Travelers Championship 2024: Favorite Outright Bets, Long Shot Picks

The Travelers Championship 2024 begins on Thursday, June 20, at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. The Travelers falls the week after the U.S. Open for the second consecutive season but has again been designated as the final Signature Event of 2024.

TPC River Highlands is the shortest course featured on the schedule, stretching just 6,855 yards with Bentgrass/Poa Annua fairways and greens. After the winning score reached 23-under here last year, the fairways were narrowed in a bit and the Kentucky Bluegrass rough was grown to 4.5 inches to persuade players to shy away from the bomb-and-gauge strategy. The track also consists of 69 sand bunkers, five holes with water hazards, 12 par-4s (ten shorter than 450 yards), and the sixth-smallest green complexes on Tour. All player types can compete at TPC River Highlands with the course's lack of distance, making strong wedge play and a red-hot putter two of the biggest keys to victory this week.

With one last $20 million purse on the line this season, 17 of the top 20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking made the trip from Pinehurst to New England, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, and Ludvig Aberg. Max Homa, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala, and defending champion Keegan Bradley are also part of the 69-player field.

Related: Travelers Championship 2024: Course & Field Preview, Key Stats, + Odds

Last time, Keegan Bradley coasted to his second victory of the season and sixth career PGA Tour title, defeating Brian Harman and Zac Blair by three shots. Bradley began the day one shot ahead of Chez Reavie but extended his lead early with five birdies in the opening 12 holes. Despite making three bogeys down the stretch, Bradley cruised to a tournament record 23-under 257 and became the first New England-born champion since J.J. Henry in 2006.

Let's get into my favorite picks this week at TPC River Highlands!

FAVORITE OUTRIGHTS

Ludvig Aberg (+1500 BetRivers Enhanced)

Outside of a missed cut at the PGA Championship, Aberg hasn't finished outside of the top 25 since the Sony Open in mid-January. The 24-year-old Swedish star has been remarkably consistent since joining the PGA Tour full-time, and I believe TPC River Highlands will fit his skillset marvelously considering the run he's been on lately.

Aberg fell out of contention to win the U.S. Open on Saturday after holding the 36-hole lead, but he still managed to finish T12 last week despite losing over one stroke to the field during the weekend. He's now finished inside the top 20 at the Masters, the U.S. Open, The Memorial, the RBC Heritage, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, THE PLAYERS Championship, and The Genesis Invitational this season. It's abundantly clear he can already hang with the best players in the world.

Among all players in the field this week, Aberg ranks second in SG: Short Courses, third in SG: Easy Conditions, third in Par-4s: 350-400 Yards, third in Proximity 200-225 Yards, fourth in SG: Par-4s, fourth in Scrambling, fifth in SG: Approach, and sixth in SG: Tee To Green over the past 24 rounds. The 2023 RSM Classic winner also ranks eighth in Proximity 150-175 Yards, tenth in Greens In Regulation, and 18th in Birdie or Better Percentage during that same span. He's incredibly balanced in all facets of his game and should be an incredible fit for what TPC River Highlands demands.

Aberg's seventh PGA Tour start came at the Travelers Championship last year, finishing T24 while gaining over four strokes off the tee and nearly five strokes in the short-game categories. What held him back was dropping over three strokes with his irons, but I don't think that will happen again this week. Aberg has lost strokes with his approach shots only twice in 13 starts in 2024, with one occurring way back at The Sentry to kick off the new season.

With all parts of his game seemingly clicking at the moment, I expect Aberg to be in the mix again during the weekend, and I believe this could be his true breakthrough victory to ascend him into superstardom .

Sepp Straka (+4000 BetRivers Enhanced)

Straka had gained over four strokes to the field through 36 holes last week at the U.S. Open before giving it all back and then some during the weekend en route to a T56 finish. The 31-year-old Austrian has gained over two strokes in the ball-striking categories in seven consecutive starts and continues to knock on the door in the biggest events on the PGA Tour.

After a slow start to the 2024 campaign, Straka has found his footing over the past three months since a T16 at THE PLAYERS Championship seemed to change the tides of his season. He's now finished inside the top 16 in seven of his last ten outings, coming T5 at The Memorial, T8 at the Wells Fargo, T5 at the RBC Heritage, and T16 at The Masters. The two-time PGA Tour winner has vaulted up to No. 21 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and I believe it's well justified.

Among all players in the field this week, Straka ranks second in Good Drive Percentage, third in Par-4s: 400-450 Yards, fifth in SG: Approach, fifth in SG: Par-4s, ninth in Greens in Regulation Percentage, 10th in Scrambling, 12th in SG: Tee To Green, 13th in Birdie or Better Percentage, 20th in Par-4s: 350-400 Yards, and 20th in Proximity 150-175 Yards over the past 24 rounds. It's also worth mentioning that Poa Annua green complexes have been Straka's preferred putting surface so far in his career, gaining 0.28 strokes per round on the greens. He ranks 24th in SG: Putting (Poa Annua) entering the week.

It's been a mixed bag of results for Straka in five career appearances at TPC River Highlands, missing the cut three times along with a T10 in 2021. However, he's gained strokes putting here each of the last three years and is now a much-improved iron player than he was in the past. Straka's new-found game should fit this course beautifully, as evidenced by his win last summer at TPC Deere Run (another shorter accuracy-based track). I'm willing to jump back on board at 40/1 odds in what could be a breakout moment for the 2023 European Ryder Cup champion.

LONG SHOT PICKS

Tom Kim (+6000 BetRivers Enhanced)

Tom has been trending in the proper direction since a slow start to his sophomore season, now having racked up four top-30s over his past five starts. The three-time PGA Tour winner is coming off a tremendous week with his irons, as he popped for nearly five strokes to the field on approach en route to a T26 at the U.S. Open.

Kim has only tee'd it up once at TPC River Highlands in his young career, finishing T38 last year while dropping 3.5 strokes in the short-game categories. However, the 21-year-old up-and-comer gained over six strokes ball striking, showing he's plenty comfortable from off the tee and with his irons on this shorter setup. Funny enough, Kim's three Tour victories have each come at shorter courses, winning twice at TPC Summerlin (7,255-yard par 71) and once at Sedgefield Country Club (7,131-yard par 70). Considering he's in tremendous form right now with his ball striking, having gained over 3.5 strokes in that department in four of his last five outings, I'm willing to bet he keeps that form rolling into New England.

Among all players in the field, Kim ranks first in Proximity 125-150 yards, sixth in Par-4s: 400-450 Yards, 12th in SG: Tee To Green, 17th in Proximity 200-225 Yards, 19th in SG: Par-4s, 19th in SG: Around The Green, and 21st in SG: Easy over the past 24 rounds. Shrinking the sample size, Kim also ranks sixth in SG: Approach in the past 12 rounds. With sturdy form with his irons and from key yardage ranges this week, I believe Kim has the mold to separate himself from the pack on this course.

Not only has Kim been making strides from tee to green lately, but he's also improving on the greens following a disastrous first few months of 2024 with the flat stick. Kim has gained strokes putting in six of eight starts entering this week, with notable gains at the RBC Heritage (4.57 strokes), the PGA Championship (1.94 strokes), and the RBC Canadian Open (2.96 strokes). He even gained half a stroke on the lightning-quick surfaces at Pinehurst No. 2, which tells me the South Korean is getting his feel back with the putter. Despite not having a win on a course with Poa Annua Trivialis, it's actually Kim's preferred surface, according to the metrics.

With 60/1 odds at the start of the week, I quickly jumped on Tom given his current form and upside on shorter setups.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+9000 BetRivers Enhanced)

'CBez' continues to play outstanding yet seemingly under-the-radar golf, as his T32 last week at the U.S. Open was his second-worst finish worldwide since early March. You read that correctly. The 30-year-old South African has finished 4th at The Memorial, T9 at the Valspar Championship, T13 at THE PLAYERS Championship, T16 at Quail Hollow, T17 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and T28 at the RBC Heritage over the past three months but still enters this week near the back of the odds board. Sure, I'll nibble.

Bezuidenhout is truly one of the best putters in the world, ranking 11th in that category on the PGA Tour this season. Additionally, he's third in Approach Putt Performance, sixth in SG: Putting (Poa Annua Greens), and 24th in Birdie or Better Percentage among all players in the field over the past 24 rounds. On a course like TPC River Highlands where elite putting and birdie-making are key separators, Bezuidenhout's skillset should be heightened. He's gained over two strokes putting in 11 of 16 starts on Tour in 2024.

While the approach play hasn't been as sharp as it was earlier in the year, he's still gained strokes in that category in five of his past nine outings. Four of those gains have been for over two strokes, two of the losses have been for less than half a stroke, and the other two losses came back in late April. Bezuidenhout also ranks seventh in SG: Par-4s, 14th in Par-4s: 450-500 Yards, 20th in Proximity 200-225 Yards, 25th in Proximity 150-175 Yards, and 30th in Proximity 125-150 Yards over the past 24 rounds. Given he's fourth in SG: Around The Green during that same stretch, which is still a valuable skill set on this course, I believe he's well-rounded enough to contend during the weekend here.

There have only been a few trips near the top of the leaderboard for CBez this season, but he's been remarkably consistent against the top players on Tour lately. Asking him to win a Signature Event admittedly feels like a lot, but I'm willing to sprinkle given his putting upside and impressive current form.

Related: Rory McIlroy Withdraws from Travelers Championship Following U.S. Open Meltdown

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