The Travelers Championship Preview & Picks

June 22, 2021

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Jon Rahm captures the U.S. Open after an incredible round on Sunday. He went off as the betting favorite anywhere from +900 to +1100 on most books. It was hard not to root for the guy with all of the recent challenges he’s faced in addition to being his first Father’s Day. We finished the tournament -0.28 Units after we lost our outrights but cashed on both matchups. Matthew Wolff at +10,000 almost cashed as FRL but he had costly double bogey late in his round to fall off the lead.

TPC River Highlands boasts an impressive field with many of the TOUR’s top players, including 5 who currently ranked inside the Top-10 WGR. The Travelers has a big tournament feel with it being the one the longest running events on tour. In addition to its history, it’s also one of the only events take takes place in the Northeast each year. TPC River Highlands is one of the shortest courses on tour, but in order to win a player’s ball striking and putting have to be elite.

Tournament Information:

Dates: June 24, 2021- June 27, 2021
Location: Cromwell, Connecticut, USA
Course: TPC River Highlands
Par: 70
Length: 6,841 yards
Format: 72 hole stroke play
Field/ Cut: 156 Players | Top 65 & Ties Make The Cut
Greens: Bentgrass with Poa Annua mix
Fairways: Bentgrass with Poa Annua mix
Purse: $7.4 Million / Winner $1.33 Million

Course Guide:

We now move onto the Travelers hosted at TPC River Highlands. TPC River Highlands has been a PGA TOUR venue for 38 years now. This course is one of the shortest on tour so Driving Distance won’t matter nearly as much as it did last week. TPC River Highlands features just two par 5’s, while also having eight par 4s measuring between 400-450 yards. This course allows any type of player to thrive here. Prior to the reconstruction these greens ran slower than tour average. However, with the addition of the Bentgrass they now run faster. The featured holes on this course are 15-17 that play around a four-acre lake. Besides the “Golden Triangle”, only two other holes have water in play (12 & 13). The hole locations are the same as the 2020 Travelers.

Course Designer/ Comparable Courses:

“The original architects of the layout, which opened in 1928, were Maurice Kearney and R.J. Ross, cousin of renowned Scottish course architect Donald Ross. Since its debut, it has undergone several renovations with input from famed designer Pete Dye, Bobby Weed and former PGA Tour players Howard Twitty and Roger Maltbie. Then came Pete Dye, who in 1984 brought his particular brand of genius to a redesign for what was then called the TPC of Connecticut. In 1991, the course received its current name, and Weed, who apprenticed under Dye and oversaw changes to the TPC at Sawgrass, designed 11 new holes that included more natural amphitheater rises that provide sweeping views of the course and the river. PGA Tour players Howard Twitty and Roger Maltbie served as consultants. Weed was the consultant when TPC River Highlands was given its latest face-lift in 2015-16. In addition to the bunker work, other enhancements to the course included: raising front edges and corners of several greens to provide for a greater number of pin positions; leveling several tournament tee boxes, including a new tee at 15; and improved routing and drainage.” – Source

Here are a few other courses that Pete Dye helped designed as well:

Austin Country Club – WGC Dell Matchplay since 2016
Crooked Stick – 2012 and 2016 BMW Championship.
Harbour Town Golf Links – RBC Heritage
Ocean Course – Kiawah Island – 2012 & 2021 PGA Championship
TPC River Highlands – The Travelers
TPC Louisiana – Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC Sawgrass – The Players Championship
TPC Stadium, PGA West – The American Express since 2016
Whistling Straits – 2010 and 2015 PGA Championship

Weather:

Thursday: Sunny 68 F, 9 mp/h ESE, 44% Humidity, 0% Chance of Rain
Friday: Mostly Cloudy 73 F, 8 mp/h SE, 66% Humidity, 20% Chance of Rain
Saturday: Mostly Cloudy 77 F, 12 mp/h SSW, 71% Humidity, 20% Chance of Rain
Sunday: Mostly Cloudy 78 F, 13 mp/h SSW, 71% Humidity, 20% Chance of Rain

TV Information:

Round 1: Thursday, June 24, 2021 – Golf Channel* – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Round 2: Friday, June 25, 2021 – Golf Channel* – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Round 3: Saturday, June 26, 2021 – Golf Channel* – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM and CBS** – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Round 4: Sunday, June 27, 2021 – Golf Channel* – 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM and CBS** – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Tournament Trends & Key Statistics:

Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Ball Striking
Strokes Gained: Par 4’s 400-450 yards
Course History (Previous Performance)
Strokes Gained: Off The Tee
Opportunities Gained
Birdies or Better Gained
Par 4: Birdie or Better
Birdie or Better Conversion %
Strokes Gained: Putting
Greens in Regulation

Stokes Gained Skill Averages based off Previous Winners:

2020, Dustin Johnson (-19)
- SG Off the Tee: 46th, SG Approach: 6th, SG Around the Green: 25th, SG Tee to Green: 6th, SG Putting: 4th.
2019, Chez Reavie (-17)
- SG Off the Tee: 10th, SG Approach: 1st, SG Around the Green: 24th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 10th.
2018, Bubba Watson (-17)
- SG Off the Tee: 4th, SG Approach: 18th, SG Around the Green: 10th, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 22nd.
2017, Jordan Spieth (-12)
- SG Off the Tee: 56th, SG Approach: 7th, SG Around the Green: 2nd, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 30th.
2016, Russell Knox (-14)
- SG Off the Tee: 16th, SG Approach: 3rd, SG Around the Green: 42nd, SG Tee to Green: 5th, SG Putting: 19th.

Previous Winners & Prices:

2020, Dustin Johnson (30-1)
2019, Chez Reavie (70-1)
2018, Bubba Watson (33-1)
2017, Jordan Spieth (10-1)
2016, Russell Knox (50-1)

Picks (Outright):

Abraham Ancer (+4,000)
- Risk: 0.20 to win 8.0 Units
  - 4th in SG: Par 4- 400-450 yds
  - T4 in Bogey Avoidance
  - 6th in Driving Accuracy
  - 7th in Par 4 Birdie or Better

Scottie Scheffler (+4,000)
- Risk: 0.20 to win 8.0 Units
  - 6th in Birdies or Better Gained
  - T15 in Birdie to Bogey Ratio
  - 16th in SG: Off the Tee
  - 19th in Ball Striking

Joaquinn Niemann (+5,000)
- Risk: 0.17 to win 8.5 Units
  - 9th in SG: Off the Tee
  - 13th in Ball Striking
  - T15 in Birdie to Bogey Ratio
  - 17th in Birdies or Better Gained %

Russell Henley (+6,600)
- Risk: 0.125 to win 8.25 Units
  - 4th in SG: Approach
  - 10th in Bogey Avoidance
  - 15th in G.I.R. %
  - T16 in SG: Par 4- 400-450 yds

Emiliano Grillo (+8,000)
- Risk: 0.10 to win 8.0 Units
  - 2nd in G.I.R. %
  - 2nd in Bogey Avoidance
  - 3rd in Ball Striking
  - 3rd in SG: Par 4- 400-450 yds