BlogTravelers Championship Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

The U.S. Open from Pinehurst will go down as one of the better Opens. I found it very interesting to watch and talk about the outcome. We can debate whether Pinehurst is a great venue; I have my doubts. Yes, luck has a reasonable degree of influence on any golf tournament’s outcome, but I wouldn’t say I like conditions that are close to impossible. On Saturday, the 13th hole was a prime example of what I am talking about. The pin was placed on a crown that would spin back off the green if you landed it just ten feet short. If you hit it ten feet past the hole, the ball would bounce off the green into a tough bunker. Tony Finau, Ludvig Aberg, and Rory McIlroy hit what I thought were perfect shots that landed ten feet from the pin but rolled back down the front of the green and finished 20 yards from the green. McIlroy hit a near-perfect shot up and was able to save par. Finau and Aberg, in the interest of getting the ball to the pin so it wouldn’t roll back down to them, went too far and into the bunker in the back of the pin. Both went on to make Triple Bogey. Sorry, the punishment wasn’t deserved.

Another example of what I am talking about was on Sunday on the par 5, fifth hole. In going for the green in two, Rory McIlroy hit what many thought was a perfect second shot that landed on the front quarter of the green. But the ball had little energy and didn’t get over the crest in the front quarter of the green. Since it didn’t climb to the top, it came back not only off the green, but it was rolling so fast that it rolled 30 yards off the green into the waste area in which he had no shot to the green. So, despite the shot being top quality and should have led to a sure birdie, McIlroy made a bogey. These are just four simple examples of hundreds of other questionable shots that players experienced.

The winner Bryson DeChambeau

For courses like Pinehurst, DeChambeau has the most significant advantage of anyone. But no matter what kind of advantage you have, there is a certain degree of luck for anyone to win the U.S. Open. In 2020, Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, and he did it by hitting his driver as hard as possible and chasing it. The rough was tough at Winged Foot, and with 56 driving holes, only hit 23 fairways. This was not only the lowest number of fairways hit by a champion since records have been kept going back to 1980. This shows us how low this is. In the 45 years that stats have been kept, only three champions have hit lower than 29 fairways in their victory. The first was Angel Cabrera in 2007 at Oakmont when he hit just 27 fairways. The next time this happened was in 2020 when DeChambeau hit 23 fairways. The following year, Jon Rahm only hit 29 fairways at Torrey Pines in his victory.  At Pinehurst, DeChambeau hit 32 fairways.  But on Sunday, DeChambeau consistently made momentum-saving pars after missing fairways; he only hit 5 of 14: he’s the first player to win with five or fewer hit fairways in the final round since Angel Cabrera in 2007.

As we said in our preview, the unique nature of Pinehurst is if you miss the fairway, you are in a waste area with things like footprints, scrub brush, and wirily grass clumped up and impossible to hit out of. As I said, if you missed the fairway, it’s a 50/50 proposition to hit any shot to the green. When DeChambeau won at Winged Foot in 2000, the key to his victory was to hit it so far that he had just a 100-yard shot left into the green, and even from heavy rough, this was workable. DeChambeau used the same Philosophy at Pinehurst; he reckoned that even if he hit it in the waste area, he would be close enough to the green to get his shot onto the green, even from the scrub brush. This way of playing is like Russian Roulette with a gun with one bullet in the six chambers. The odds in Russian Roulette is one in six, 20%. So when DeChambeau went out with his driver of ten of the 14 driving holes, the odds were that he would have an impossible shot twice if he missed 12 fairways. A perfect example of an unplayable drive into the waste area was on 18 when he hit it left and had a stump in front of his ball and no swing because of a tree just in back of him. But DeChambeau was just 140 yards from the pin but still not shot because of the stump in front of the ball. DeChambeau hit the ball toward the green but landed 54 yards to the pin in a bunker. DeChambeau said the shot was one of the hardest in golf, a long bunker shot. He told Golf Channel afterward that if he laid 100 balls in the same place, he could get it close four times. Again, fighting almost impossible odds, DeChambeau was able to hit a perfect bunker shot to four feet and made the putt to win by a shot over Rory McIlroy.

Yes, DeChambeau played great, but let’s face the facts: DeChambeau had great luck winning.

McIlroy had a different degree of luck.

Rory again suffered another brutal major breakdown. In his first 25 major starts, Rory won four times. When he won the 2014 PGA Championship at just 25, many wondered how many others he could win. With 15 to 18 prime years left, many thought that Rory would do the same as Tiger did and that McIlroy could easily win between 8 and 10 majors. However, in the 37 majors Rory has played in since 2015, he has finished in the top ten 21 times, in the top five 11 times, and runner-up four times. In all these starts, McIlroy didn’t do what he needed to, or someone else just outplayed Rory. In the 37 majors, Rory was 1st or 2nd four times after the first round, second once in the second round, and three times 1st or 2nd going into the final round. Rory opened up with a 65 at Pinehurst to lead. He fell back with a 72 on Friday but followed up with a 69 on Saturday. On Sunday, Rory was brilliant on his first 14 holes; he was four under for the day, 8 under for the championship, and one shot better than DeChambeau.  But the final four holes proved the difference between him finally winning another major or suffering another major disaster. Over the weekend, he played Holes 15-18 in 5 over par. In Saturday’s third round, he bogeyed the two closing par 3s, holes 15 and 17, failing to get up and down from greenside bunkers. Going into the 15th hole on Sunday, McIlroy for the year was 498 in 498 in putts from three feet. He was 83 for 89 in putts from four feet and 53 for 59 in putts from five feet. For the week, McIlroy was 50 for 50 on five feet or less putts. On Sunday, the putter was working big time for Rory. He made a 21-footer for birdie on the par-4 opening hole. In a five-hole stretch from hole 9, he made three birdies from 15 feet or more, including a 27-footer on the par-5 10th, and got up and down for birdie on the 316-yard 13th hole, holing a 5-footer to reach 8 under par for the championship. That came as DeChambeau bogeyed No. 12 to fall back to 6 under par. DeChambeau got a shot back with a birdie at 13, but it was up to Rory to play well on the last four holes. At  15, Rory hit what looked like a perfect 7 iron that landed in the middle of the green but landed hard, scattered off the green, and into a poor lie in the waste area, a bit of bad luck. McIlroy hit a fair chip shot 31 feet away from a poor lie with a scrub behind him, and he two-putted for bogey. While Rory was playing 16, DeChambeau gave him a break at 15 by having his first three-putt of the week, and the bogey put him one back of Rory. So he was in the driver’s seat until he missed a 2-and-a-half footer on 16. That putt seemed more of a brain fart which Rory took for granted the putt. So, the two were tied. Rory hit into a greenside bunker but hit a great shot and made a four-footer for par. On 18, Rory pulled his drive left into a bad lie and got it short of the green. He chipped up and missed the four-footer on the low side to make a bogey. From there, he lost control of the championship, and DeChambeau sealed the deal with his hard-earned par on the final hole.

So what does this mean for DeChambeau and McIlroy?

For DeChambeau, it turned into the most significant victory of his career. In 2022, he was as good as dead with a broken hand after the Masters and didn’t know if his career was finished. In a stroke of luck, Greg Norman and LIV golf came courting with a reported $125 million offer to play LIV golf. With his future unknown, DeChambeau took the money and joined LIV golf. It took him over a year to get back to normal, and by July of 2023, his game started to turn around. He won the LIV events in Greenbrier and Chicago. In 2024, DeChambeau played in eight LIV events, and it is hard to believe his best finish was 4th at Jeddah. But in the majors, he has shined, was T-6th at the Masters, 2nd at the PGA Championship, and now won the U.S. Open.

For DeChambeau, he needs help. He is like Brooks Koepka, ready to return to the PGA Tour. In the case of Koepka, if there is any way he will be back in a New York second, DeChambeau knows that LIV and Greg Norman paid him well when he was not in good shape, and I feel he has a bit of loyalty for LIV and doesn’t want to abandon that tour. He also has a good relationship with several players, including those on his Crushers team. So, he will have to wait out and see if there is a resolution anytime shortly.

The one thing that is quite obvious is that DeChambeau right now would be a tremendous player for the tour and help patch up a lot of things between fans and sponsors. Could DeChambeau be the piece that Jay Monaghan will go over the top to help do a deal with the Saudis and LIV golf? We will see. But after watching Koepka win the PGA Championship, and now DeChambeau win the U.S. Open, something has to be done.

As for McIlroy, I wonder if he is a wise pick in the coming weeks. Rory left Pinehurst in a hurry on Sunday without doing any interviews; he didn’t even bother congratulating DeChambeau on his victory. There will not be any whiplash from DeChambeau, fans, or the media. Everybody realizes what happened and will respect Rory’s response. He flew home, and it was reported that he spent Monday with his wife and daughter at the Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida. He came out with a classy message to DeChambeau congratulating him on the victory and said he was withdrawing from the Travelers to take a few weeks off and would return to golf for the Scottish Open, then the British Open.

But the big question is, does McIlroy have anything left in the tank? When Greg Norman blew the Masters in 1996, he was 41 and six years older than Rory. When Arnold Palmer blew a seven-shot lead at the 1966 U.S. Open, he was two years older than Rory. In both cases, they never won a major after that. In the history of the majors, nobody over 35 has been able to recover from a drastic loss like Rory is experiencing. We have heard for years that Rory is playing great and ready to win a major. Last year, after missing the cut at the Masters, he was T-7th at the PGA, 2nd at the U.S. Open, and T-6th at the British Open. This year, he was T-22nd at the Masters, T-12th at the PGA, and 2nd at Pinehurst. So yes, Rory is playing well, but can he find a way to block out what happened at Pinehurst when he returns? For Rory, the season is just about over. He will play in the Scottish, British, and FedEx Playoff events. It will take more than two idol weeks for the pain to go away; I won’t be betting heavily on Rory in the coming weeks. But the biggest question is, can he win another major? I and nobody else can answer that. We have seen greatness in the form of players like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Hogan had heartache when he lost the 1955 U.S. Open to Jack Fleck. Nicklaus has been on the losing end to Lee Trevino and Tom Watson. Tiger has been on the losing end to Rich Beem and Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine. But the three never tossed away championships like Rory has done. Still, to this day, he may not admit it, but shooting 80 in the final round of the 2011 Masters still has scar tissue. In the coming weeks and years, we will see if Rory can get it together and win another major, but time is running out.

Onward to the Travelers

I guess the year is coming to a close since this is the eighth and last designated event for 2024.  those playing at the Travelers, who did well at the U.S. Open. Of course, we must look at Patrick Cantlay, who looks like he may be over his slump. TPC River Highlands is a perfect track for Cantlay, he was T-4th last year. Tony Finau had an excellent Open, and he has to be a heavy favorite at the Travelers even though he has never finished in the top ten in eight starts. Matthieu Pavon has never played the Travelers but thinks he will do well, as with Hideki Matsuyama. But of all the players at the U.S. Open that is perfect for this week, the player has to be Xander Schauffele. He won in 2022 and is prime and ready to go this week. The course will also favor Ludvig Aberg, who has now been a member of the PGA Tour for a year and has seen some of the courses he will be paying for in the future.

The status of Scottie Scheffler after this week:

Now, the big question for this week is Scottie Scheffler’s status. He was T-41st at Pinehurst, his worst finish since finishing T-45th at the CJ Cup in South Carolina 15 months ago. Scheffler shot rounds of 71-74-71-72. It was the first time he didn’t shoot under par in a tournament since he missed the cut at the 2022 Scottish Open. It’s the first time he has been over par in all four rounds since joining the PGA Tour. Scheffler had just one birdie-less round entering last week’s U.S. Open in his professional career. He now has three after departing Pinehurst on Sunday with his second of the championship. His 4-over 74 on Friday didn’t include a birdie, and neither did his 72 in the final round. The only other time this happened since he turned pro was in the final round of the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge. He had just four birdies for the week, the lowest for any 72-hole event he played. In a 72-hole event, his previous low was 11, which shows how poorly Scheffler played. The problem for Scheffler was putting; he took 127 putts for the week. It was the worst he has been in a 72-hole event, tying his 127 putt total for the 2023 Masters. He was 70th in Strokes Gained putting, losing 6.032 shots. Only four players were worse than him. We have talked about this when Scheffler would suddenly lose it. I have to worry about him going forward; between the baby and playing a lot of golf, Scheffler is looking for a big break. All I can say is buyer beware of Scheffler this week in Hartford.

Tournament information:

This is the 72nd annual Travelers Championship. The United States Junior Chambers founded the tournament in 1952 after an attempt to raise money from a turtle race the previous year failed. The Cromwell, Connecticut-based tournament was initially known as the Insurance City Open. The chief goal of the tournament since its inception has been to raise funds for the USJC’s philanthropic endeavors. In the inaugural tournament, war hero Ted Kroll captured the crown, the second of his career. Four years later, the Insurance City Open was a launching pad for Arnold Palmer as he notched his second win on the PGA Tour and the first on American soil in the 1956 Insurance City Open.

The Insurance City Open underwent a name change in 1967 when it became the Greater Hartford Open. The tournament’s original goal was boosted when, in 1971, defending champion Bob Murphy donated $20,000 of his 1970 winnings to start the Greater Hartford Chapter of the “Jaycees.” The year 1973 was momentous for the Greater Hartford Open. To further boost tournament notoriety, entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., who frequently participated in the Pro-Am events, lent his name to the Greater Hartford Open. Also in 1973, Billy Casper won his record fourth and final Greater Hartford Open. In 1985, the first major corporate sponsor for the event surfaced in the form of Canon USA.

Starting in 1985, the event added Canon to its name; however, the title was altered just three years later. In 1988, Sammy Davis Jr. was removed from the name, and beginning in 1989, the tournament became known as the Canon Greater Hartford Open. By 2001, the tournament had grown to previously unrealized levels. Phil Mickelson’s personal best 61 and appearances by Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino headlined the tournament, which saw a record 318,000 spectators come out to watch the 50th annual Canon Greater Hartford Open. In 2004, a three-year partnership was forged between Buick and the GHO. The result was the Buick Championship. After the three-year contract expired, Buick decided not to renew the contract. Consequently, St. Paul Traveler became the new title sponsor in 2007.

Course information:

• TPC River Highlands
• Cromwell, Ct.
• 6,852 yards     Par 35-35–70 

The TPC River Highlands has experienced as many changes as the name of the tournament it hosts. The original property was designed in 1928 by R.J. Ross, cousin to the more notable golf course designer Donald Ross. The course was tied to the Edgewood Country Club. However, when the Greater Hartford Open searched for a larger venue than its home at Wethersfield Country Club in 1982, the Edgewood Country Club seemed like a perfect fit. Course renovations were necessary before the venue was fit to host a major PGA Tour event. The Greater Hartford Chapter of the USJC hired Pete Dye to renovate the Edgewood Country Club golf course. Dye’s finished product, The TPC Connecticut, hosted the Greater Hartford Open in 1984. One of the critical features of the new course, especially the back nine, was the incorporation of amphitheaters to improve a fan’s viewing experience. In 1989, a re-design team that consisted of Bobby Weed and consultants Howard Twitty and Roger Maltbie made some additional changes. After the renovation, the course became known as the TPC River Highlands.

The TPC River Highlands is a unique golfing experience. The par-70 course, spanning 6,852 yards, boasts a Course Rating of 72.7 and a Slope Rating of 131. The tees and fairways are meticulously maintained with a 3/8″ cut of Bent Grass, while the greens are a 1/8″ cut of Bent Grass mixed with Poa annua. The rough, a blend of Kentucky Blue Grass, Perennial Rye Grass, and fine Fescue, is cut at just over 6 inches. The 132-acre venue features 69 bunkers and five water hazards that come into play on six holes. TPC at River Highlands has been recognized by Golf Digest as one of the top six courses in Connecticut. Another feather in its cap is being the 49th course to achieve full certification in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP), a testament to its commitment to environmentally friendly land management and resource conservation.

Holes No. 4 and 10 provide the biggest challenge. The fourth hole is the most difficult on the golf course. It’s a severe dog-leg right that measures 481 yards. The tee shot requires a massive fade to reach the fairway while avoiding the tree line on the right-hand side. From there, the approach shot goes into a tight green with a bunker guarding the front left. As for the 10th hole, the 462-yard par 4 requires a slight draw to the left-hand side of a tiny fairway to avoid the large fairway bunker on the right. From the fairway, the player aims for a green protected by a front left and back right bunker. The most famous portion of the course, the three-hole stretch from 15 to 17, incorporates a four-acre lake affectionately dubbed the “Golden Triangle.” Those three holes and the 18th make up one of the top finishing stretches on the PGA Tour.

The new practice facility opened in the summer of 2008. The 23.5-acre facility is adjacent to the latest First Tee of Connecticut nine-hole golf course, which is in its initial construction phase.

Let’s take a look at vital stats that are important for those playing at TPC River Highlands.

This is based on the most vital stats from TPC River Highlands, data from last year’s Travelers, and data from all the players in the field with stats from 2024.
The most important thing to realize about TPC River Highlands is that it’s a very forgiving course; you don’t kill many brain cells in getting your way around it, and if you drive it long and reasonably straight, you can win. Just look at the roll call of past champions, guys like Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Streelman, Marc Leishman, J.J. Henry, and defending champion Keegan Bradley. These guys hit it far and chase it for their next shot. This doesn’t eliminate short hitters; guys like 2021 winner Harris English, Brad Faxon, Woody Austin, Chez Reavie, and Olin Browne have won despite being short hitters. In 2016, Russell Knox won; he is classified as being in the middle, a person who can give it some stick but is in the middle of the pack (in 2016, he ranked 108th in driving distance). Last year’s winner, Keegan Bradley, is not known for being a big winner on tour, but when he does, it’s big tournaments like the PGA Championship in 2011, The WGC-Bridgestone in 2012, the BMW Championship in 2018 and the Zozo Championship at the end of 2022. The same was true for the 2022 winner, Xander Schauffele, who had won two months before, but that was the Zurich Team event. Before that, he won the 2021 Olympics, which isn’t a PGA Tour event. You had to return to Schauffele’s 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions for his last individual PGA Tour title. Still, Schauffele was playing well going into the Travelers, finishing T-14th at the U.S. Open the week before. He was hot; after winning the Zurich with partner Patrick Cantlay, Schauffele was in the top 20 in his four starts between the Zurich and Travelers. Harris English came into the Travelers on a high the previous year after finishing 3rd at the U.S. Open. He had won at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and was having a good year; with English winning the Travelers, he made his year great. In 2020, Dustin Johnson won by a shot. Johnson’s game was in flux due to injury. After the break from the pandemic, Johnson missed the cut at Charles Schwab and then was T-17th at Hilton Head. So it wasn’t shocking to see Johnson win, but after that, he had some problems with his game before that got fixed, and he finished up the year on a high. In 2019, Chez Reavie won by four shots. He was hot coming into the week; he was T-3rd at the U.S. Open at Pebble. Now, playing well may not be a clue when you consider that in 2018, Bubba Watson won the week before he missed the cut at the U.S. Open, shooting rounds of 77-74. The year before, in 2017, Jordan Spieth won; the week before, he finished T-35th at the U.S. Open. So it doesn’t matter how a player is coming into the Travelers, but like anything else, those playing well coming into the Travelers should do well.

Of course, when looking at the characteristics of players who could win the Travelers, your first choice should be guys who have hit it a long way, guys who are playing well right now and showing some promise.
With the Travelers being the last of eight “signature events” this year and last year being a designated event, the field is the best it’s ever been. So, with this being a fun event, in past years, they have had massive crowds of 80,000 on the weekend, which has brought a lot of excitement.
In looking at our four categories, we have to go outside the box. Remember, this isn’t a tough course; it played to a 68.20 average last year, making it the 43rd hardest course (out of 58 on tour last year). Hitting it long is essential; the previous year, it ranked 17th on tour, with an average of all drives being 290.2. But you don’t have to be accurate; it ranked 38th on tour last year with a 62.48 of the drives into the fairway, so driving it straight is optional. Now, making birdies is essential, as 1,844 were made the previous year,
with only seven courses in 2023 making more birdies, which is suitable for a course with only two par 5s. To score low, you must play well on its 12 par 4s; last year, only nine other courses had a lower par 4 average of 3.94. So you can see what it takes to win at TPC River Highlands.
As we said, the scoring average of the TPC River Highlands field last year was 68.40, and it was the 43rd hardest course on the PGA Tour of the 58 courses charted in 2023. Going deeper since they have been keeping scoring averages in 1990, it is the easiest the course has ever played; the next easiest was in 2011 when it played to a 68.57 average. A lot had to do with that. First, it had the best players at the time in the field. The weather was perfect for scoring conditions, with light rain on Friday and Saturday, making the course play easier, along with low winds each day.
Here is a look at the scoring average at TPC River Highlands for the last few years:
*2022 – Average was 69.39, was the 22nd hardest of the 50 courses that year
*2021 – Average was 69.67; it was the 22nd hardest of the 51 courses that year
*2020 – Average was 68.63; it was the 32nd hardest of the 41 courses that year
*2019 – Average was 69.60, was 25th hardest of 49 courses that year. In the history of the PGA Tour, it’s one of the lowest-scoring averages for any event.
So, the course is the type that you have to think low and make a lot of birdies on. Look for super low scoring this week since the temperatures will be high, at around 90 each day. However, it will rain every day, keeping the course very soft, so you will not get in much trouble off the Tee, and the greens will be easy to hit and putt on.

So our first category is Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green because those that do well on the course do well in this stat and have a significant advantage. Last year, the field hit an average of 72.64% of the greens and ranked 46th (only 12 other courses hit more greens). At the same time, the course had an average of 62.48% of the fairways being hit, which ranked 38th (20 courses had more fairways hit). So this is important in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, our top stats to look for. Last year’s winner, Keegan Bradley, ranked T-5th in Greens in Regulation, hitting 60 of 72 greens, and was T-29th in Fairways hit with 37 of 56 fairways hit. He was 7th for the week in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, gaining 2.174 strokes per round.
Here is a look at the Greens in Regulation and fairways hit at TPC River Highlands and how it corresponds to the winners in the last few years in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green:
*2022 – TPC River Highlands ranked 38th in Greens in Regulation and 40th in Driving accuracy. Winner Xander Schauffele was 1st in Greens in Regulation, hitting 63 of 72 greens, and was T-9th in Fairways hit with 42 of 56 fairways hit. With that, he was 8th in Strokes Gained Tee to Green, picking up 2.112 shots per round.
*2021 – TPC River Highlands ranked 34th in Greens in Regulation and 32nd in Driving accuracy. Winner Harris English was T-15th in Greens in Regulation, hitting 54 of 72 greens, and was T-11th in Fairways hit with 42 of 56 fairways hit. With that, he was 3rd in Strokes Gained Tee to Green, picking up 2.007 shots per round.
*2020 – TPC River Highlands ranked 34th in Greens in Regulation and 29th in Driving accuracy. Winner Dustin Johnson was T-18th in Greens in Regulation, hitting 56 of 72 greens, and was T-47th in Fairways hit with 35 of 56 fairways hit. He was 6th in Strokes Gained Tee to Green, picking up 1.826 shots per round.
*2019 – TPC River Highlands ranked 27th in Greens in Regulation and 42nd in Driving accuracy. Winner Chez Reavie was T-7th in Greens in Regulation, hitting 54 of 72 greens, and was T-3rd in Fairways hit with 47 of 56 fairways hit. With that, he was 1st in Strokes Gained Tee to Green, picking up 2.865 shots per round.

Our 2nd category is Par Breakers because making eagles and birdies is significant. Last year at TPC River Highlands, 1,844 birdies were made, which ranked 51st in the number of birdies made for the event. There were 44 eagles made last year, which ranked T-47th. Thanks to this, 23.73% of the holes were played under par (par breakers) as the Travelers ranked 44th in par breakers. Winner Keegan Bradley was 1st with 27 birdies and no eagles. He was 1st in Par Breakers at 37.50%.

Here is a look at the Par Breakers of the Travelers winners in recent years:
*2022 – Made 1,625 birdies (37th hardest) and 25 eagles (T-17th) as 20.33% of holes were under par, making it the 21st hardest of the 50 courses that year.
Winner Xander Schauffele made 22 birdies (T-3rd) and no eagles, as 30.56% of the holes played were under par, and he ranked 4th in Par Breakers.
*2021 – Made 1,608 birdies (40th hardest) and 26 eagles (T-16th) as 19.31% of holes played were under par, making it the 19th hardest of the 51 courses that year.
Winner Harris English made 18 birdies (T-9th) and no eagles as 25.00% of the holes played were under par, ranking him T-10th in Par Breakers.
*2020 – Made 1,774 birdies (37th hardest) and 28 eagles (T-16th) with 22.45% of holes played under par, making it the 15th hardest of the 41 courses that year.
Winner Dustin Johnson made 25 birdies (T-2nd) and no eagles as 34.72% of the holes played were under par, ranking him T-2nd in Par Breakers.
*2019 – Made 1,579 birdies (36th hardest) and 28 eagles (T-19th) as 19.24% of holes played were under par, making it the 15th hardest of the 49 courses this year.
Winner Chez Reavie made 20 birdies (T-4th) and no eagles as 27.78% of the holes played were under par, ranking him T-5th in Par Breakers.
So the winner has to make a lot of birdies and eagles.

Our third important stat is scrambling, and you can see why. Since the course is compatible with low scoring, you can see that if you miss a lot of greens, you better get it up and down to play well. Last year, TPC River Highlands ranked 19th out of 58 courses in scrambling, getting it up and down 57.33% of the time. Winner Keegan Bradley ranked T-22nd, getting up and down on 8 of the 12 greens he missed.
Here is a look at the scrambling of Travelers winners in recent years:
*2022 – TPC River Highlands ranked 16th in scrambling out of the 50 courses that tracked scrambling for the year, getting it up and down 56.19% of the time.
Winner Xander Schauffele was T20th, getting it up and down 6 of the 9 greens he missed.
*2021 – TPC River Highlands ranked 20th in scrambling out of 51 courses that tracked scrambling for the year, getting it up and down 57.64% of the time.
Winner Harris English was T-2nd, getting it up and down on 14 of the 18 greens he missed.
*2020 – TPC River Highlands finished 20th in scrambling out of the 41 courses that tracked scrambling this year, getting it up and down 58.37% of the time.
Winner Dustin Johnson was T-33rd, getting it up and down 10 of the 16 greens he missed.
*2019 – TPC River Highlands was ranked 21st in scrambling out of the 49 courses that tracked scrambling for the year, getting it up and down 58.57% of the time.
Winner Chez Reavie ranked 2nd, getting it up and down 15 of the 18 greens he missed.
The winner has to do a great job of getting it up and down on the greens he misses.

Our final category is the par 4 average; this is the heart and soul of low scoring at TPC River Highlands since there are 12 of them, and we can see how to score low: you have to attack the par 4s. Last year, TPC River Highlands was T-49th ( out of 58th courses)in this stat, playing the par 4s to an average of 3.94. Winner Keegan Bradley was 16 under on the par 4s and was T-1st.
Here is a look at the playing the par 4s of Travelers winners in recent years:
*2022 – TPC River Highlands ranked T-32nd in Par 4 average out of the 50 courses with an average of 3.99. Winner Xander Schauffele was 10 under on the par 4s and was T-4th.
*2021 – TPC River Highlands ranked T-32nd in Par 4 average out of 51 courses with an average of 4.00. Winner Harris English was 7 under on the par 4s and was 6th.
*2020 – TPC River Highlands ranked T-34th in Par 4 average out of 41 courses with an average of 3.95. Winner Dustin Johnson was 14 under on the par 4s and was 1st.
*2019 – TPC River Highlands ranked T-24th in Par 4 average out of 49 courses with an average of 4.02. Winner Chez Reavie was 13 under on the par 4s and was 1st.
The winner has to do a great job of getting it up and down on the greens he misses.

So you can see, going low will be very important in winning this week.

*Strokes Gained Tee-to-green: The combination of distance off the tee, accuracy, and the ability to hit greens in regulation.

*Par Breakers: Who makes the most birdies and eagles per round.

*Scrambling: The percent of time a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better.

*Par 4 averages: Players that do the best on par 4s.

Of the 70 players in the field, 72 have stats on the PGA Tour for 2024.  Rory McIlroy has withdrawn.

Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.

DraftKings tips

Most DraftKings points earned

We have compiled a database beginning at the 2023 Sentry and going through the 2024 U.S. Open, a total of 71 events (we don’t put in Zurich team event). The database includes how many points a player won during the event and his cost. Out of the database, we can determine the total DraftKing points earned, the players’ average points earned per event, and average points based on the number of rounds played.

Of the players in the field, here are the top 60 playing in at least ten events:

DraftKings tips

*Here are the guys that cost the most on DraftKings this week:

• Scottie Scheffler – $12,500
• Xander Schauffele – $11,200
• Ludvig Aberg – $10,200
• Collin Morikawa – $9,800
• Patrick Cantlay – $9,600
• Viktor Hovland – 9,300
• Hideki Matsuyama – $9,200
• Tommy Fleetwood – $9,100
• Sam Burns – $9,000

TPC Highland, a course that elicits strong preferences, is best understood through the lens of past performances. These performances serve as a reliable indicator of a player’s potential. However, the absence of players like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey, and Bubba Watson due to the LIV series is a significant factor to consider.  So, looking at who to pick this week, our top player is Scottie Scheffler, who will cost $12,500. He is a lot of money and has always been very high on Scottie for the last few months. But after his U.S. Open performance, I am worried about Scheffler. But here is a stat that you should worry about and make the decision easy on not picking him. Last week, Scheffler only earned 35.5 points, the lowest he has ever earned. He only made four birdies at Pinehurst; yes, this week is not Pinehurst, but I still have to worry about him, so for the first time in a while, I can’t endorse Scheffler. Xander Schauffele at $11,200 is a big yes for me; he is a past winner, so he knows how to play well in this event, but like that, he has been in the top ten in 11 of his 14 2024 starts. Ludvig Aberg – $10,200 struggled on the weekend at Pinehurst, shooting 73-73, but thinks he will bounce back. He is perfect on short courses and will do good things this week. Collin Morikawa at $9,800 is a worry for me. Yes, he has played well since the Masters, but he has struggled in this event, missing his last two cuts. So, I will be cautious and pass on him. Patrick Cantlay at $9,600 is a yes for me; he was in the T-4th last year and played well at Pinehurst. His game is back. I can’t say the same about Viktor Hovland at 9,300; he played terribly last week at Pinehurst and has yet to play well at TPC River Highlands. I like Hideki Matsuyama at $9,200; he is the best buy this week. Has played great the last two weeks. I can’t endorse  Tommy Fleetwood at $9,100; he hasn’t had a top ten since the Masters and has struggled at TPC River Highlands. Sam Burns at $9,000 is a good buy, he has played well in his last three starts, and I think he is ready to bust out.

*Players in that $7,500 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

Tony Finau at $8,900, was impressive at Pinehurst but has yet to be impressive in Hartford. He will still be okay because he has played well in the last few weeks. Sahith Theegala at $8,800, he almost won in Hartford a few years back; he is probably worth the money. I like Russell Henley at $8,600, TPC River Highlands should be up his alley, and I like how well he played at Pinehurst, especially over the weekend. The same goes for Corey Conners at $8,400; he played consistently in 2024 and was T-9th last year in the Travelers. Brian Harman, at $8,300, is your best pick; his game has been steady in 2024, but like how well he has played in the Travelers, he was T-2nd last year, T-8th in 2022, and T-5th in 2021. Another steady player is Tom Kim, who is $8,100. He was T-38th last year at River Highlands and has been constant since the Masters. Shane Lowry at $7,800 is consistent since the West Coast tour. Denny McCarthy, at $7,500, is a great buy; he has played okay in 2024 and was T-7th at the Travelers last year.

Some of the “bargains” this week at the Travelers

There are lots of tough sales, but someone like J.T. Poston, at $7,300, is well worth the cost. He was T-2nd at Travelers in 2022. Akshay Bhatia, at $7,200, is a good buy. He plays in this event for the first time but has been good in 2024. Matthieu Pavon, at $6,800, is an excellent price for a guy who played as well as he did last week. Ben Griffin, at $6,800, is good. I like him because he was 2nd in Canada a few weeks back.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Travelers:

Key stat for the winner:

The TPC at River Highlands is a different type of TPC course.  It was a reconfiguration of a traditional, old-style course, but it still has some of that flavor.  Most of the greens are small, raised or crowned, making it a scrambler’s delight.  The tournament is well supported in the community — as many as 80,000 spectators could be in attendance, but after COVID-19, they will have 10,000 a day — so the timid need not apply.  Another factor that comes into play is the fact that the tournament has close finishes every year (except, of course, in 2009 when Kenny Perry won by three and last year).  Since it moved away from Wethersfield in 1983, 27 of the 38 tournaments have been decided by either a shot or a playoff, including in 2021 when it took Harris English eight holes to beat Kramer Hickok.  In 2012, Marc Leishman was a shot better than Charley Hoffman and Bubba Watson.  In 2014 it was another playoff, with Ken Duke getting the better of Chris Stroud. In 2015, Bubba Watson won again in a playoff, this time against Paul Casey.  In 2016, Russell Knox won by a shot over Jerry Kelly, and in 2017, Jordan Spieth won spectacularly by holing a bunker shot in a playoff to beat Daniel Berger, so tight finishes are the norm.  The last two years have been a big snooze as Bubba Watson won by three shots in 2018, and Chez Reavie won by four shots in 2018.  In 2022, Xander Schauffele shot 63 and 63 in the first two days and hugged out to win by two shots over J.T. Poston and Sahith Theegala, who could have had a playoff but made a double bogey on the last hole.  Last year, Keegan Bradley did something that is unheard of at the Travelers: he won it by three shots

Here is a chart that shows exactly how close tournaments have been in the 70-year history of the Travelers Championship:

• Tournaments tied after 72 holes: 24
• Tournaments won by one shot: 24
• Tournaments won by two shots: 9
• Tournaments won by three shots: 7
• Tournaments won by four shots or more: