he’s a serious contender here.
Outsiders
I’m going to take a couple of outsiders this week that I’ve been following for a while in the hope they get themselves in the mix and that this is the week they come good for me.
The first of those is the recent Basbasol Championship winner Aaron Baddeley. That win has to have given him plenty of confidence and this course should suit him. He doesn’t have to pound it off the tee so he can get it into position and find the dancefloor nicely. We all know when he’s on the greens he is one of the best on Tour so he has to have every chance at 66/1.
Soren Kjeldsen finished under par last week on a golf course which initially suited him but then became far too long for him once the adverse weather had taken its toll. This one isn’t too long for anyone least of all him so he should be more in his comfort zone here. He is so accurate from tee to green so he will give himself lots of chances. If he can warm the putter up for the week he should be bang in the mix around a track like this.
Tips
Back Z.Johnson to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Paddy Power (1/5 1-7)
Back P.Casey to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Paddy Power (1/5 1-7)
Back A.Baddeley to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Paddy Power (1/5 1-7)
Back S.Kjeldsen to win Travelers Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Paddy Power (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
*NOTE: Due to a lack of time there will be no DFS Fantasy Breakdown this week. We will return with that section for the John Deere Classic next week. We apologise for the inconvenience.
