Despite the cross country trip required after playing perhaps the most grueling major championship on the PGA Tour schedule, five of the top ten players in the world are playing in this week’s Travelers Championship, including world number one and defending champion Dustin Johnson. He is joined by Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, and Scottie Scheffler in the field, with a number of them coming off disappointing final rounds in last week’s U.S. Open at the Torrey Pines South Course in San Diego.
The host course is the par 70 TPC River Highlands that plays to 6,841 yards and has given up some of the lowest rounds in PGA Tour history, including Jim Furyk’s record 58 in 2016. Johnson won last year at 19 under par 261, when he shot a third-round 61 on his way to victory, three shots off the record of 268 set by Kenny Perry in 2009.
DeChambeau (+1200) is looking to bounce back from a back nine 44 at the U.S. Open.
Betting Odds at the Travelers
Johnson and DeChambeau are the betting favorites with odds of +1200, followed by Koepka at +1400, with Paul Casey and Cantlay right behind at +1600. Scottie Scheffler at +2200, former Masters champion Patrick at +2500, Tony Finau at +2800, with Abraham Ancer and Kevin Streelman both at +3300 rounding out the top ten.
Three-time champion Bubba Watson is at +4500, the always popular Rickie Fowler has odds of +5000, and two-time Travelers winner Phil Mickelson is at +6600 after failing to complete the career grand slam. Other players of note are Matthew Wolff, who is at +4000 after returning from a layoff to contend in last week’s U.S. Open with 2008 Travelers winner Stewart Cink at +8000 after claiming a pair of victories this season, and new phenom Garrick Higgo has odds of +5000.
Favorites Picks for TPC River Highlands
Just as Jon Rahm had something to prove last week after having to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament with a six-shot lead after testing positive for Covid-19, DeChambeau is looking to bounce back from a back nine 44 at the U.S. Open that dropped him out of the lead and into a tie for 26th. The 2020 U.S. Open champion will have some incentive to prove that he can get into and stay in contention after his disappointing collapse.
Eventually, Scottie Scheffler will find a way to capture his first PGA Tour title, which could open the flood gates for several more. The talented University of Texas grad has consistently come close, including last week when he was in contention on the back nine at Torrey Pines, but just hasn’t found a way to close the deal.
Brooks Koepka continued to look healthier and was in the hunt late last week, but bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes cost him a chance at a third U.S. Open after he got to within a shot of the lead. Instead, he had to settle for a final round 69 and a tie for fourth with Guido Migliozzi and 2020 PGA champion Collin Morikawa.
