What a finish at Pinehurst! It’s hard to congratulate Bryson DeChambeau without feeling such a loss from Rory McIlroy. To miss 2 tap-in putts in the last 3 holes and miss out on a playoff by one stroke, that might go down as one of the biggest chokes in Major history. Rory has been chasing Number 5 for over a decade, and this was his one to lose. And he did exactly that, he lost it. I would imagine Rory will not get much quality sleep from now until teeing off Thursday morning.
Rory and the rest of the PGA’s best will head up for Cromwell, Connecticut for The Travelers Championship. As one of the more historic events on Tour, The Travelers is once again a Signature Event. All of the big names will be making the trip from the U.S. Open, marking a third consecutive week with all of the big guns facing off. The game of golf is beginning to peak as the playoffs come nearer and nearer, and TPC River Highlands will not disappoint!
The Course: TPC River Highlands
To say TPC River Highlands is scorable would be an understatement. The par 70 course only stretches to 6,800 yards, making it the shortest course these golfers will see all year. In recent years, there has certainly been an uptick in success for the further hitters. However, a quick look at some of the past winners will tell you that distance is not required. Sure, the shorter course will make it easier for those who hit it further and will have a wedge in hand on many holes. It’s also, however, very beneficial for the accurate ball-strikers that lack distance.
Given this is the shortest course of the year, the shorter hitters that have to club up on most courses are much more comfortable to play their game at TPC River Highlands. When the likes of Chez Reavie and Brian Harman can succeed here, you know that distance isn’t a must. These shorter hitters can finally feel what it’s like to bomb it, even when they aren’t bombing it. This will all but come down to a pitch and putt competition, demanding 5 to 6 birdies a day to stay in contention. You’ll have to get to the upper teens to win The Travelers Championship. I would suggest targeting golfers with good form in both iron/wedge play and the flat stick.
Best Bets: Travelers Championship
Brian Harman (+3500)
Brian Harman’s historic run last season started here at The Travelers Championship. He followed his runner-up finish with a T9 at the Rocket Mortgage, a T12 at The Scottish Open, and then won by 6 strokes at Royal Liverpool. He’ll be looking to kick into gear to finish the 2024 season similar to 2023’s legacy-making stretch.
TPC River Highlands is the perfect place for Harman to do so. This has been his absolute best course in his career, as he’s had 6 finishes inside the Top 8. That includes 5 of the last 6 years! Considering Harman is in better form than he was coming into TPC River Highlands in 2023, he’s all but guaranteed to be contending on Sunday. The reason for his storied success here is his perfect fit to the course. Harman’s only struggle is with distance, where he typically is 5 to 10 yards shorter than your average Tour player. The rest of his game is elite, so when he’s put on a short course like TPC River Highlands, he thrives.
I think 35-1 is a fair price for Brian Harman considering his decent form and incredible course history and fit. You’d find him in the 50s and 60s in most weeks, but the books know exactly what they’re doing this week. If these odds were any higher, they would get destroyed before they could make a move. I’d say get him at 35-1 while you can because it’s all but guaranteed he’ll be towards the top of the leaderboard on Sunday with much, much lower odds.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+7500)
I will continue to bet on Christiaan Bezuidenhout until the books put some respect on his name. Statistically speaking, Bezuidenhout is without a doubt a Top 15 player in this field. And yet, you’ll find him with the 35th highest odds, right in the middle of the board. This is a complete miss by the oddsmakers.
Similar to Harman, CBez’s only downfall is his lack of distance. He’s a little bit shorter than Harman, but only by a few yards. His driving accuracy is almost always above field average, but his shorter hitting usually results in him losing strokes Off the Tee. If you take the driver out of play, Bezuidenhout has gained strokes against the field in 19 of his 20 events in 2024. This is primarily thanks to his world-class short game, having only lost strokes once in 2024. His approach game is also currently at a career-best, meaning he will fit perfectly in this pitch and putt contest.
The only red flag this week is Bezuidenhout’s history at TPC River Highlands. He’s missed the cut the past 2 seasons, but to be fair, he was nowhere close to having the form he currently has. You can certainly do a lot worse at odds as high as 75-1, and I don’t think I can pass him up once again. With how he’s been playing, it’s only a matter of time before Christiaan Bezuidenhout grabs his first win on Tour. I don’t want to miss it this week!
Andrew Putnam (+25000, Top 10 +1200)
If you’re catching on, there’s a theme I’m looking for this week. Once again, Andrew Putnam fits in the same category as Harman and Bezuidenhout as a strong golfer who only struggles with distance. However, with Andrew Putnam, this disadvantage is even more amplified.
Andrew Putnam has now lost strokes Off the Tee in 13 consecutive events. He’s done so while being above average in Driving Accuracy in 10 of those 13 events. Unfortunately, Harman and Bezuidenhout look like Bryson DeChambeau compared to Putnam, as he typically falls about 20 yards short of the Tour average. With distance taken out of play at TPC River Highlands, the rest of Putnam’s game fits great. His short game is extremely solid almost every week. His approach play comes and goes, but he really thrives 150 yards and in. On longer courses, you’ll see him look like a weak iron player. However, I fully expect to see his wedges shine this week and gain a few strokes on the field approaching the green.
Will Andrew Putnam actually win The Travelers Championship? Most likely not. But that’s why you’re getting such a great price on a guy that, if he will ever win on the PGA Tour, it will be a short course like TPC River Highlands. I also believe there’s a lot of value in his Top 10 chances. At 12-1, you get a golfer that is 4/4 on made cuts on this course, has a hot wedge game, and is someone you know will sink a lot of birdie looks. What more could you ask for at those odds?