This article is part of our Golf Picks series.
Travelers Championship Betting Preview
Fresh off last week's U.S. Open, we have another star-studded event as the PGA Tour heads to Cromwell, Connecticut for the Travelers Championship – the last signature event of 2025. TPC River Highlands has hosted the event since 1984 and draws large crowds and rave reviews from the players due to the hospitality of the event. The 72-player no-cut tournament is headlined by Scottie Scheffler, who is the lone player with single-digit odds at 3-1. Last year, Scheffler defeated Tom Kim with a par of the first playoff hole for his 12th Tour victory.
All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:30 AM ET Wednesday.
Course Overview
Par 70, 6,844 yards
These are the average rankings of Travelers Championship winners over the last five years:
- SG: Off-the-Tee: 22.4
- SG: Approach: 10.0
- SG: Around-the-Green: 26.0
- SG: Putting: 8.6
- SG: Tee-to-Green: 5.2
- Driving Distance: 27.2
- Driving Accuracy: 21.4
One of the first things that jumps out about this venue is that we don't see many courses on Tour anymore that are under 7,000 yards. Combine that with being a Pete Dye design and we know that this isn't a course you'll be able to overpower, with precision and strategy at the forefront. With that said, even with only two par-5s, this is a course that the best players score low at with only five of the holes playing over-par last year. The winner has reached 22-under the last two years, and we usually find someone on 59-watch (Cameron Young shot an 11-under 59 in the third-round last year). Off the tee, players are faced with tree-lined fairways and thick rough which will negate distance and put an emphasis on finding fairways and iron play, and we'll see a lot of approach shots from the 125-175 yard range.
Course History
The following players have the lowest scoring average at TPC River Highlands since 2020 (minimum two appearances):
- Tom Kim: 66.0
- Xander Schauffele: 66.2
- Patrick Cantlay: 66.6
- Brian Harman: 66.7
- Rory McIlroy: 66.7
Kim has shown an affinity for going low at TPC River Highlands, shooting 65 or better in 5-of-8 rounds at the venue. He's largely done it with his iron play as he's gained 1.32 strokes on approach per round and also led the field in driving accuracy last year. Something will have to give between his course history and current form considering he's posted just one top-25 all year. Another player that has shown form here is Harman, another golfer that relies on his accuracy and short game. Although he's yet to win the event, Harman's consistency is unmatched with seven top-10s since 2018. Unlike Kim, however, Harman has a victory this year and also finished T3 at a similar venue in Harbour Town. He's a longshot to keep an eye on 80-1 odds.
Current Form
These five golfers have gained the most strokes on approach per round across their last 20 rounds:
- Scottie Scheffler: 1.96
- Shane Lowry: 1.27
- Sepp Straka: 1.21
- Ryan Fox: 1.08
- Viktor Hovland: 0.99
Scheffler is the overwhelming favorite to win for a fourth time in a six-event stretch as he looks to win the Memorial and Travelers in consecutive years. He leads the Tour in a variety of categories this year including SG: Approach and has ranked second in SG: Tee-to-Green at this event in back-to-back years. A little farther down the odds board we find Hovland as the eighth choice at 30-1, fresh off his solo third place result at last week's U.S. Open. It could've been a different outcome had he not lost strokes on the greens, although he's likely not the only player to feel that way. Hovland's track record here is decent – T20 last year and a T11 in 2020 when it was a full-field event.
Travelers Championship Bets: Outright Picks
Rory McIlroy (12-1)
There's been a lot of talk around McIlroy's motivation level and driving play recently, but with that we get a discount at 12-1 in a small field. He led the field in SG: Off-the-Tee at Oakmont, so that issue appears to be solved. McIlroy's skipped other signature events this year, so I expect him to play well at a place he has before preceding a couple weeks off.
Keegan Bradley (35-1)
The 2023 event champion would be qualified for the Tour Championship if the season ended today, and the Ryder Cup captain looks good enough to be playing on the team. He's posted top-10s in two of his last three events.
Tom Hoge (100-1)
Hoge led the field in SG: Approach here last year in which he posted rounds of 63 and a closing 62 en route to a T3 finish. A short course with an emphasis on driving play certainly favors his style, and he also posted a T7 at the Memorial earlier this month.
Travelers Championship Bets: Placement Wagers
Min Woo Lee
Top-10 Finish: 9-2
I know that Lee hasn't been playing well lately, but the normally reliable putter has struggled mightily in that regard his last four events. He finished T9 here in 2023 and was second in SG: Putting that week. I expect him to break out of his slump.
Jordan Spieth
Top-5 Finish: 15-2
Spieth continues to trend in the right direction as he followed up his top-10 at Jack's place by ranking second in SG: Approach at Oakmont last week. He has a pair of top-5s this year and won this event back in 2017.
Luke Clanton
Top-5 Finish: 12-1
Clanton is in on a sponsor's exemption in his second start as a professional, and it's also his first ever signature event. The 21-year-old has flashed above average length, accuracy and iron play in his 14 PGA Tour starts which have led to three top-5s.
Travelers Championship Bets: Head-to-Head Matchup
Sepp Straka (-110) over Justin Thomas
Both players missed the cut at Oakmont but it's Straka that I have more confidence in to bounce back. He's missed three other cuts this year and finished no worse than T13 the next tournament. Thomas has been sporadic off the tee the last few events and that's not going to help him around here, while Straka is the antithesis as one of the most accurate drivers.
Travelers Championship Bets: First Round Leader
Ludvig Aberg (28-1)
We need someone capable of posting birdies in bunches and Aberg has shot 65 or better three times in two appearances at the event, most notably firing a 62 in the third round last year. His ball striking has been good the last three events and if he's hitting greens, we don't have to worry about his shaky around the green play. He also gets an earlier tee time than a lot of the big names in the field.
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