PGA Tour: Travelers Championship preview

The PGA Tour has been nothing short of thrilling since its return, and this weekend’s Travelers Championship should be no different.

Typically held the week after the U.S. Open, the 69th annual tournament is the first to line up with its original spot on the schedule, since the Tour resumed in mid-June.

Once again, the top five golfers in the world are set to compete in a field of 156 at TPC River Highlands, a par-70, 6,841-yard course, which is considered one of the easier on Tour.

Last week, Webb Simpson bounced back from a missed cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge to win the RBC Heritage. Simpson jumped from ninth to fifth in the World Golf Ranking, after he finished 22-under (a record at Harbour Town Golf Links), one stroke ahead of Abraham Ancer.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Justin Thomas are both favorites (+1200) heading into the tournament. McIlroy posted 32nd- and 41st-place finishes at the Charles Schwab and RBC Heritage, while Thomas surged late to tie for eighth last weekend.

World No. 11 Bryson DeChambeau is the other co-favorite. He finished eighth last weekend and has put up top-five finishes in his four prior matches on Tour.

Defending champ Chez Reavie is a longshot (+10000) in Cromwell. Reavie hasn’t demonstrated the best form since the Tour’s hiatus ended. He missed the cut at the Charles Schwab and finished 74th at Hilton Head.

You’ll find decent odds on Bubba Watson (+2800), a three-time winner at River Highlands. Should he top the leaderboard Sunday, he’ll tie Billy Casper for the most victories at the tournament.

Phil Mickelson is back on Tour, as well, after he sat out the RBC Heritage to celebrate his 50th birthday. Mickelson won the Travelers in 2001 and 2002.

On Wednesday, a number of players withdrew from the tournament due to concerns over COVID-19, including Brooks Koepka and Webb Simpson. 

Since January, he has missed the cut in every event but one — the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he came in third — but this course may help him bring his game back to life.

In the past decade, the Pete Dye-designed course has favored longer hitters, which also bodes well for DeChambeau, McIlroy, and Watson, all in the top 20 in driving distance.

One more stat to consider is par 4 birdie or better scoring. River Highlands has 12 par 4s, including the first four holes. This makes Thomas (sixth on Tour in that statistic) an appealing choice to win.

You can catch all the Travelers Championship action from Thursday through Sunday on the Golf Channel and CBS, as well as PGA Tour Live.

Find the latest odds on the PGA Tour at BetAmerica