Another stacked field will gather just outside Hartford as the PGA Tour conducts its third tournament of the revised season schedule with this week’s Travelers Championship. There have been a few surprises in the first two with a pair of upset winners in Daniel Berger and Webb Simpson. However, that won’t deter the best players in the world from pegging it up at TPC River Highlands starting Thursday. Again, the top five in the OWGR are scheduled to be in attendance with one of them looking to break through. Following two sub-par showings Rory McIlroy isn’t the favorite. He’s been taken over on the odds board by Bryson DeChambeau with defending champ Chez Reavie well down the odds board. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Travelers Championship at BookMaker.eu
Bryson Dechambeau +1056
Rory McIlroy +1162
Justin Thomas +1262
Jon Rahm +1667
Brooks Koepka +1819
Webb Simpson +2026
Abraham Ancer +2161
Patrick Cantlay +2538
Dustin Johnson +2538
Justin Rose +2751
Xander Schauffele +2851
Bubba Watson +3372
Collin Morikawa +3372
Sung-Jae Im +3580
Paul Casey +4000
Patrick Reed +4000
Joaquin Niemann +4300
Jordan Spieth +4500
Tony Finau +4500
Matthew Fitzpatrick +4863
Sergio Garcia +5000
Gary Woodland +5000
Viktor Hovland +5050
Marc Leishman +5500
Scottie Scheffler +6500
Brian Harman +6500
Joel Dahmen +6550
JT Poston +6600
Ian Poulter +6600
Billy Horschel +7500
Corey Conners +7500
Odds Analysis
Bubba Watson +3372
Recent form has been meaningless in the short time since the Tour resumed play. Webb Simpson missed the cut at Colonial only to turn around the following week and topple the field at Harbour Town. Watson was never in contention last week finishing 13 shots off the pace at T52. This week he visits a layout week where he’s won three times, including twice in the previous five playings. Highlands is a joint that suits Watson just fine yielding a runner-up and a fourth place showing along with his three titles.
Phil Mickelson +11500
Mickelson has fallen off the radar missing the cut more times than making it this season. He left early at the Charles Schwab Challenge and is 0-3 in his last three official Tour starts. Lefty may have more success on the PGA Tour Champions now that he’s eligible, but don’t count him out just yet. There could be a few surprises left. Mickelson is the last player to go back-to-back here, turning the trick in 2001 and 2002. He took last week off and considering the unpredictable nature of the Tour, dropping a few bucks on Lefty is worth the risk.
Rory McIlroy +1162
He’s been at the top of the odds chart in every tournament since the Tour reboot but we haven’t seen the same McIlroy as before the shutdown. Off the pace last week at T41 followed a pedestrian T32 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. To McIlroy’s defense he wasn’t accustomed to the two layouts so we’ll give him some wiggle room. He’s back to more familiar surroundings where he can use the driver without worrying about missed fairways. All he needs is a little confidence in his game to get back on track.
Joaquin Niemann +4300
There’s a lot to like about Niemann’s game after pressuring the field at Harbour Town last week. He was battling with the leaders shooting 14-under over the weekend until an untimely bogey on the 71st hole removed him from contention and ultimately a T5. He made his debut at TPC River Highlands last year finishing T5 following four sub-70 rounds. He’s been able to hit greens in regulation consistently giving him a good chance to hang at the top of the leaderboard.
Abraham Ancer +2161
There’s no guarantee Ancer can duplicate his performance from Sunday, but what an effort it was. Hitting every green in regulation was quite a feat at Harbour Town with its diminutive dance floors. Ancer finished one-shot off the lead and is hoping the quality ball-striking follows to a layout he dominated last year with an opening 64. He eventually finished T8.
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 five 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 bringing 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 in 2018 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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