Traveler’s Championship | Course Preview, Field, & What to Watch For

The PGA Tour heads to New England this week for the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. 5-10 years ago the Travelers was a smaller stop on the schedule, but it has quickly become one of the most popular tournaments amongst the players. The course is pristine, the crowds are amazing, and it’s hard not to love the summer weather of the north-east. There will be no fans again this week, but with the way the field looks, the tournament should be spectacular. 

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Course Layout

TPC River Highlands is a perfect example of New England golf. It has everything from tree-lined holes, water protected holes, and risk/reward holes. It is a true test of golf, where any type of player could win. It doesn’t take driver out of the hands of bombers, like Harbour Town does, and plays more like Colonial. It’s on the shorter side, playing a mere 6,900 yards, par 70. The closing 4 holes is one of the best final stretches in golf, and the always entertaining 290 yard, par 4 15th will create drama come Sunday afternoon. 

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Field

Rory McIlroy has become a regular at this tournament, and has said it’s one of his favorite stops of the year. Since returning from the break, the World No.1 hasn’t put together a full tournament. 6 of his last 8 rounds have been under-par performances, but the other 2 have kept him out of contention. Harbour Town was able to take away Rory’s driver, but he’ll have the opportunity to take advantage of his length this week. If he’s able to clean up his wedge play, look for Rory to make a serious run come Sunday. 

Brooks Koepka is also returning to the Travelers, as he too has become a regular. He’ll be coming into the week with some good vibes, as his younger brother was able to make it through the Monday qualifier and will be joining him in the field. Koepka made a run on Sunday at the RBC Heritage, but it wasn’t enough to take down the red-hot Webb Simpson. Like Rory, Brooks will be able to hit more drivers this week, and hopes to take advantage.

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Paul Casey returns to the PGA Tour this week for the first time since the break. Casey has appeared in this tournament 5 times before, and I guess you could say he likes it here. He has finished 2nd twice, and has 2 other Top-5 finishes. He may have some rust to get rid of, but his track history at the Travelers speaks for itself. 

Last week’s winner Webb Simpson will also be in the field, hoping to win back-to-back tournaments for the first time. Although he’s not super long off the tee, TPC River Highlands is a course where if you think and plan yourself around well, you can score really low. We will see if he’s able to carry his form into this week, or if he’s tired from his hard fought victory last Sunday.

3-time Travelers champion Bubba Watson returns to Connecticut in hopes of adding a 4th win. He played well at Harbour Town last week, highlighted by a Sunday morning round of 65.  

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Players to Watch 

Bryson DeChambeau may look like a football player, but he still has game. He’s coming off 2 very solid starts in a row, and has a good history at the Travelers. His tee-to-green performance over the last few weeks has been outstanding, and this course is built for ball-strikers. I’d look for Bryson to come out of the gates hot on Thursday. 

Joaquin Niemann is a player that could win at this venue, and is coming off a great start at the RBC Heritage. He placed T5 here last year, and is coming into the week in great form. 

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Max Homa isn’t on the radar of most fans this week, but he had a great week at Harbour Town. Although he finished T41, Max was 5th in driving and 8th in ball striking. If he can find some confidence on the greens this week, he’s a name to watch out for. 

Featured Groups 

Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson (TH – 7:35, FR – 12:50)

Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas (TH – 12:50, FR – 7:35)

Jon Rahm, Chez Reavie, Webb Simpson (TH – 7:25, FR – 12:40) 

Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth (TH – 12:40, FR – 7:25)

Weather 

CROMWELL WEATHER

My Pick 

I’m going out on a limb with this one, and not picking one of the big names. Max Homa. He’s coming in under the radar, but is in great form. He’s getting off the tee well, and his iron play since returning has also been trending. Last week: 5th in driving, 8th in ball striking. He currently sits at +12500, which has gone up since the start of the week, which tells me there are a few other people high on Max at the Travelers.

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