This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
Travelers Championship
Cromwell, Connecticut
TPC River Highlands - Par 70 - 6,841 yards
Field - 156 Entrants
Purse - $7M
The Preview
A somewhat surprisingly strong field heads to TPC River Highlands for this week's Travelers Championship following the culmination of 2018's second major at the U.S. Open hosted by what turned out to be a frustrating Shinnecock Hills venue. Several picks from last week's article hit paydirt as Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Dustin Johnson rounded out the top-three, while Tony Finau produced with a fifth-place result out of the "Bargain Bin" for us. This week's loaded field includes five of the Official World Golf Ranking's top-10 and 22 of the top-50. Unlike Shinnecock Hills, power won't be much of an advantage at TPC River Highlands as the par-70 layout stands at just 6,841 yards and features only two par-fives. This places a major emphasis on par-four scoring, SG: Approach and proximity as these players will have plenty of birdie opportunities if their irons and full wedges are dialed in. There's a slight chance of rain early Thursday morning in Cromwell, but probably not enough to worry about factoring the weather into lineup stacks.
Past Champions
2017 - Jordan Spieth
2016- Russell Knox
2015 - Bubba Watson
2014 - Kevin Streelman
2013 - Ken Duke
2012 - Marc Leishman
2011 - Fredrik Jacobsen
2010 - Bubba Watson
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Justin Thomas - $17,600
Thomas sandwiched a pair of missed cuts at the Travelers in 2017 and 2015 with a T3 in 2016, so his course history is a bit of a conundrum. The No. 2 player in the OWGR has finished top-25 in 14 consecutive starts since last year's TOUR Championship, while he currently ranks second in SG: Tee-to-Green, fifth in birdie average, 11th in scrambling and fifth in par-four scoring average.
Patrick Reed - $17,000
What would have been the Green Jacket winner's second straight major win was in reach on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills when Reed tied for the lead during the final round, but he faltered late and ultimately finished solo-fourth. He'll be motivated get back into contention at TPC River Highlands this week, where he's finished T5-T11 the past two years.
Daniel Berger - $15,800
Berger should be a popular pick this week thanks to his track record at the event, finishing 2-T5 in his first two trips to TPC River Highlands. Following a recent stretch of poor finishes (MC-T57-T55), Berger bounced back with his best career finish at a major by placing T6 at the U.S. Open.
Glue Guys
Charley Hoffman - $15,100
Hoffman's last five voyages to TPC River Highlands have included results of T3-T25-T26-T7-T2. That nears him toward horse-for-the-course territory, while he's also seventh on Tour in proximity from 125-150 yards out.
Russell Henley - $14,200
Henley grabbed a first-round share of the U.S. Open lead before slowly falling into a tie for 25th, though his long game remained fairly steady while the putter ultimately failed him. He finished T11 during his Travelers debut in 2016, while he's top-45 on Tour in both GIR percentage and birdie average.
Emiliano Grillo - $14,100
Remaining without a win since 2015, the 31st-ranked player in the FedExCup standings is due for a breakthrough at some point in the near future. He missed the cut on the number at last week's U.S. Open, but had finished top-25 in five of his previous six starts heading into Shinnecock Hills. The Argentinian ranks 10th in driving accuracy, 17th in GIR percentage, 11th in SG: Putting and 17th in birdie average. There have been a minimal amount of flaws in his game this season.
Bargain Bin
Brendan Steele - $13,800
Steele's finished no worse than T25 throughout the past five straight years at the Travelers Championship, most recently placing T14 in 2017. He hasn't posted a top-25 since the WGC-Mexico Championship, but made the cut on a tough track at Shinnecock Hills last week. He's 11th on Tour in GIR percentage, 35th in birdie average and 27th in par-four scoring.
Chez Reavie - $13,300
Reavie has made the cut in six consecutive trips to TPC River Highlands, while the 50th-ranked player in the OWGR finished T6 in his penultimate start at the St. Jude Classic prior to his MC at the U.S. Open. He sits fourth on Tour in driving accuracy, 34th in SG: Approach and ninth in par-four scoring average.
Dylan Meyer - $11,200
The former Big Ten Player of the Year from the University of Illinois did not disappoint in his debut as a professional, placing T20 at the U.S. Open during what was also his first career major tournament appearance. He ranked top-four among the field in both SG: Putting and putts per GIR at Shinnecock Hills, while also tying for fifth in terms of birdies made throughout the week.
