Travelers Championship Preview

travelers championship golf

The 2020 Travelers Championship is the 3rd event without fans in attendance, which is a big difference from what is usually seen here. This also is the 3rd week in a row for golfers to be playing on a Pete Dye course, which is typically a shorter course with less scoring opportunities, but includes danger all around. A pretty star studded field is committed to play this week so, whether you are a bettor or a DFS fantasy golf player, you will have a lot of good choices to make your picks from.

The Travelers Championship has been a mainstay on the PGA Tour since 1952, starting out as the Insurance City Open. Many decades later, many name changes later, and many different spots on the PGA schedule, the Travelers is still going and has always been highly supported by many of the best golfers on the Tour.

One of the more popular events on the PGA calendar, it is 2nd in fan attendance behind the Waste Management Phoenix Open with roughly 300,000 fans coming out each year. Played at the TPC River Highlands since 1984, the course isn’t long and makes it tough to post low scores, although in 2016 Jim Furyk shot a PGA Tour record 58 on it – the first ever 58! With a tough last four holes playing around a four acre lake, there is no shortage of excitement all four rounds.

Tournament Info

  • Date – June 25th to 28th, 2020
  • Prize Pool – $7,400,000
  • First Place – $1,332,000
  • Field Size – 156
  • FedEx Cup Points – 500

The Course - TPC River Highlands

Found halfway between New Haven Connecticut and Hartford, the TPC River Highlands will be the third Pete Dye course played in a row since the Covid-19 break in schedule. Although there are a few other designers of the course over the years, it bears the typical Pete Dye signature short course with lots of challenges. Holes 15-17 are played around a lake and offer up some historically exciting finishes.

At 6,841 yards, this is a course that both short game experts and big hitters can do well on as long as they hit the fairway and avoid the trouble off the tee. Big hitters usually club down at TPC River Highlands, but can still shorten the course if they stay accurate. Most of the time, players have a conservative approach at this course, but there are some that will try to overpower it, especially on the front 9 which is more forgiving for misses off the tee. There are water hazards in play on five of the holes, but historically not a high scoring average on those holes which tells us water isn’t a huge concern.

PGA Tour – TPC River Guide

TPC River Highland Facts

  • Location – Cromwell, CT
  • Par = 70
  • Yards = 6841
  • Private Club
  • Course Designed By: Pete Dye

  • Course Record – 58 (Jim Furyk, 2016)

tpc river highlands course.

The Field for 2020

The official Travelers Championship field is all set and it will be another star studded event as 34 of the Top 50 players have committed in 2020.  Here are the notable golfers playing:

Top 50 Ranked

Rory McIlroy
Jon Rahm
Justin Thomas
Brooks Koepka
Dustin Johnson
Patrick Reed
Patrick Cantlay
Webb Simpson
Xander Schauffele
Bryson DeChambeau
Justin Rose
Marc Leishman
Tony Finau
Gary Woodland
Louis Oosthuizen
Sungjae Im
Shane Lowry
Paul Casey
Matthew Fitzpatrick
Collin Morikawa
Abraham Ancer
Daniel Berger
Kevin Na
Danny Willett
Billy Horschel
Kevin Kisner
Cameron Smith
Chez Reavie
Sergio Garcia
Bubba Watson
Matt Wallace
Rafa Cabrera Bello
Graeme McDowell
Scottie Scheffler

Other Notable Names

Byeong Hun An
Corey Conners
Jason Day
Jim Furyk
Viktor Hovland
Zach Johnson
Jason Kokrak
Phil Mickelson
Joaquin Niemann
Vijay Singh
Brandt Snedeker
Harold Varner III

Past History / Winners

Billy Casper won the tournament four times in ten years and then Bubba Watson has three victories over ten years. Only 5 other golfers have multiple wins including Phil Mickelson who won back to back in 2001 and 2002.

Previously known as the "Insurance City Open", this event played a part in Arnold Palmer's rise to golf stardom. Palmer won his 2nd PGA event here and it was his first win on American Soil back in 1956.

Here are the past 10 winners of the Travelers Championship:

2019 – Chez Reavie
2018 – Bubba Watson
2017 – Jordan Spieth
2016 – Russell Knox
2015 – Bubba Watson

2014 – Kevin Streelman
2013 – Ken Duke
2012 – Marc Leishman
2011 – Freddie Jacobson
2010 – Bubba Watson

Travelers Championship Betting Preview

If you are looking for guys to bet on for the Travelers Championship, I would look at guys that play well on Pete Dye courses. Even though it’s a short course (one of the shortest on tour), past winners have ranged in style, so don’t judge just by how far they can hit the ball. The big drivers will need to club down, so look for players with accuracy off the tee to contend this week. Also, focus on who has played the last two weeks and how well they played – the last two tournaments were both Pete Dye courses as well, and betting on a guy that has played well the last 2 weeks could be a big key to winning this week.

Bubba Watson would be the Horse-for-the-course this week with 3 wins in the last 10 years, but other guys can also be considered a solid bet…For example, Paul Casey has had finishes of: 5-2-5-17-2 in the last 5 years at the Travelers.

Travelers Bet Tip:  
Look at the weather leading up to the tournament. June can be hot and humid or wet and damp and that has an effect on the course conditions and how players will approach their shots. Big hitters could be at an advantage if the course is wet, being able to outdrive the short hitters that won’t get the long bounces that come on a dried out course.

Betting Odds

Odds have not been released yet for the 2020 tournament.  They should be posted once the field starts getting confirmed.

Travelers Championship Fantasy Preview

For a short course with only two Par 5s there is usually still some scoring throughout the week. For making DFS fantasy golf picks you will want to look at some key stats like Par 4 Scoring, Greens in Regulation and Strokes Gained on Approach. When playing a short course, I tend to focus on the Strokes Gained stat since many of the second shots will be the same distance so you want to lean on guys that are most accurate with their approach shots.

In addition to the above mentioned Bubba Watson and Paul Casey, Patrick Cantlay should be looked at as well with his back to back T15 finishes…and as an amateur he also shot a 60 at TPC River Highlands. Aside from those names, there isn’t a “style” of golfer to look at to win the Travelers Championship. If you are looking at picks for DraftKings and FanDuel, look for the guys that are good all-around ball strikers that are average or better than average in all categories, not just good at one. A balanced week is what it takes to win here.

Most Common Questions

Here is the most commonly asked questions when it comes to the Travelers Championship golf tournament.

Where Is The Travelers Championship Being Held?

The Travelers is played at TPC River Highlands golf course which is located in Cromwel, Connecticut.  The event has been sponsored by St. Paul’s Travelers since 2008.

How Much Does The Winner Get?

The winner of the Travelers Championship gets $1,332,000.  The total prize pool is $7.5M and if you make the cut you earn a cheque. The minimum a player will win for making the cut will be approximately $12,000.

Who Can Win The Travelers Championship?

A few big names had committed early to the Travelers Championship such as Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and three time winner Bubba Watson. These guys will be the odds on favorites to win and would be where the heavy money will lean towards.

Check out our Golf Betting section for more betting tips on the Travelers Championship.

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