Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2021 Travelers Championship
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2021 Travelers Championship
The 2021 Travelers Championship Fantasy Preview
Revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold.
And Jon Rahm had ten days to plan his redemption after his attempts to retain his Memorial Tournament were frustratingly cut short by a positive COVID test.
Forced to isolate indoors, the Spaniard turned his attention to Torrey Pines, a golf club he loves, and began to plot his assault on the U.S. Open.
Rahm admitted after the major that he played without expectation or pressure, telling himself if he had a bad week ‘well, I didn’t have the best preparation, so there’s no need for anxiety.’
It’s ironic, really, because on a chaotic Sunday on the South Course, where four different players held the lead or a share of it at different points, it was Rahm – shackles removed – who flourished.
He showed trademark grit on the final two holes to nail two long and winding putts, and then he watched on with relish as Louis Oosthuizen, his closest challenger, hit a drive into a ravine on 18. That was that.
It was the sixth T2 finish in majors for the South African, but Jon Rahm won’t be losing any sleep over that – he will be celebrating a major victory that has been a long time coming.
From the west coast to the east….life on the PGA TOUR is relentless, and the players in the field for this week’s Travelers Championship are swapping California for Connecticut as the road to glory and FedEx Cup points continues.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
BOOM! We love picking winners, but man do we LOVE picking major winners!
Jon Rahm was heavily our guy heading into the week, and while we sadly lost Hovland from a freak sand-in-the-eye accident, but our next man in line was Harris English (3rd) who rounded out our roster with a 1-3 punch!
Here’s a recap of what we had to say about Rahm heading into the event:
We drafted Jon Rahm for the Farmers Insurance Open here in January, and he didn’t let us down with a top-10 finish.
That extends the Spaniard’s fine run of form at Torrey Pines, and the 2017 Farmers champion is in excellent spirits as he returns to a happy hunting ground.
He would surely have won the Memorial Tournament but for that ill-timed positive COVID test, and the fact that he was asymptomatic – meaning, he remains in fine health, ensures we don’t have to worry about him not being well enough to compete.
Rahm was out on the course practicing on Sunday, and he could not be better primed to win the first major of his career.
Paul Casey and Daniel Berger were also shining stars on our Tuesday Sleeper Report, both coming in with T7 finishes.
The 2021 Travelers Championship Field
The week after a major and you normally fear the worst for the field in the subsequent event – especially when the requirement is to traverse the United States.
But actually, the Travelers Championship surely won’t disappoint with plenty of star names teeing up at TPC River Highlands. The defending champion and former world number one (deposed by Rahm), Dustin Johnson, will look to retain his crown, and he will face heavyweight competition from Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed.
Fresh from top-10s at Torrey Pines, Paul Casey, Scottie Scheffler and Harris English are also putting in the air miles, as are Tony Finau, Phil Mickelson and Abraham Ancer.
Former Travelers champions Marc Leishman, Bubba Watson, Kevin Streelman and Chez Reavie will also be looking to get their hands on this trophy once more.
This Week’s Course Preview
If the South Course at Torrey Pines was a 7,700 yard beast, TPC River Highlands is an altogether different monster.
At just 6,841 yards, this Par 70 features just two Par 5s and a whole host of trouble, with tight, tree-lined and doglegging fairways, deep rough and water in play on five holes.
However, if we’re making TPC River Highlands sound like a U.S. Open standard challenge then nothing could be further from the truth – the winning score is typically in the late teens under par, and Jim Furyk once shot 58 here back in 2016.
Designed by Robert Ross back in the 1920s, both Pete Dye and Bobby Weed have since had a go at toughening the layout but with minimal avail, and really it’s all about the wind – if it blows, the course can play tough. If it doesn’t, then it can be a fairly benign affair.
With fast-running fairways and a bit of a breeze, it can be difficult to stay in the short stuff off the tee, but the Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix greens are large enough to be found with regularity in regulation.
Weather Forecast for Comwell, CT
Aside from some potential rain showers on the Sunday, the weather is set reasonably fair in Cromwell this week.
Some patchy showers on Tuesday might frustrate the greenskeeper more than anyone else, but after that it should more or less be sunshine all the way.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are all set fair at temperatures of around 80˚F, and then we head into the weekend.
Saturday looks set to be dry, bright and warm at around 84˚F, but note the wind speed of 13mph and possibly even stronger.
That breeze might bring in some more unsettled weather on the Sunday, however the early predictions can usually be taken with a pinch of salt.
Last Year’s Results from the Travelers Championship
A number of players threatened to join the 59 Club at the Travelers Championship last year with TPC River Highlands playing agreeably soft.
A 60 from Mackenzie Hughes on the Thursday set the tone, but it was a 61 – plundered by Dustin Johnson on the Saturday – that ultimately proved definitive.
DJ followed that up with a breezy 67 on the Sunday, and despite bogeying two of his final six holes he had already done enough to win by one shot from Kevin Streelman.
An eclectic top-five was rounded out by Will Gordon – who made more birdies than any other player, Hughes and Kevin Na.
Dustin Johnson’s winning highlights from the Travelers Championship 2020
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Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Travelers Championship this Week
Hopefully armed with an enhanced bankroll after the U.S. Open, onwards we go to the Travelers Championship. As mentioned, this is not the easiest of weeks with all manner of players coming to the fore, but nevertheless opportunities abound.
- PGA $1M Pitch and Putt: While not quite a milly-maker, this contest pays out $250k to the winner with an entry fee of $20 enabling you to keep close tabs on your purse strings. The top 20% will at least double their money, too.
- PGA $125k Micro Birdie: With one eye on our budget, we can fire a few entries at this $3 contest that pays $10k to the winner. Aside from that dream payout, this contest offers bankroll-boosting opportunities aplenty.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the 2021 Travelers Championship
This is a fascinating golf tournament where almost anything goes.
We’ll direct you to the leaderboard of the 2020 Travelers. The top-10 featured Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, Na, Ryan Armour, Brendan Steele, Patton Kizzire and an eclectic band of others.
If you can find anything that they have in common, you’ll have done very well.
The point is that you need a high GIR count to succeed at TPC River Highlands, but it doesn’t really matter how you get it there.
Chez Reavie, the 2019 champion, hit plenty of fairways and left himself mid-range irons in. Bryson, as you would expect, averaged 316 yards off the tee last year on his way to T6, and left himself lots of fluffy chips onto the green.
It’s different strokes for different folks, and the fact that Bubba is a three-time winner here – and Jordan Spieth has also prevailed at this stretch – it’s hard to say with confidence that hitting fairways is an absolute necessity.
This isn’t fact, but our records suggest that Bentgrass/Poa greens run slightly differently on the east coast than they do on the west – do your own research if that’s an angle you are considering pursuing.
Excellent shot shapers also tend to thrive at TPC River Highlands, but when you look at leaderboards from yesteryear at this venue there is no real consensus as to what it takes to succeed.
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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2021 Travelers Championship
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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The 2021 Travelers Championship
Top Tier Pick #1:
Bryson DeChambeau (Odds: 12/1, FPPG: 82.9, GPFP: 66.32 Salary: $11,100)
For the first half of the U.S. Open, Bryson’s big bomb approach was working beautifully.
He didn’t make a bogey for the first 34 holes, and heading into the final round he was very much present at the top of the leaderboard.
A disappointing Sunday followed, but afterwards Bryson – whether factual or delusional – claimed that he was simply unlucky, that a few bad lies ultimately hampered his efforts.
We admire his confidence and bullishness, and assume he will head to TPC River Highlands without the usual rubbish on the mind of players who stunk the place out in their final round last time out.
We know that he loves life at TPC River Highlands – 6-8-9 has been his last three finishes here, and Bryson’s ability to cut off the corners of some of the doglegs will come in very handy. That’s a tactic that three-time course champion Bubba has often deployed.
It should be a case of no fairways, no problem for DeChambeau, and his iron play was in excellent order at Torrey Pines. Furthermore, he has previous on Bentgrass/Poa greens, and so there’s plenty to like about the beefcake’s chances this week.
Key Stats:
- Driving Distance – 1st
- Birdie Average – 13th
- SG: Putting – 37th
Top Tier Pick #2:
Harris English (Odds: 40/1, FPPG: 71.8, GPFP: 84.05 Salary: $8,200)
Fans of such things will note the 40/1 sportsbook odds on Harris English with relish.
His fantasy salary is appetizing too, and especially given that his solo third at the U.S. Open was backed by an excellent all-round performance.
English’s natural style will suit TPC River Highlands even better, and we’re inclined to completely overlook those three missed cuts here on the bounce between 2017-19. That was a very different edition of a player who is back to his best and amongst the finest PGA TOUR regulars around these days.
Key Stats:
- Total Driving – 9th
- Birdie Average – 10th
- SG: Putting – 27th
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Keegan Bradley (Odds: 60/1, FPPG: 60.4, GPFP: 73.06 Salary: $7,900)
We’ve known for years that Keegan Bradley particularly excels on doglegging golf courses, but his performances recently frank that mindset.
Solo second at Innisbrook, Bradley also finished T10 at Bay Hill and was top-30 at TPC Sawgrass too.
He’s one of the players in this field that benefits from not having played in the U.S. Open, and instead he will have more preparation time at a layout where he has served up a pair of top-10 finishes within his last four trips.
Key Stats:
- Total Driving – 3rd
- SG: Approach – 6th
- Greens in Regulation – 18th
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Kevin Na (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 59.2, GPFP: 67.53 Salary: $7,500)
While his recent formline has looked hit and miss, it’s worth noting that Kevin Na’s two most recent missed cuts have come at courses measuring more than 7,700 yards – not his strong suit.
Back on more forgiving ground, the short and precise hitter should be more competitive – he finished solo fifth here last year, as a guide.
Indeed, Na hit 80% of fairways at TPC River Highlands in 2020, and his qualities from around the 100-yard mark out should set up plenty of birdie opportunities.
Another comfy on Bentgrass/Poa, Na has all of the qualities needed to challenge at this golf course.
Key Stats:
- Driving Accuracy – 35th
- Scrambling – 38th
- Birdie Average – 86th
Low-Tier Pick:
Brendon Todd (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 61.3, GPFP: 49.02 Salary: $7,300)
Another whose recent record looks dismal on paper is Brendon Todd, but like Na he’s missed cuts at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship – frankly, those golf courses are too long for him.
The last time he was on more agreeable real estate was Colonial for the Charles Schwab Challenge – T8 from Todd a stark reminder of his talents on shorter, tree-lined golf courses.
The most accurate driver on the PGA TOUR, Todd has an edge on the field this week – what he does at the business end of holes will determine how far he progresses at TPC River Highlands.
Key Stats:
- Driving Accuracy – 1st
- SG: Putting – 2nd
- Scoring Average – 72nd
Sleeper Pick for the 2021 Travelers Championship
Doc Redman (Odds: 70/1, FPPG: 54.0, GPFP: 43.22 Salary: $7,600)
When he first burst onto the scene, Doc Redman would often serve up an iron game clinic – not bad for a 23-year-old.
The first half of 2021 has proven much tougher for Redman, but he has returned to something like his best in recent times with a pair of top-10s in his last four starts.
He was excellent on and around the greens at the Palmetto Championship, and as an accurate enough driver of the ball the hope is that Redman will have opportunities to attack scoreable greens from the short grass.
Key Stats:
- Par 4 Scoring Average – 24th
- SG: Approach – 55th
- Greens in Regulation – 71st
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the 2021 Travelers Championship
Chez Reavie (Odds: 140/1, FPPG: 44.0, GPFP: 35.22 Salary: $7,000)
Ranking eleventh for SG: Tee-to-Green at the wholly unsuitable Torrey Pines, the logic dictates that Chez Reavie will play even better at the shorter TPC River Highlands.
It doesn’t always work like that, of course, but the pint-sized ball striker is clearly in good shape with his game – on greens he has putted his way to success on in the past, he has to be fancied.
A Par 70 specialist, given his recent couple of performances surely Reavie will play well this week.
Key Stats:
- Driving Accuracy – 3rd
- SG: Approach – 26th
- Greens in Regulation – 59th
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2020-2021)
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