Written by @Matt_Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
The Travelers Championship | Thursday 19 June – Sunday 22 June | TPC River Highlands
This week the PGA Tour will head to TPC River Highlands in Connecticut for the Travelers Championship. The course has hosted this event since 1984 so course experience will be a key factor to look at when trying to find a winner and there is a wealth of information in that regard available. The course itself plays fairly easy and is one of the shortest on the Tour, but with only two par 5s, players will have to take advantage of the par 4s if they want to go low. Last year’s instalment of the tournament was a heated affair and most golf fans will remember seeing a side of Bubba Watson they don’t witness all that often, as he berated his caddie after the tournament for his hand in a shocking meltdown on the last three holes which saw him throw away his chance of winning, opening the door for first time winner Ken Duke. Scores here average around -14 so expect a lot of birdies and some great iron play. Will Bubba manage to overcome the heartache he faced last year and repeat the performance he put in in 2010, or will we see another first time winner this time around? Let’s have a look.
To Win Outright
Matt Kuchar 12/1
Bubba Watson 12/1
Jason Day 14/1
Dustin Johnson 14/1
Sergio Garcia 22/1
VALUE BETS
Graham Delaet (40/1 a win, 88/10 a place)
Last week Graham Delaet looked like he ticked a lot of boxes in the US Open, which favoured players who are accurate with their irons and solid with the putter. Unfortunately Pinehurst got the better of him and a lot of punters were left scratching their heads as he missed the cut. Despite that poor showing he has been in a rich vein of form so far this season and should be able to overcome his disappointment last week and put in a big performance here. Whilst his current form is great, he has great course form and led the way here last year until the final round, during which he relinquished his lead and ended up in a respectable third. Each way on Delaet is the bet for me this week.
Freddie Jacobson (40/1 a win, 88/10 a place)
Freddie Jacobson looks like the kind of player who will be making a lot of birdies this week and if he does, he will certainly be in the mix come Sunday. He currently ranks eighth on Tour in strokes gained putting and is no slouch with his irons either. He’s one of the best from 125-150 yards out and on a course this short that will be a key stat for anyone looking to win here. With some solid form under his belt this season, Jacobson looks a good bet this week and at 40/1 you can’t go wrong. Get on!
Ryan Moore (33/1 a win, 66/10 a place)
Ryan Moore loves this course and is almost a certainty to finish inside the Top 10 this week. So far in his career he’s recorded five Top 15s and three Top 10s here and with his game the way it is at the moment, there’s no reason he can’t go even closer this time around. Last year he came close when he managed a seventh and in 2011 he came even closer when he finished second. Four Top 10s so far this season show he’s due a win or at least a Top 5 finish so each way on Moore is the bet for me.
TOP BET: Charley Hoffman (40/1 a win, 88/10 a place)
Charley Hoffman has one of the best all around games on the Tour and loves this course, making him my best bet for the week. Deadly accurate with his irons, he’s also solid off the tee and should be looking forward to playing on a course that will reward both of those strengths. His performances here over the past two years show his game is perfectly suited to this course and a T7 last year was preceded by a second in 2012. He could go one better this year and at 40/1 looks like a great value bet. Here’s hoping he finally secures that elusive win at TPC River Highlands.
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