Travelers Championship: Notes, Odds & Best Bets
Half of the world's top-10 players are among those who have made the cross-country trip after the U.S. Open for this week's Travelers Championship.
TPC River Highlands was the site of the lowest score in PGA Tour history, with Jim Furyk carding a 58 in the final round five years ago. The par 70 layout has been the site of three wins by Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson is the defending champion, but it's not strictly a bomber's paradise.
Tournament notes, betting odds and best bets:
TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Cromwell, Conn., June 24-27
Course: TPC River Highlands (Par 70, 6,841 yards)
Purse: $7.4M (Winner: $1.332M)
Defending Champion: Dustin Johnson
FedEx Cup leader: Patrick Cantlay
HOW TO WATCH
TV: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
PGA Tour Live: Thursday-Friday 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET (Featured Groups); Saturday-Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups); Saturday-Sunday 3-6 p.m. ET (Featured Holes).
BEST BETS
--Bryson DeChambeau (+1200 at DraftKings) was leading in the final round of the U.S. Open before melting down on the back nine. He finished T6 at the Travelers last year and has three consecutive top-10s in the event.
--Johnson (+1300) shot a third-round 61 last year in beating Kevin Streelman (+3000) by one shot. It was Johnson's first top-10 in four starts in the event.
--Patrick Cantlay (+1600) is looking for his third win of the season. His 60 at TPC Rivers Highlands in 2011 remains the lowest score in PGA Tour history by an amateur. Cantlay closed with a 65 last year to finish T11.
--Brooks Koepka (+1800) is coming off a T4 at the U.S. Open. He has five top-fives in 14 starts this season but has also missed six cuts.
--Scottie Scheffler (+2500) and Abraham Ancer (+2600) are among several young players seeking their first career PGA Tour victories.
--Watson (+4500) is attempting to join Billy Caspar as the only four-time event champions. His 2,050 FedEx Cup
points at the event since the points structure changed before the 2009 season is most of any player in that span
--Harris English (+4000) rose to 19th in the world with his solo third at the U.S. Open. He was also in contention the previous week before closing with a 74.
--Mackenzie Hughes (+11000) provides longshot odds after playing in the final group at Torrey Pines. His T15 broke a streak of five consecutive missed cuts, but Hughes did tie for third at the Travelers last year.
NOTES
--The 27 rounds of 64 or better at last year's Travelers Championship were the most at the event since it moved to TPC River Highlands in 1984. The 1,774 birdies made were the fifth-most among all events during the 2019-20 season.
--Cantlay, DeChambeau and Stewart Cink (+10000) are each seeking to become the first three-time winner on tour this season.
--Stephen Stallings Jr. (+60000) shot a 9-under 63 to Monday qualify, posting the lowest round of his professional career. Other Monday qualifiers include Seamus Power (NL), Lucas Herbert (+27500) and Andrew Svoboda (+125000).
--The field includes five of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, along with 2001-02 champion Phil Mickelson (+7000).
--Sponsors exemptions include Brooks Koepka's brother, Chase (+60000), along with college player of the year John Pak (+60000), former No. 1-ranked amateur Davis Thompson (+40000) and four-time All-American Austin Eckroat (+20000).
--Rickie Fowler (+6000) will also tee it up after failing to qualify for last week's U.S. Open.
--Jim Furyk set the PGA Tour record with a 58 in the final round in 2016, although TPC River Highlands is a Par 70. He is competing in this week's Senior Players Championship.
--After being played without fans in 2020, the Travelers will feature approximately 10,000 per day this year.
--Field Level Media
