Quantcast

2022 travelers Championship: Betting preview & Best bets

US Open Golf
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after a putt on the 18th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club, Friday, June 17, 2022, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The 2022 Travellers Championship promises to be an exciting tournament. Matt Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Open in emphatic fashion on Sunday and as the wait for the British Open begins, fans can enjoy another weekend of thrilling action at TPC River Highlands. Here’s all you need to know ahead of Thursday’s tee times.

You can get a risk-free $1000 bet on this week’s event by signing up to BetMGM here!

The Course

TPC River Highlands is a Pete Dye-designed course that features plenty of trickery. Playing to a par-70 at a little over 6,800 yards, there is a healthy dose of water hazards that will try to lure in risk-takers. It’s a course that has seen all kinds of players succeed. It’s a shorter course, but one that provides plenty of scoring opportunities for those participating in the Travellers Championship. Especially the longer hitters who can put themselves in advantageous spots and creatively attack tricky pins. 

The favorites

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are tied at the top of the betting markets for the Travellers Championship this week at +900 and it shouldn’t come as a surprise. The pair was right in the thick of the action on Sunday. McIlroy has 4 top-10’s in his last 5 starts but has struggled to get over the finish line. Scheffler is the world’s top-ranked golfer and over his last 50 rounds, ranks 2nd in strokes-gained total. 

Justin Thomas comes in at +1000, hot on the tails of McIlroy and Scheffler. With a major win to his name already this season, JT is firing on all cylinders and leads the field in strokes gained over his last 50 rounds. Three top-5’s in his last 5 starts really shows just how consistent Thomas has been recently, and he has showcased a remarkable ability to play with ice in his veins. 

Patrick Cantlay (+1400), Sam Burns (+1800), and  Jordan Spieth (+2000) headline the next tier. Burns has been the hottest of the three, Cantlay has four consecutive top-20’s here, and Spieth is the more volatile play. If he can somehow work through his putting woes (only golfer inside the 20 most expensive to lose strokes on the green) then there could be a lot of juice to squeeze. Spieth at +2000 may be the more attractive play of the three.

Longshot plays for the Travellers Championship

Christiaan Bezuidenhout at +6500 is a really appealing option. He’s one of the strongest players on tour from longer-range approaches. He has two top-20’s in his last 3 starts but he loses a lot of distance off the tee.

Aaron Rai (+15000) has been quietly picking up stream over the past few months. The Brit has made the cut in 5 of his past 7, with a top-30 in each of his last two. He’s a well-rounded player who hits a lot of fairways, although he’s not the longest. If Rai puts himself in favorable lies, he’s the kind of player who knows his limits and plays within them. That could be profitable at a course like this. He may not be a solid bet to win outright,k but a top-20 could be a great shout.

Tyler Duncan (+30000) is a name who has broken my hearts and ruined many betslips over the past few weeks. But after missing 3 of his last 7 cuts, you can only get hurt so much jumping out of the bottom floor window. He has made the cut in 4 consecutive attempts here and could provide some longshot fun on a Sunday afternoon.

You can get a risk-free $1000 bet on this week’s event by signing up to BetMGM here!

AP Photo/Charles Krupa