The third major of the season is in the books and the PGA Tour heads to the other coast this week for the annual playing of the Travelers Championship. Despite the cross country travel after a stressful U.S. Open, the event has attracted a strong field. Defending champ Bubba Watson looks to become the second four-time winner of this event and he finds himself nestled down the odds board at +2800. One week after falling short in his quest for a third straight U.S. Open title, Brooks Koepka makes the trip to Connecticut as the betting favorite at BookMaker.eu. Phil Mickelson is the only back-to-back winner and he’ll be competing for the first time in 16 years.
Odds to Win Travelers Championship at BookMaker.eu
Brooks Koepka +700
Patrick Cantlay +1015
Jordan Spieth +1400
Francesco Molinari +1600
Jason Day +1700
Paul Casey +1800
Justin Thomas +2000
Tony Finau +2500
Bryson DeChambeau +2500
Bubba Watson +2800
Tommy Fleetwood +2800
Marc Leishman +2800
Louis Oosthuizen +3300
Brandt Snedeker +3300
Phil Mickelson +4000
Emiliano Grillo +4000
Patrick Reed +4500
Chez Reavie +5000
Ryan Moore +5000
Viktor Hovland +5000
Kevin Streelman +5500
Charley Hoffman +5500
Byeong Hun An +6000
Matthew Wolff +6000
Jason Kokrak +6000
Kevin Kisner +6600
Russell Knox +6600
Sungjae Im +7000
Joaquin Niemann +7000
Daniel Berger +7000
Adam Hadwin +7000
Lucas Glover +7500
Keegan Bradley +8000
Si Woo Kim +8000
Sung Kang +8000
C.T. Pan +9000
Bud Cauley +9000
Chesson Hadley +10000
Brian Harman +10000
Abraham Ancer +10000
Andrew Putnam +10000
Russell Henley +10000
Kevin Tway +10000
Danny Lee +10000
Joel Dahmen +10000
J.B. Holmes +12500
Collin Morikawa +12500
Kiradech Aphibarnrat +12500
Kyle Stanley +12500
Max Homa +12500
Nick Watney +12500
Sebastian Munoz +12500
Brian Stuard +12500
Cameron Smith +12500
Odds Analysis
Patrick Cantlay +1015
A trendy pick at last week’s U.S. Open, Cantlay spun his wheels following a first round 73 and played from behind all weekend. He still finished T21 shooting the final 36 holes at 4-under. He’s just a few weeks removed from a win at the Memorial and has eight other top-10s this season, so recent form is strong. His first visit to the Hartford area came as an amateur in 2011 when he carded a 60. He’s back for a fifth start with a best finish of T15 last year.
Phil Mickelson +4000
Maybe it’s his farewell tour. Mickelson will make his first appearance at the Travelers since 2003 when his bid for a three-peat failed. Heading to the East Coast isn’t something Lefty does anymore as he likes to keep his schedule closer to home out west. He needs to work on his game, though, with four MCs in nine events since winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. Can Lefty rekindle some of the magic that had him go back-to-back in 2001 and 2002? It’s a nice payday if he can.
Bubba Watson +2800
A look at the odds screams why is Bubba priced so high? He captured his first PGA Tour win here in 2010 and has two more titles in the last four years. He’s the only player to win the event three times and Watson can tie the late Billy Casper as the only four-time winners. He came back from six-shots down in 2010 and again last year, however recent stats indicate that may be difficult this time around. His approach game and putting have been better and his title defense results are T38 and T25.
Brooks Koepka +700
It’s not a major so it might be wise to fade Koepka. Besides, the odds aren’t favorable and there are other better value picks in the field. But it’s hard to ignore what the Floridian has done this year, not just in major championships. A win and two runner-up showings is impressive, but Koepka has missed just one cut this season and has a win and four top-10s in non-majors.
Course: TPC River Highlands – 6,841 yards, Par 70
The course plays relatively short but we’ve seen some big hitters have success on this layout. Bubba Watson has two wins in the last four years and Phil Mickelson went back-to-back in 2001 and 2002. Other long strikers like Hunter Mahan, and Stewart Cink also escaped victorious. The length levels the playing field and puts an emphasis on accuracy and brings the entire bag into play. The marquee holes are Nos. 15-17 that play around a large body of water to create a thrilling ending. We’ve witnessed several large comeback victories on this track over the years. Watson erased a six-shot deficit last year shooting a final round 63. River Highlands is also the site of the Tour’s only 58, which Jim Furyk scored in 2016.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, CBS
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