Travelers Championship 2020 picks and predictions

Abraham Ancer lost by just one stroke at last weekend's RBC Heritage, but he's been dialed in as of late and looks like a great value play at TPC River Highlands.

Jun 24, 2020 • 06:55 ET
Abraham Ancer tees off at the RBC Heritage.
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

Another week, and another exciting finish, on the PGA Tour has shown those who are trying out the sport for the first time what makes golf betting so great.

The PGA Tour returns with another loaded field for the Travelers Championship, which is set to tee off Thursday, June 25 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

We’ll be treated to the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau teeing it up at TPC River Highlands. We preview the field, break down the course and give our golf picks, predictions and best bets for the Travelers Championship odds.

TPC River Highlands betting stats that matter

We’ve talked the last two weeks about how short Colonial and Harbour Town are. Well, TPC River Highlands tops them both. The Travelers Championship plays as a 6,841-yard par 70 with bentgrass. So, this may sound like a broken record, but ball striking will be paramount once again and continue to look at strokes gained: approach.

But with wider fairways, strokes gained: tee-to-green will be added to the mix, so expect to see some really low scores with this stacked field (nine of the Top 11 ranked golfers in the world are here), who should be able to attack this course. Don't be surprised to see a winning score at least in the high teens. The course record is held by Jim Furyk, who shot a 58 in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship.

Travelers Championship outright winner bets

We have three co-favorites with Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau at +1,100. So Rory isn’t the sole favorite for once, but the odds still aren’t great. JT is the best ball-striker of the bunch, but maybe look to see if one of them gets off to a slow start and jump on them mid-tourney. For now, here are a few players with a bit more value.

Note: Brooks Koepka was originally a pick here, but has withdrawn from the Travelers Championship due to his caddie testing positive for COVID-19. Sportsbooks will refund this wager.

Dustin Johnson +2,200

With the likes of Brooks Koepka and Webb Simpson both withdrawing from the tournament, we’ve got to re-evaluate the betting board. I was debating between Koepka and Johnson before writing the article originally, so we’re jumping back on board with DJ. Johnson essentially had one bad hole during the RBC Heritage and even then, he still posted a 15-under tournament score, which could easily have won in other years. Like Koepka, his game is built to attack TPC River Highlands.

 

Abraham Ancer +3,300

Ancer was oh-so-close to his first career PGA Tour victory last weekend, shooting what would have been a 72-hole tournament record 21-under par if not for Webb Simpson. Despite falling one stroke short, Ancer should be pumped about his game. He’s dialed in right now, and it seemed like he was throwing darts at the pin all week at Harbour Town. His last three rounds were 64, 65, 65 and he ranks 26th on Tour in stokes gained: tee-to-green. Like we said last week, if Ancer doesn’t win this tournament, his first victory isn’t far off.

Joaquin Niemann +4,000

While we’re updating this article, let’s add Niemann in there as well. 2020 has been a breakout year for the 21-year-old Chilean with a win and three Top-10 finishes, including a T5 last week. Just some quick reasons to like Niemann this week: Four of his last seven rounds have been 65 or lower. He is a dynamic ball striker, ranking 16th in SG: approach and 21st in SG: tee-to-green. He finished fifth here last year and leads the field in true strokes gained. Sign me up at this price.

Travelers Championship matchup predictions

Jordan Spieth over Kevin Kisner -125

Oh, another dreaded Saturday for Jordan Spieth. After playing reasonably well through the first two rounds of the RBC Heritage, Saturday came and he shot an ugly 75 to knock him out of contention. That said, six of his eight rounds, since the PGA Tour restarted, have been in the red. Another reason to like Spieth here is that this is another course he’s won at before, taking the 2017 Travelers Championship, and he has +1.03 true strokes gained in 10 rounds here. On top of that, Kisner just isn’t in his best form: he’s coming off a missed cut and his key stats for TPC River Highlands just don’t add up.

 

Travelers Championship prop bets

Paul Casey Top-10 Finish +400

Paul Casey makes his post-shutdown debut this week, and it will be his first appearance since a solo 11th at the WGC-Mexico Championship. But if there’s a course for Casey to come back to, it’s TPC River Highlands. Here are Casey’s results at the Travelers over the last five years: second, 17th, fifth, second and fifth. His scoring average at this course is a ridiculous 67.1, and no one in this field with over four rounds played here has a better true strokes gained. We’ve seen mixed results from golfers making their return, as last week Tyrrell Hatton almost won, while Hideki Matsuyama (who of course I picked) missed the cut. Here’s hoping Casey’s return is more like the former.

Bryson DeChambeau Top 10 Finish +163

I mean, why not?  While “The Incredible Bulk” has also suffered from a pair of disappointing Saturdays each of the past two weeks, his overall play has been very impressive. DeChambeau still leads the Tour in average driving distance and strokes gained: off the tee, and he is seventh in strokes gained: tee-to-green. He has finished fifth, second, fourth, third, and eighth in his last five tournaments, so he's playing well and should be able to really attack this course. Oh, and he has back-to-back Top 10s at the Travelers in the last two years.

6-Player Make-Cut Parlay +376

We needed to adjust this as well with Koepka out. Now, we’re going with: Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Abraham Ancer, Dustin Johnson, Joaquin Neimann and Marc Leishman.

Travelers Championship betting card

  • Dustin Johnson +2,200 (to win)
  • Abraham Ancer +3,300 (to win)
  • Joaquin Niemann +4,000 (to win)
  • Jordan Spieth over Kevin Kisner -125
  • Paul Casey Top 10 Finish +400
  • Bryson DeChambeau Top 10 Finish +163
  • 6-Player Make-Cut Parlay +376 (Thomas, Rose, Ancer, Johnson, Neimann, Leishman)

Where can I bet on golf?

With PGA betting growing in popularity, pretty much all online sportsbooks will offer golf odds for the Travelers Championship. Check out our top listings page for the best sportsbooks available where you live and see what PGA Tour odds they have available.

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