The remaining Signature Event of the 2024 season has arrived, as 71 golfers will tee it up at this week’s Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Rory McIlroy won’t be there, as he opted to take a while off following his heartbreaking end on the U.S. Open. But Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Ludvig Åberg shall be. So, too, will defending champion Keegan Bradley, who blistered a smooth course final yr en path to taking pictures 23-under-par, setting a brand new event file within the course of.
But this yr’s course will play a lot firmer and quicker with temperatures hovering within the 90s all through the week. Luckily, this limited-size discipline won’t should endure the pace and problem of Pinehurst No. 2, however the climate will really feel kind of the identical because it did in North Carolina. The Northeast is experiencing a heatwave this week, with warmth advisories extending from the Great Lakes via the Mid-Atlantic and right through New England. That means everybody at TPC River Highlands might want to hydrate, together with the placing surfaces, which is able to flip crisp fairly simply in these situations.
This golf course can also be the shortest one performed on the PGA Tour all season, requiring precision into the greens and an beautiful brief recreation. Get prepared for a birdie barrage, too; though, with this week’s climate, scores probably won’t go as little as they did a yr in the past.
So let’s get to our Staff Picks, with Jeanna Kelly from SB Nation’s NFL site stepping in as our visitor picker this week:
Jack Milko — Staff Writer, Golf
For the third time this season, a Canadian will emerge victorious on the PGA Tour.
I’m going with Corey Conners, recent off a robust tie for ninth on the U.S. Open, to interrupt via on the Travelers Championship and win for the third time on tour. Funny sufficient, Conners received a pair of Valero Texas Opens, in 2019 and 2023, however this time, he lastly wins an occasion outdoors of the Lone Star State.
Last yr, Conners completed in a tie for ninth at TPC River Highlands, taking pictures 4 spectacular rounds within the mid-60s to complete at 17-under. His greatest rating got here on Saturday, when he posted a 5-under 65. But what I like about Conners is that he is without doubt one of the greatest iron gamers on the PGA Tour. He ranks second in strokes gained strategy, sixth in greens in regulation share, and seventh in whole birdies made, as Conners has poured in 253 par-breakers to this point.
The one knock on him is his placing and brief recreation, however each sides confirmed up at Pinehurst No. 2, comparatively talking. Conners ranked twenty eighth in strokes gained across the greens and thirtieth along with his putter ultimately week’s U.S. Open, which featured a number of the most diabolical greens seen wherever on the earth. But better of all, his tie for ninth helped him clinch a spot within the 2024 Olympics, giving him loads of confidence and momentum going into the summer time.
With all of this in thoughts, I imagine the celebs have aligned for Conners to win, particularly on every week when loads of different high gamers mail it in after a grueling main.
DraftKings Odds: +3500
Jeanna Kelley — Associate Director, SB Nation NFL
When I make NFL picks, I think about many components: current efficiency, accidents, climate forecasts, and so forth. Since that is my first time making golf picks, I attempted to observe an identical technique.
Obviously, the simple choose right here could be Scottie Scheffler, who’s as soon as once more the odds-on favourite to win. Prior to the U.S. Open, and relying on that end result, I assumed I’d choose Rory McIlroy, however he’s withdrawn from the Travelers after final week’s fiasco. So I’m truly going with Collin Morikawa this week. He’s been taking part in actually strong golf the previous a number of weeks. His placing hasn’t been a legal responsibility, and finally, these components are going to steer him to a win. It would possibly as properly be this weekend.
DraftKings Odds: +1200
Savannah Richardson — Staff Writer, Golf
I’m going with Ludvig Åberg this week. He tied for twenty fourth final yr, however now he returns to TPC River Highlands with some familiarity with the course.
His recreation is in good kind, however he simply had a bizarre weekend on the U.S. Open, the place two triple bogies stymied him.
But this golf course fits him, given his beautiful iron play. He ranks eleventh on the PGA Tour in strokes gained strategy and ranked fifteenth in that metric final week at Pinehurst No. 2. Luckily for him, TPC River Highlands doesn’t have any greens just like the thirteenth at Pinehurst or as troublesome because the par-4 2nd, so he mustn’t make any extra triples this time round.
I believe he runs away with it.
DraftKings Odds: +1400
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Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be certain to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.
