Travelers Championship Picks and Predictions: Look for Patrick Cantlay, Adam Svensson to Contend

Travelers Championship Picks and Predictions: Look for Patrick Cantlay, Adam Svensson to Contend

Coming off a thrilling week at the U.S. Open, the PGA Tour heads just down to road to Cromwell, Connecticut for the Travelers Championship. This event has been a staple on the PGA Tour since 1984, and despite the difficult task of following up a major, it always seems to deliver. The Travelers generally attracts a strong field, and this week is no different with seven of the top-12 players in the official world golf rankings making the trip from Boston. Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, and both U.S. Open runner-up finishers, Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris, will all be in attendance this week at TPC River Highlands.

Travelers Championship Course Preview

TPC River Highlands

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TPC River Highlands is truly one of the most unique courses on the PGA Tour. Tipping out to only 6,814 yards on the scorecard, the iconic Pete Dye design is the shortest course on Tour that players will face all season. On paper, TPC River Highlands looks like a course that PGA Tour pros would tear up, but a winning score between 12 and 19-under par is generally all that's required to claim victory in Hartford. TPC River Highlands continues to stand up to the best in the world despite its less than imposing length, which further speaks to the unique and visually deceptive architecture of Dye. It all features thick Kentucky Blue-grass rough, and some of the smallest greens on the PGA Tour.

There is no clear, singular formula at TPC River Highlands. Chez Reavie, Kevin Streelman, Ken Duke, and Freddie Jacobson all ranked inside the top 15 in driving accuracy en route to victory. All of the aforementioned players are shorter, more accurate hitters that were able to plot their way around the golf course via finding fairways and elite middle to short iron play. We've also seen Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson (three times) win here ranking outside the top-50 in driving accuracy, and bombing and gauging their way to success. Both styles of play are completely viable at TPC River Highlands. Ultimately, I will primarily be targeting players who are strong off the tee in either distance or accuracy, possesses above-average short irons, and improve their baseline on shorter, positional golf courses.

Travelers Championship Picks

TPC River Highlands Key Stats

• Proximity from 125-175 yards
• Opportunities Gained
• Good Drive Percentage

Let's dig into my predictions and outright Travelers Championship picks without further ado.

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Travelers Championship Picks and Predictions - Outright Winner

Patrick Cantlay (+1500) (Bet $100 to Win $1500)

*Odds available at FanDuel at time of publishing*

In terms of what I am looking for in a buy candidate, Patrick Cantlay had the perfect week. The U.S. Open is the most physically and emotionally grueling tournament of the year, and I have my concerns about this being a potential letdown spot for those that were in the heat of the battle, such as Will Zalatoris, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy. Cantlay, on the other hand, recorded an extremely quiet 14th-place finish. He posted a number early on Sunday morning and watched his name rise up the leaderboard as the afternoon wore on. What I love most about Cantlay is that he improved as the week went on, culminating in an impressive Sunday where he gained over three strokes on the field and led all players in strokes gained off the tee. The World No. 4 now returns to the golf course where he made his professional debut, all the way back in 2011. In his last four starts here, he has failed to finish worse than 15th, and the last time he got a crack at a shorter, positional Pete Dye track, he finished runner-up at the RBC Heritage. I expect Cantlay to build off his momentum at Brookline and be firmly in the mix come Sunday afternoon.

Adam Svensson (+25000) (Bet $100 to win $25,000)

*Odds available at DraftKings at time of publishing*

Adam Svensson is a young, talented player that has been on my radar all season, and TPC River Highlands feels like a perfect spot for his breakthrough. The Canadian is an extremely accurate driver of the ball, possesses an above-average short game, and is one of the best players in the field from 125-175 yards, where nearly 50% of the approach shots at TPC River Highlands come from. He's coming off a 21st-place finish at the RBC Canadian Open, on another tree-lined course with thick rough, small greens, and similar agronomy, where he gained strokes in all four major categories, including 4.3 ball-striking. The two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner already recorded Top-10s this season at both the Sony Open and Honda Classic, to go along with Top-40s at the Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Heritage. Notice a theme here? Svensson tends to do his best work on shorter, positional golf courses, which makes all the sense in the world when diving into his statistical profile. TPC River Highlands is right up his alley, and I imagine he will rise to the occasion.

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