Let’s take a quick trip down the road for this week’s PGA Tour stop.
The Tour, fresh off its third major of the year with Matthew Fitzpatrick winning the U.S. Open, has packed everything up and hit the road.
The planes, trains and automobiles (OK, maybe no trains) have traveled just over 100 miles from Brookline, Mass., to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., for this week’s Travelers Championship.
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And while last week was a major, this week’s event won’t lack for star power as is often the case after a big event.
In fact, looking at the numbers this is going to be tough for bettors as 24 of the top 50 players in the world rankings will be teeing it up. But now comes the tough part. Will those big names be focused this week?
Last week (and the weeks prior) likely took a lot out of those high up in the world rankings who gear up for the majors. They may have played one or two weeks prior to the U.S. Open to make sure their games were in top form.
Now, with the fourth major–the Open Championship–right around the corner in mid-July, some of them have to take a break when they can. This doesn’t appear to be that week and the Connecticut golf fans will be thrilled with the stars on hand.
There is also a silver lining as those looking to get their foot in the door on the PGA Tour will get the chance this week with a few open spots to be filled. Korn Ferry players and those who are trying to make a comeback will be prevalent in this week’s field looking to cash in on the big stage.
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Odds To Win The Travelers Championship (DraftKings)
Rory McIlroy +900
Scottie Scheffler +900
Justin Thomas +1000
Patrick Cantlay +1400
Sam Burns +1800
Jordan Spieth +2000
Xander Schauffele +2000
Seamus Power +2800
Keegan Bradley +2800
As always, shop around the sports betting industry for the best odds on your plays.
It’s Always A Numbers Game
The top-50 players in the field this week are all near the top of the oddsboard. But, and here’s the big question this week, how motivated will they be to win? After all, many are coming off not winning the U.S. Open (except Fitzpatrick). And in some cases, not even making the cut last week.
And we have more questions: Will they be ready this week to win or will they just be going through the motions? Yes, like regular jobs, sometimes workers put out enough effort to get through a work week but nothing more to stand out…or in the case of professional golfers, win.
Here’s one more: Will one of those up-and-coming players who get into the field because some of those in the top-50 are sitting out this week pick up his first PGA Tour win?
Let’s take a look.
Fading the No. 1 Player in the World
That would be Scottie Scheffler. At +900, he’s the co-favorite with Rory McIlroy.
Where the two differ is Scheffler is No. 1 in the world rankings as well as the FedEx Cup standings. There’s no reason to doubt he should be in contention.
He’s coming off a T-2 last week and was in the hunt until the very end as usual. But we are going to put the cash back in our pocket as we aren’t going to back him this week.
Wait, we’ve got great reasons. There’s a chance he’s got to be a little worn down from the Sunday charge he put on in getting to that T-2 finish at the U.S. Open. That’s reason No. 1.
Reason No. 2 is he hasn’t had success here. Well, not yet anyway. He missed the cut here two years ago and was T-47 last year. Now, for a guy who has won as much as he has and been in competition seemingly every week, this doesn’t add up to a winning formula.
Now he may go out and prove us wrong and win, and we certainly wouldn’t be surprised.
Thinking Outside the Box
We’re going to go with a guy who has been struggling since the calendar changed to 2022 but who has great memories at this venue.
Marc Leishman, at +5000, looks like a great value here. He was solo third here last year and polished off the week with a 64 in the final round.
To help justify our backing of him, he is coming in off a solid week at the U.S. Open (T-14 that included a final-round 68 that moved him up 19 spots) so he’s heading in the right direction.
And last year, before his solo third finish, he wound up T-64 in the U.S. Open and wasn’t coming into the Travelers Championship with much momentum at all.
This year he’s got lots of momentum.
One for Those Looking to Back a Favorite
We aren’t going to abandon the players near the top of the oddsboard, but we are going to drop down a few spots and look at Sam Burns. At +1800, he’s near the top of the oddsboard but still provides a good price.
Since the first week of March, Burns has two victories, a second, a T-4 and a T-9. He was T-27 last week at the U.S. Open after a final-round 76 took him down the leaderboard.
But the last time he had a less-than-average final round (an even-par 72 at the PGA Championship where he wound up T-20), he bounced back with a victory the next week at the Charles Schwab.
Can lightning strike twice? We think it’s possible.
Around the Props Scene
We’re going to go with just one prop this week, a top-10 finisher with Denny McCarthy at +500.
He wound up T-7 at the U.S. Open, which is nothing short of a miracle after rallying to make the cut on the number. Back-to-back 68s on the weekend saw him shoot up the leaderboard.
He’s coming off back-to-back top-10s, and there’s no reason to think he’s not playing as well as the big boys right now.
Also read: Open Championship Betting Guide
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