Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2024 Travelers Championship

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the Travelers Championship  

Travelers Championship Fantasy Preview

Bryson DeChambeau needed to play 274 shots to win the U.S. Open – and yet the two most telling hits of the tournament were made by somebody else.

Rory McIlroy led by two deep into the business end on Sunday at Pinehurst, but conspired to miss a three-foot putt at the sixteenth – the first time he had missed from that distance on the PGA TOUR in 2024.

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And yet worse was to come. On the final hole, par would (as it would transpire) have been enough to force a playoff with DeChambeau, but the Irishman managed to shovel a putt wide from a shocking distance of just 24 inches.

All of the credit should go to the eventual champion, of course, but boy will McIlroy spend a long time ruminating on what might have been at Pinehurst: his decade-long wait for a fifth major goes on, and – let’s face it – he may never get a better chance than Sunday to end that drought.

Respect to DeChambeau, mind you, who had played beautifully all week before coming unstuck, somewhat, on Sunday – finding just six fairways after having to replace a damaged head on his driver just minutes before his round.

But he did, hook or by crook, get the job done, and this likeable soul celebrated with a big cheesy grin, as has become the trademark of his incredibly-popular YouTube channel.

Grow the game? Bryson’s doing exactly that….it’s just a shame he’s not doing it on the PGA TOUR, perhaps.

Last Week’s Results

Last week 10 of our 12 total picks made it to the weekend with our shining star being Tony Finau and his third place finish. 

It’s obvious that the biggest cash prizes had to have had Bryson and Rory on the roster, of which we did not.

Onward and upward.

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Travelers Championship Field

It’s off to our final Signature Event of the year at the Travelers Championship, where Scottie Scheffler will be looking to right the wrongs of a below-par (by his standards) efforts at the U.S. Open.

On any other week, Rory – Sunday woes compounded by his ongoing ‘divorce-gate’ saga – might have stepped away from the limelight, but it seems as though he’ll be teeing it up at TPC River Highlands too.

You probably know the drill with these Signature Event fields by now – the best-performing players of the season so far land the invite. So expect Schauffele, Morikawa, Aberg, Cantlay, Hovland and co in Connecticut.

Keegan Bradley returns to defend his title, as does the player who finished runner-up to him last season – British Open champion Brian Harman.

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This Week’s Course Preview

After the incredibly challenging conditions of Pinehurst, the players are off for rather more agreeable fare at TPC River Highlands.

The last five winning scores here have been -23, -19, -13, -19, and -17, and now the Travelers has Signature Event status with the high-class field that brings, it could well be another birdie-fest at the Cromwell property.

But that perhaps doesn’t tell the full story of the layout. This is one of the shortest tracks on the PGA TOUR at 6,852 yards for its Par 70, but it can’t be overpowered in the truest sense of the word – to offer some context, Zac Blair (who finished T2 in 2023) had a driving distance of 283 yards here; some 45 yards shorter than McIlroy in T7!

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The trick is hitting quality approaches at a layout where rounds of 58 (by non-bomber Jim Furyk) and 60 have been posted in recent memory, because the Bentgrass/Poa overseeded greens are on the smaller side in some cases – albeit easy to hold.

Hitting fairways at a layout with some thick tree-lines and doglegs is smart too, although the rough has been so amiable here over the years that missing the short grass has rarely proven disastrous.

There’s a named trio of holes – the ‘Golden Triangle’ – which require the player to hit over, or at least circumvent, a giant lake, but this stretch from 15-17 has rarely proven problematic, albeit 16 and 17 averaged a shade over par in 2023.

Just six holes averaged over par here 12 months ago, and even then they were all less than a stroke over – the two Par 5s at six and thirteen, meanwhile, were downright easy; 13 seeing a mammoth 22 eagles and 198 birdies.

There’s also two drivable Par 4s, and only two Par 4s on the real estate measure longer than 450 yards – it’s very much a wedge and short iron, and putting, shootout at TPC River Highlands.

Weather Forecast for Cromwell, CT

It looks like an unpredictable weather front is heading for Cromwell.

It’s a sunny and warm start to the week, which looks set to continue into Thursday – sunny spells and temperatures of 93 degrees setting the scene.

But then….well, who knows. According to the early predictions, there could be rain and thunderstorms heading for the area – maybe Friday will see the worst of them, if the forecast is correct.

Temperatures remain sultry – as high as 95 degrees, in fact, but wind speeds won’t get up much past 10mph, so it could be a humid and sweaty week for the players.

CROMWELL WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the Travelers Championship

Rounds of 62, 63, and 64 are pleasing on the eye for fans of sequence and order, and it was those 54-holes that set Keegan Bradley up perfectly for his three-shot victory at the 2023 Travelers Championship.

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Only one player really kept up with him – an unlikely figure in Chez Reavie, although he had won at TPC River Highlands in 2019.

Just one shot separated them heading into Sunday, with the rest of the field at least four strokes adrift, to set up a shootout between the final pairing.

In the end, Reavie ran out of steam – playing his first 13 holes in +2, allowing Bradley to coast to victory. He played his final six holes in +3, but still won by three shots from Brian Harman and Zac Blair.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for this Week’s Travelers Championship

Small field, no cut. For savvy DFS players, the decision of where to play the Travelers Championship is all but taken for us: we have to opt for single-entry games this week.

• GOLF TOUR $40k Albatross: Although it’s great fun entering the big money contests, sometimes we have to take our medicine in weeks like this – here, for $12 entry, we’re taking on 3,900 other teams for the $4,000 top prize, but can bank via a stack of other payouts too,

• GOLF TOUR $50k Dogleg: And it’s a similar deal here. We’re paying $33 for our entry, but there’s just 1,766 single entries allowed – each battling it out for the $5,000 jackpot.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

There can’t be many PGA TOUR events that have been won by players as contrasting in style as Chez Reavie and Dustin Johnson in the past five years.

It sets the scene for how open the Travelers Championship is for players of all shapes, sizes, and styles – however, one thing that isn’t negotiable is a strong week with wedges and short irons.

Low-scoring Par 70s are often perfect for quality approach players – by their very nature, birdies have to be made in abundance on Par 4 holes, and TPC River Highlands is no different; albeit, we’re talking wedges (for most) in the 100-150 yard bracket.

So relentless is the scoring, particularly if the course softens up with any incoming rain, that missing birdie putts will prove to be a disaster too.

Some of the holes at TPC River Highlands feature stark doglegs – Bubba Watson and DJ, both Augusta champions, have also won here, but our favorite course correlations are shorter, doglegging tracks where quality wedge play is a must: TPC Sawgrass, Colonial, and TPC Deere Run being those which immediately spring to mind.

Otherwise, picking quality wedge players that have shown some form with the flatstick lately is as good a policy as any.

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Travelers Championship   

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Travelers Championship  

Top Tier Pick # 1  

Viktor Hovland (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 65.3, Salary: $9,300)

It’s going to be a strange-looking draft from us this week, with most of the big stars swerved.

Scheffler’s game at Pinehurst fell down with familiar putting woes, and while he has improved in that department considerable in the past few months, there’s enough seeds of doubt there to give him a swerve this week – while accepting that he could trounce the field if he bounces back with the flatstick.

It would take a brave soul to draft Rory this week, while it’s doubtful that easy course birdie-fests are exactly the optimum assignment for Morikawa, Cantlay, and Schauffele.

Ludvig Aberg appeals, but TPC River Highlands is a layout that can take driver out of your hands at times – the Swede’s best weapon, so preference at the top-end is for Viktor Hovland.

The Norwegian is playing some glorious golf right now. When he won the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship double-header last summer, he gained +1.55 and +1.79 strokes on approach. For contest, he gained +1.47 at the Memorial at the start of June and +1.73 at the PGA Championship in May.

His driving is there, his approach play is immaculate, and his weakness – chipping and scrambling – is unlikely to be tested to much this week. Everything is coming together nicely at the right time for Hovland.

Key Stats:

• SG: Off-the-Tee – 13th
• SG: Approach – 19th
• Birdie Average – 22nd

Top Tier Pick #2

Tony Finau (Odds: 33/1, FPPG: 76.6, Salary: $8,900)

It’s easy to get carried away by such things, but Tony Finau has either putted well or okay in each of his last four starts.

It’s relevant because his tee-to-green game is as good as anybody’s, so marginal improvements with the flatstick in hand are exactly what you want to see before drafting Finau.

His final round of 67 at Pinehurst on Sunday was tied as the best of the day, and there is a sense that he’s rounding up towards a title charge – T13 here in 2022, and with strong showings at correlating venues, maybe that will come this week?

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 3rd
• Birdie Average – 8th
• Total Driving – 19th

Mid-Tier Pick #1

Corey Conners (Odds: 45/1, FPPG: 75.0, Salary: $8,400)

Because he’s not as fashionable as some of the other upper echelon players on the PGA TOUR, the form of Corey Conners can go unnoticed.

But his ball-striking lately has been nothing short of exceptional, carrying him to two top-10s – and no finish worse than T26 – in his last five starts.

The Canadian, T9 here last year with no round worse than 67, is the ideal course fit for TPC River Highlands with his accurate driving and elite wedge play – what’s more, Bentgrass/Poa greens have produced some of his best putting displays in recent years.

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 2nd
• Driving Accuracy – 19th
• Par 4 Birdie or Better Leaders – 27th

Mid-Tier Pick #2

Brian Harman (Odds: 40/1, FPPG: 67.1, Salary: $8,300)

There aren’t many courses set up more perfectly than TPC River Highlands for Brian Harman, and he’s made it count with four top-20 finishes here in the past five years – headlined by T2 in 2023.

The left-hander’s accuracy, and wedge play improvements, set him up perfectly for another strong showing in Connecticut – particularly as he played pretty well at a Pinehurst track that could not be any more unsuitable.

TPC River Highlands is around 700 yards shorter than Pinehurst – that will certainly help, as will a return to shorter approach play distances; the like of which Harman thrives in.

Key Stats:

• SG: Putting – 24th
• Driving Accuracy – 37th
• Proximity to Hole – 37th

Low-Tier Pick

Tom Hoge (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 74.7, Salary: $7,000)

When we think of Tom Hoge, we normally associate him with elite iron and wedge play.

Just lately he’s shown a real aptitude for finding fairways too, so the ball-striking element of his assault on TPC River Highlands is sound.

He can’t chip for toffee – no matter, this should be a high GIR week at a rain-softened, easy venue, so we’re reliant on Hoge finding a little something on the greens. With strokes gained on the field putting at the U.S. Open, and the Bentgrass/Poa mix greens at Quail Hollow, there’s surely scope there for a strong showing from him this week?

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 4th
• Par 4 Birdie or Better Leaders – 9th
• Putts Per Round – 43rd

Sleeper Pick for the Travelers Championship

Lucas Glover (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 57.8, Salary: $6,700)

As mentioned when referencing him before, Lucas Glover is so short off the tee that he simply cannot compete week-to-week on the PGA TOUR.

But when the assignment is a short one, and where accuracy is key, that’s when the veteran comes into his own – as he could well do at TPC River Highlands this week.

The last time that a course was within his reach, Glover finished T12 at Quail Hollow at the end of May – there’s no reason to suspect that he can’t match, or better that, this week.

Key Stats:

• Driving Accuracy – 4th
• SG: Approach – 17th
• Par 4 Scoring Average – 20th

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the Travelers Championship

Emiliano Grillo (Odds: 200/1, FPPG: 61.3, Salary: $6,300)

Having gained on the field average in every single strokes gained department at Pinehurst, it’s fair to say that Emiliano Grillo’s game is in solid shape.

The Argentine has played well at the likes Colonial, Harbour Town, and TPC Deere Run in the past, so it would come as no surprise if TPC River Highlands was added to his list of favorites as well – T15 here a year ago at least provides some useful insight.

Tests of accuracy are often in Grillo’s ball-park when he’s playing well, so his trip to Connecticut could well have come at the perfect time.

Key Stats:

• Driving Accuracy – 38th
• SG: Approach – 57th
• SG: Putting – 64th

This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup

Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only.  Be sure to mix-and-match to best fit individual contests.

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Fantasy Golf Predictions – This Season 

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