The PGA Tour only moves about 100 miles from Shinnecock Hills, the site of last week’s bizarre U.S. Open, to TPC River Highlands, for the 2018 Travelers Championship. Jordan Spieth returns as defending champion — but also in the wake of a missed cut at the U.S. Open. Justin Thomas, winner of the FedExCup, and Patrick Reed, the defending Masters champion, are also in the field, which contains eight of the world’s top 15. Jim Furyk, captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, scored a 58 here two years ago, the first ever on the PGA Tour, and he returns to compete this weekend as well. Will Spieth join Phil Mickelson as the only back-to-back winners at the Travelers Championship? Or will we see another surprise winner? Take a look at our golf betting preview for this week’s PGA extravaganza.
2018 Travelers Championship Betting Preview
Marc Leishman offers value odds at +2800. He was the runner-up at the AT&T Byron Nelson, but his other four finishes lately have been less than impressive. He did win the Travelers Championship six years ago and cracked the top ten in 2016, and he has four top-20 finishes in his last six tournaments here. There are some times when the week after a major features some lethargy among the main contenders, and a dark horse can step up and take the big check. Given Leishman’s success on this course, and given the value in his moneyline, he’s worth considering.
C.T. Pan would be a real dark horse pick for you, as he offers +9000 odds. He has two consecutive top-20 finishes and has made every cut since the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He ranks eighth on the tour in greens in regulation percentage and 21st in driving accuracy percentage, and his golf right now is as consistent as it has been in the last couple of seasons. He has never won at the Travelers but has an average finish of 16th in two attempts. If you like having a big value moneyline on your card, he’s definitely one to think about.
Charley Hoffman has missed two cuts in his last four tournaments but did make it into the top 25 at a difficult U.S. Open, and he tends to put strong performances together. At the Travelers Championship last year, he came in third, and he has finished in the top 25 in four of his last five tournaments here. At the TPC at River Highlands, he has three top-10 finishes in his last five starts. So at a +4000 moneyline, the value on a Hoffman wager is solid.
Daniel Berger was another golfer who is down the odds list for this tournament (+4000) but who has played well lately, fighting for a sixth-place finish at the U.S. Open and (at one point) pushing close to the top of the leader board himself. When he makes the cut, he typically does well, and at the Travelers Championship he has two consecutive top-five finishes, including finishing as the runner-up in 2017. He has two career victories on the PGA Tour, and this could be an excellent place for him to grab his third.
Paul Casey comes in at +1800 odds for this tournament despite six top-20 finishes in his last seven tournaments, and three finishes in the top 20 at the Travelers Championship, including runner-up three years ago. Based on that history, he should be one of the favorites on the odds list, so he’s offering a lot of value right now.
Bubba Watson has finished in the top ten in five of his last 11 stars, including a runner-up and two championships. He has played well at TPC River Highlands in the past and looks to be competing at an elite level after two difficult years.
