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2014 PGA Travelers Championship Betting Odds Preview | Picks

Travelers Championship Prediction

The PGA pros head to Cromwell, Connecticut to play the 2014 Travelers Championship – one week after what was the snooze-fest of the year so far – the US Open.

2014 Travelers Championship
Location: Cromwell, Connecticut, United States
Course: TPC at River Highlands
Total Purse: US $ 6,200,000
Winner’s Share: US $ 1,098,000 (18% of total purse)
Golf Odds from Bovada

Defending Champion: Ken Duke ($1,098,000)

TPC at River Highlands will welcome a decent field on its par 70, relatively short 6,851 yard layout.

Ball striking will be at a premium this week on a track that was middle-of-the-pack last year in terms of difficulty. With just two relatively difficult par 5s on the course, par 3 and par 4 scoring average have to be looked at as well as the all-important strokes-gained putting stat and scrambling.

TPC at River Highlands has a string of four straight first-time winners heading into this week – names like Graham DeLaet certainly stands out as a contender based on that alone – just sayin’!

So who should we keep an eye on this week? Let’s break it down!

The Favorites:

Bubba Watson 12/1

On a shorter track, you’d think Bubba would have less of an edge here but he won this event in 2010 and has a T38, T2 and 4th in his three other starts here in the last four years. Add in the fact that he has been terrific this year (two wins, to runners-up and a third) and the fact that he somehow missed the cut last week and Bubba looks like a man with something to prove!

Matt Kuchar 12/1

Kuch continues to be the most consistent guy on TOUR and is coming off a T12 at the US Open – his 13th top 10 already this year. His results here haven’t been all that impressive on this track but he did have a T8 in 2012 before skipping last year. One of the best ball strikers on the planet should contend this week!

Dustin Johnson 14/1

Finished T4 at the US Open which could mean he’ll be motivated or it could mean he’s disinterested altogether! Dustin hasn’t played this event since 2009 when he withdrew and he was T34 the year before that. Johnson is 18th in GIR, fifth in par breakers and fourth in adjusted scoring – stats that should help him this week.

Jason Day 14/1

Will play this event for the first time since 2008 when he was T27. Day was terrific last week in finishing T4 – it appears he is back to form after returning from a thumb injury. When Day is right – there are few better!

The Contenders:

Sergio Garcia 20/1

Will play this event for the first time since a T43 in 2009. He is a tad banged up right now – a sore knee but he gutted out a T35 last week. Garcia had been in fine form before the injury including a solo third at THE PLAYERS.

Keegan Bradley 25/1

Has been steadily improving after an unflattering stretch culminating in a T4 last week at Pinehurst. He played very well on the weekend. In his last three appearances here he’s gone T63 to T29 to T18. Bradley possesses all the qualities to be successful here – he just needs to put it all together!
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Zach Johnson 30/1

Has been in contention in almost every event he’s played the last few months and is worthy of mention here.

Brandt Snedeker 33/1

Welcome back to prominence Sneds! He was T9 last week after failing to finish in the top 35 in his previous five starts. Thanks to the US Open he’s back on the radar. He hasn’t been great here – his best finish came in 2011 – a T24 but things are certainly looking up for Brandt.

Ryan Moore 33/1

Loves this track! Moore has two runner-up finishes, a T4 in 2009 and a T7 here last year. He has four top 10s and another five top 25s this season and has been near the top of the TOUR in Par 3 and Par 4 scoring average – perfect for this track.

Charley Hoffman 40/1

Has quietly put together a good stretch – nine straight cuts made. He finished T2 in this event in 2012 and followed that with a T7 last year and most recently was T19 at Memorial. He is another guy whose game suits this track very well. Don’t be surprised to hear Hoffman’s name a bunch on Sunday!

Fredrik Jacobson 40/1

Has been very good on this track and has been good in his 2014 campaign as well. He won this event in 2011 and was T8 in 2012 and had a T3 at Colonial a month ago. Jacobson’s course history and present form makes his an intriguing 40/1.

Graham DeLaet 40/1

The recent trend of first time winners here has DeLaet on the radar. He is coming off a missed cut at the US Open but he did finish T3 here last year after holding the 54 hole lead. His ball striking is tops on TOUR which should serve him well this week. I’ve been pumping this guy’s tires for months – maybe this week he finally pays me off!

Hunter Mahan 40/1

Won here is 2007 and finished T11 on this track after firing a 61 on the weekend. He also has two runner-up finishes on this course. He hasn’t been great lately but TPC at River Highlands may be exactly what he needs.

The Sleepers (50/1 or higher):

Chris Stroud 66/1

Finished second in a playoff here last year and has made the cut his last six trips. He eats up par 3s and is a premier scrambler and had a T14 at Colonial a month ago.

Erik Compton 70/1

Will be looking to parlay a T2 at the US Open with a good result this week. He has three top 5 finishes in his last nine starts overall and is certainly a sentimental favorite this week.

Pick:

It ain’t sexy but mu pick this week is Bubba Watson at 12/1. He should be a motivated guy after missing the cut last week and with three top four finishes in his last four starts on this track, he is almost impossible to go against. Graham DeLaet at 40/1 has really caught my eye as well!

My sleeper is Chris Stroud at 66/1. His course history here is very good and he has quietly been solid on TOUR this season. After a second place finish here last year he will want a big performance this week!

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By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.