This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
The PGA Tour heads all the way across the country this week to Cromwell, Conn., and luckily, many of those who were in attendance at Pebble Beach, have decided to make the trek to the Northeast. Newly minted U.S. Open Champion Gary Woodland will not be one of those making the trek, but you really can't blame him. Woodland put everything he had into his first major win and is much better off just taking a break.
Speaking of that win, what a performance by Woodland, who never really wavered over an entire weekend. Then again, outside of Brooks Koepka, no one put much pressure on him, but when you are leading a major, there's plenty of pressure, even if it's not coming from the competition.
As for this week, we have a lot of course history to lean on, and lean on it we will. There are only a handful of guys with really strong track records here, most notably Bubba Watson, who we'll get to in just a bit.
This Week: Travelers Championship – TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.
Last Year: Bubba Watson shot a final-round 63 on his way to a three-stroke victory over three players, including Paul Casey and J.B. Holmes.
FAVORITES
Brooks Koepka (7-1)
Koepka continues to prove that he's the best major golfer on the planet, but when it comes to "regular" events, he's hit or miss. Essentially, he's human at these non-major events. Koepka's track record here
The PGA Tour heads all the way across the country this week to Cromwell, Conn., and luckily, many of those who were in attendance at Pebble Beach, have decided to make the trek to the Northeast. Newly minted U.S. Open Champion Gary Woodland will not be one of those making the trek, but you really can't blame him. Woodland put everything he had into his first major win and is much better off just taking a break.
Speaking of that win, what a performance by Woodland, who never really wavered over an entire weekend. Then again, outside of Brooks Koepka, no one put much pressure on him, but when you are leading a major, there's plenty of pressure, even if it's not coming from the competition.
As for this week, we have a lot of course history to lean on, and lean on it we will. There are only a handful of guys with really strong track records here, most notably Bubba Watson, who we'll get to in just a bit.
This Week: Travelers Championship – TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.
Last Year: Bubba Watson shot a final-round 63 on his way to a three-stroke victory over three players, including Paul Casey and J.B. Holmes.
FAVORITES
Brooks Koepka (7-1)
Koepka continues to prove that he's the best major golfer on the planet, but when it comes to "regular" events, he's hit or miss. Essentially, he's human at these non-major events. Koepka's track record here is decent, with two top-20s in three starts, but again we have to question whether he'll be motivated and or focused this week.
Patrick Cantlay (11-1)
Cantlay is one guy we don't have to worry about this week as he's proven reliable at both the majors and non-majors this season. Cantlay started slowly last week at Pebble Beach but managed to grind-out a T21 with some fine play on the weekend. His track record here is nothing to write home about, but three of his four starts were prior to 2015 and we all know he's a much better golfer now.
Jordan Spieth (14-1)
Spieth return to form is still a work in progress, but it seems inevitable he'll get back to his previous form at some point – we just can't be sure it will be this season. This might be the best spot to use him this season as his form is decent and he won this event just two seasons ago. Prior to a T65 at Pebble last week, Spieth had posted three consecutive top-10s. Perhaps getting back to a normal venue, under normal conditions is exactly what he needs.
MID-TIER GOLFERS
Paul Casey (20-1)
With the exception of Bubba Watson, no one in the field this week can match Casey's track record at this event. No, Casey has not won this event, but he finished runner-up on two occasions and has three top-5s in four starts. The only start where he missed the top-5 resulted in a T17. Casey obviously has a feel for this course.
Bryson DeChambeau (25-1)
DeChambeau has been a mess for the better part of the last couple months, but I've seen signs in his last two starts that he's on his way back. For DeChambeau, it's only a matter of time before he figures where he's off and when it clicks, he's going to go on another run. Is this the week he regains his old form? It feels like he's might be another week or two away from that moment, but who knows, maybe it clicks in the first round this week and he's back to the DeChambeau from last season.
Bubba Watson (30-1)
It's really simply with Watson this week. If you are a form guy, then no need to even look at Watson, because his form is terrible. If you are a course guy, then you might want to consider Watson as his record here is unmatched. Watson has won this event three times with six top-10s in 12 starts.
LONGSHOTS
Chez Reavie (60-1)
If not for a missed cut at the Charles Schwab, Reavie might have been a sleeper pick for the U.S. Open as he was trending in the right direction. That missed cut put us off his scent, however, and the result was that most, if not all, of us missed out on a great performance. Reavie, playing with Koepka on Sunday, could have easily folded under the pressure, but he was as smooth as can be all day. Reavie ended with a T3, which we could see again this week.
Viktor Hovland (66-1)
Why not, right? We had Hovland listed as a 250-1 longshot last week and while he didn't win, he certainly impressed. I will note, though, that Hovland had plenty of experience at Pebble Beach, something we can't say about him at TPC River Highlands. But if he's as good as we think he is, he'll have a strong start to his pro career. We'll often see these young phenoms start well then struggle when the following season starts. With that in mind, Hovland should be a viable option the next couple months.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Highly Owned Pick: Paul Casey - There have been plenty of good spots to use Casey already, but if he's still available he'll likely will be used this week. Casey's track record here is outstanding and while there are some big names in the field this week, many are not in peak form. Koepka is, but he has other issues that concern me. Casey is a great play this week.
Moderately Owned Pick: Bubba Watson - Opinions on Watson likely will be split this week. For those who still have him available, though, this is probably the last spot to use him. Sure, it's tough to use someone who is not playing well, but Bubba is a strange cat. Perhaps he just needs the good vibes of TPC River Highlands to get him out of this funk.
Lightly Owned Pick: Chez Reavie - Reavie was in close proximity to all the drama last Sunday at the U.S. Open, but he didn't get much screen time as he never made a serious run at the leader. That said, he never fell off either, which is quite a feat in itself. Reavie's track record here leaves a lot to be desired, which is one reason he'll be lightly owned this week, but his form is solid, which makes him a good pick this week.
Buyer Beware: Justin Thomas - JT's struggles continued last week as he missed the cut at the U.S. Open. JT has struggled with both his game and with injuries this season and it might be a case where he needs an offseason to get right. His track record here is lackluster as well as he's carded just one top-10 in five starts.
Last Week: Jason Day (T21) - $117,598; Season - $6,503,747
This Week: Jordan Spieth - Usually at this point in the season, you have one, maybe two players to choose from, but for some reason, I have four golfers I could potentially use in this spot. Those four are Spieth, DeChambeau, Cantlay and Reavie. I went with Spieth because he probably has more upside than Reavie this week, and both DeChambeau and Cantlay will have more value down the road.
FANDUEL PICKS
High/Mid/Low: Paul Casey ($11,300)/Chez Reavie ($9,900)/Mackenzie Hughes ($8,300)
SURVIVOR PICK
Last Week: Jason Day - (T21); Streak - 1
This Week: Paul Casey - I mentioned there were four golfers I was looking at for my OAD pick this week, and it would have been five if I still had Casey to use, but unfortunately, I do not. On the bright side, I have him available for the Survivor format and he's really a no-brainer in this week.
