The Rundown: 2023 Travelers Championship
Need a breather after four late nights of golf on the West Coast? Well that's too damn bad. Just hours after an exciting finish to the grueling US Open test at LACC, the PGA TOUR is 'Traveling' cross-country for a showdown in Cromwell, CT. Many of these pros could use a break after last week, but an elevated $20 million purse has enticed 23 of the world's top 30, including the newest major champion and definitely-hungover Wyndham Clark. Players and bettors alike will hope to cash in on the last designated event of the season with purses staying shy of $20 mil from here until the FedEx Cup Playoffs in August. Here's everything you need to know to cash some tickets this week at the 2023 Travelers Championship.
course notes & quotes
TPC River Highlands has played host to the PGA TOUR event now known as the Travelers since 1984. Originally designed in 1928 by Robert Ross and Maurice Kearny, the modern version of the par-70 layout is the result of a major renovation in the 80's from Pete Dye.
At 6,842 yards, TPC River Highlands is the shortest course on this year's PGA TOUR schedule. As a result, this event typically yields easier scoring for a par-70. Over the last 10 years, the average winning score is a hair better than 15-under-par, and the leaderboards reflect the style of golf that this course demands. A healthy mix of bombers and plodders have had success here, but accuracy off the tee and with the short irons and wedges is a must. The bentgrass/poa fairways are wider than average, but a combination of long Kentucky bluegrass and fescue rough punishes any wayward shots, as does the ample water which is very much in play on five holes. Since 2015, missed fairways at TPC River Highlands average a +.42 stroke penalty, and this course ranks top 20 on TOUR in penalty strokes per round at .51.
With even the shortest hitters playing short irons and wedges into most of these bentgrass/poa greens, TPC River Highlands relies on tough pin locations as the main defense. Most approaches will require a risk-reward decision where the prudent play is often not to go flag hunting.
"If you get the ball in play off the tee, there are a lot of holes you can make birdies on, and then there are a few tough holes you're just trying to play smart and make some pars," said 2019 champion Chez Reavie. "It's a great golf course. You've got to shape it both ways. If you hit the ball off-line it can punish you, so it's just a lot of fun to play."
Recent winners have leaned toward length off the tee with the likes of Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson taking the title since 2017, but notable plodders have enjoyed success here as well including Brian Harman and Kevin Kisner, who have a combined seven finishes of T15 or better over that span.
Stay On Target
“If you get the ball in play off the tee, there are a lot of holes you can make birdies... [but] if you hit the ball off-line, it can punish you.”
— 2019 Travelers Champion Chez Reavie
Course history
As one of the longest-running venues on the PGA TOUR, there's no shortage of course history to lean on at TPC River Highlands. In fact, DataGolf ranks it inside the top 10 most-predictive courses on TOUR. Here are a few notes and numbers to keep in mind when handicapping this week's action.
Off the Tee
As the shortest course on the TOUR schedule, TPC River Highlands is obviously a nice reprieve for the shorter hitters. In addition to the length, many forced layups help balance the scales toward shorter players as well. Of the 57 players to finish T10 or better over the last five years, only 18 ranked in the top 10 in driving distance for the week.
Tee to Green
These greens at TPC River Highlands are on the smaller side at an average of 5,000 square feet. Couple that with tricky pin locations where a miss on the wrong side leaves a tough downhill putt, and these players have a real challenge on their hands. Fortunately for them, they'll be hitting a wedge or short iron more often than not. At last year's event, 68.6% of approach shots came from inside 175 yards.
Around the Green
The going will be tough around the greens for these guys. TPC River Highlands ranks behind only Augusta National among perennial TOUR stops in strokes-gained difficulty around the green. A mix of tight fairway lies, thick rough and lurking hazards make chipping and pitching around these greens treacherous. So while these players will have the benefit of hitting shorter clubs on approach, the penalty for missing these greens from in close is severe.
Betting picks & plays
Alas, the return to glory for Rickie Fowler was not meant to be last week, but he and Tommy Fleetwood did just well enough to cash some nice T10/T20 tickets at LACC. There are plenty of big names to choose from in this week's elevated field, but I'm leaning toward hot players who have a good record in this event. As always, be sure to check out the Tour Junkies Blog for more picks and insight from the rest of the gang, including DB's Big Balls Betting Card, which might feature some of these picks as well. With that said, here are some names and numbers I like at the Travelers.
Tom Kim (+3500, T10: +350, T20: +160)
It's hard to make a case that one of the OWGR top 10 won't win this week, but when looking at some long shots, my eye was immediately drawn to Tom Kim. Maybe it's recency bias coming off his T8 at LACC that featured a front-nine 29 on Saturday, but I think TPC River Highlands should suit his game nicely. While this is his first-ever start at this event, the emphasis on accuracy off the tee and approach over brute force sounds like a perfect fit. He ranks eighth on TOUR in SG: APP so far this season, and he's been uber-consistent off the tee, ranking fourth in driving accuracy and 14th in total driving.
Russell Henley (+3500, T10: +350, T20: +160)
Russell Henley should always be top of mind for golf bettors on setups like we'll see at TPC River Highlands. He, along with basically every golfer out of the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs), is the prototype accuracy-over-power player. Henley has made a long and successful PGA TOUR career out of hitting fairways and greens, and he's continued to do so this year. He won at Mayakoba earlier this season and has strung together a nice run of results as of late with top-20 finishes in seven of his last eight starts. His record at the Travelers is similarly good with three top 20s in five starts going back to 2016.
Harris English (+4500, T10: +450, T20: +200)
I can't believe I haven't featured a Georgia Bulldog on the card until this week, so I may as well double down with my alma mater. I could honestly make a case for having a Dawgs-only card complete with Harman, Kisner, Kieth Mitchell and Chris Kirk, but I'll limit myself to just two. Harris English battled to a T8 finish last week at LACC where he led the field in SG: Putting. Sure, you could call it a fluke in what has been a slightly disappointing season for the former Ryder Cupper, but the signs of a return to form have been there over the last few months. He has six top-15 finishes going back to Riviera in February, including a T2 at Bay Hill and a T3 at Quail Hollow. He also loves this event, having won here back in 2021.
Meet the Author:
Nate Moore
A Georgia native, proud UGA alum and former media guy for Augusta National, the only thing Nate Moore loves more than the Peach State is a Top-20 parlay. Nate is a golf-obsessed sportswriter/journalist who brings his experience in the golf industry to the Tour Junkies brand.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and commentary in this post belong to its author and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.