Picks to Win & Best Bets for the Travelers Championship

Oakmont was a monster. I was there Tuesday-Friday and it didn’t even look fun to play. But TPC River Highlands? The guys in the field this week in Connecticut are going to have some fun around this place.

The Travelers Championship is one of my favorite stops of the year. Am I a little biased because I’m a born and raised New Englander? Yeah, probably. But if you’ve never been, come on up here for a day. You’ll quickly understand why this event is beloved by fans, locals, and the players.

It’s just the best.

And thanks to its elevated status as a signature event, the field is loaded with the best players in the world.

So, without further ado, let’s pick a winner, shall we?

Golf Course & Course History

Betting Odds to Win the Travelers Championship

Scottie Scheffler (+280)

Rory McIlroy (+1100)

Xander Schauffele (+1400)

Collin Morikawa (+1800)

Ludvig Aberg (+2500)

Patrick Cantlay (+2500)

Justin Thomas (+2800)

Viktor Hovland (+3300)

Sepp Straka (+3500)

Tommy Fleetwood (+3500)

Russell Henley (+4000)

Sam Burns (+4000)

Keegan Bradley (+4000)

Corey Conners (+4500)

Robert MacIntyre (+4500)

Jordan Spieth (+5000)

Shane Lowry (+5000)

Cameron Young (+5000)

J.J. Spaun (+5000)

Hideki Matsuyama (+5500)

Picks to Win the Travelers Championship

Patrick Cantlay (25/1)

Cantlay has struggled in majors this year. Since tying for 36th at the Masters, he’s missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. So, not great. But he’s played some great golf in regular TOUR stops. He tied for 12th at the Memorial, for fourth at the Truist, and for 13th at the RBC Heritage. As for his history at the Travelers, he loves this place. Since missing back-to-back cuts in 2012 and ‘14, here’s a look at his last seven finishes: T-15 (2018, 2019), T-11 (2020), T-13 (2021, 2022), T-4 (2023), and T-5 (2024). I think he’ll be in the mix come Sunday, let’s hope he can close.

Justin Thomas (28/1)

JT, you let me down at Oakmont. But I forgive you. So, you’re going right back on the card. Over the last two years, he’s finished T-9 (2023) and T-5 (2024) at the Travelers. Plus, he’s first on TOUR in birdie average, which will come in handy at this event. Let’s hope a few days off in Pittsburgh were enough to get his game back in order.

Sam Burns (40/1)

Going back to Burns here. I had him at the RBC Canadian Open, and he lost in a playoff. So that hurts. But, 40/1 odds were too good to pass up. He played some great golf at the U.S. Open before a tough final stretch and eventually tied for seventh. In all, he has five top-20 finishes in his last six starts. Oh, and he’s sixth in birdie average this season and the Travelers requires lots of circles on the card. Hopefully he doesn’t run out of gas.