Weekly Preview: Travelers Championship

This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.

Travelers Championship

TPC River Highlands
Cromwell, CT

The PGA Tour cruises to Connecticut for another edition of the Travelers Championship.

As was the case after the Masters, we again have an elevated event directly following a major. I wasn't a huge fan of that the first time around, but I'm warming to the idea. Maybe we just need more time to recover post-Masters, but at this point I'm okay with another big tournament, even if the U.S. Open was pretty entertaining. 

Speaking of the just-completed major, a lot of fans were not happy with the venue, and while I'm with them on the atmosphere -- or lack thereof -- the course itself fought back after day one, so I'm not as down on LACC like others are. Honestly, as long as it's not a birdie-fest and the cream rises to the top, that's about all I need. As for the cream, it wasn't all of the usual suspects, but once again, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler were in it at the end. Those crashing the party were Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark, and the newest of the bunch was the one who came out on top. It's not often that the greenest guy ends up with the trophy, but every once in a while, he finds the inner calm to just play his game and not let the moment get too big. With that said, if they played 74 holes instead of 72, Clark may have run out of gas. His drive of the 72nd hole was terrible, but the course did not punish him. Perhaps that adds to the frustration about the track. Think about the number of times someone in the lead or near it leaked oil on the final tee box and paid the ultimate price. This time, though, there was no penalty at all. That's not to take anything away from Clark. He hung in there much longer than anyone anticipated, and it's quite impressive that he did not show any nerves until late Sunday.

It's back to reality this week, but the action should again be entertaining, as all the top players are on hand.

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 5:00 PM ET Tuesday.

LAST YEAR

Xander Schauffele shot a final-round 68 on his way to a two-stroke victory over Sahith Theegala and J.T. Poston.

FAVORITES

Scottie Scheffler (6-1)

It's interesting to see how the odds have evolved over the past six months. At the beginning of the year, there was a clear top three. A few months later it was a top two, and now Scheffler is all alone atop the betting board. The fact that he's priced like this against a field like this is either amazing or ridiculous. I wouldn't make a play on him at this price, but there's a high likelihood he is in the mix again. Can he close, though? Scheffler putted well for most of the U.S. Open, but he didn't get much done on the greens Sunday and once again fell short.

Patrick Cantlay (10-1)

This is interesting. Not only is Cantlay surprisingly ahead of McIlroy -- usually the third favorite -- but also the next guy on the list. Cantlay is listed here because he's shown an ability to play well at River Highlands, and he finished well this past week. That's not enough for me to make a play, though. The value just isn't there.

Jon Rahm (11-1)

There's no other way to say it -- Rahm has been a non-factor since his win at Augusta. Early in the year Rahm was often the betting favorite, but he's now well behind Scheffler -- and not only on the betting board. Rahm did finish strong at LACC, so hopefully he's on his way back. However, he's never played well here, so I wouldn't expect him to wind up in the winner's circle.

THE NEXT TIER

Xander Schauffele (14-1)

Schauffele isn't exactly a mid-tier player, but I had to find a spot for him because he looks like a solid play. He could have a bit of a major hangover, but he fell off earlier than either McIlroy or Fowler did, so he probably doesn't feel like he missed an opportunity to the same degree. In addition to last year's win, Schauffele has posted a pair of top-20s over four total starts at River Highlands.

Viktor Hovland (20-1)

This is one of those rare weeks where we have tons of course history but few golfers that have a consistent track record. Whenever that happens, we look for guys who have fared well once or twice and are currently in good form. Hovland qualifies, because he played very well over the past couple month and posted a T11 here in 2020.

Tommy Fleetwood (25-1)

Fleetwood is definitely in the middle of a heater, but will it continue through? Fleetwood ended up in a good spot this past week, but he was never in the mix to win, so he should be fine mentally. If anything, he had a hangover entering the U.S. Open, which likely led to his slow start. Fleetwood is still looking for his first stateside win, and he could get it this week.

LONG SHOTS

Tom Kim (35-1)

Six months ago, nearly everyone expected Kim to win a couple events and maybe challenge for a major or two, but things haven't panned out for him quite yet. It looks like he might be finding his second wind, though. Kim was essentially an afterthought at the U.S. Open, but he managed to play well. With expectations lowered, maybe Kim will again resemble the player we saw last year.

Harris English (70-1)

This number is a little confusing. English has played well for most of the season, put in four good rounds at the U.S. Open and is a former champion of this event. Yet, he's buried on the betting board -- and his odds have slipped from 60-1 to this price. I know he's not a huge name, but anyone who followed golf over the past five years knows that English is legit and should be getting more respect.

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-chosen Pick: Xander Schauffele - I've alluded to this already, but there are certain things that need to be considered when selecting players a week after a major. Highest among them is the letdown factor -- as in, will someone be ready to play or rather be living in the past? As mentioned, I think we are in the clear here, even though Schauffele was in the mix for a while in Los Angeles. With him defending, he should be in the right frame of mind as soon as he touches down in Cromwell.

Moderately-chosen Pick: Tommy Fleetwood - It's an elevated event, so Fleetwood starts on the fringe of potential options. He will never be highly-chosen in situations like this. I think many OAD players assume the hot streak ends this week, but I'm not sure that will be hte case. I'd definitely consider going with him in this spot.

Lightly-chosen Pick: Harris English - Like Fleetwood, English is a borderline pick for an elevated event, so he won't be on everyone's radar. It would be a mistake to leave him off, as I think this is a great spot for English. Not only are chances good that he plays well, but he should not be too popular. This looks like a great way to gain some ground on the competition.

Buyer Beware: Wyndham Clark - This is pretty easy, right? Given the life-changing win he just picked up, it's tough to expect anything from Clark this week. I don't even need to see his track record here. If he plays well it will be amazing. Check that -- if he were to start well it would be amazing. I could see a scenario where he starts slowly and picks it up on the weekend, but by that time it will be too late.

This Week: Harris English - I've been talking English up throughout this piece, so it should come as no surprise that I'm going with him. English is right in the sweet spot, as he played well enough to be in the mix at the U.S. Open, but not so well that he's crushed by the result. Couple that with his track record here and you have the perfect pick.

Previous Results

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range: Xander Schauffele ($10,600)
Middle Range: Tommy Fleetwood ($10,500)
Lower Range: Sam Bennett ($8,600)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

This Week: Brian Harman - Harman is not having a great season, but he showed some game in Los Angeles and is returning to a spot where he's had a lot of success. Harman has made the cut in 10 of his 12 appearances here and finished top-10 in five of those starts.

Previous Results