PGA Betting – 2012 Travelers Championship Tournament Predictions
Well, the PGA pros will be happy to be away from Olympic Club where the course ate them up, including my pick from last week – world #1 Luke Donald. This week the PGA TOUR moves back out east for the Travelers Championship.
2012 Travelers Championship
Location: Cromwell, Connecticut, United States
Course: TPC at River Highlands
Date: Jun 21-24, 2012
Total Purse: US $ 6,000,000
Winner’s Share: US $ 1,080,000 (18% of total purse)
Defending Champion: Fredrik Jacobson ($1,080,000)
While many of the big names have taken the week off after the US Open, there is still a strong field ready to tee it up at TP at River Highlands in Connecticut. Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson will be included in a field that should have a much easier time on a course that traditionally plays short and fairly easy. With low scores a certainty, the Travelers is wide open this year. Let’s take a look at a few that should contend.
The Favorites:
Webb Simpson 14/1
Will surely be on a high after winning his first major last week with two straight 68s on the weekend. We all saw what happens to first time major winners after their historic wins – a drop-off is likely and the hangover is likely to hurt Simpson this week – although he certainly has the talent to be there on Sunday again.
Matt Kuchar 14/1
Has been a picture of consistency this year – 20 straight cut made and he has been terrific at times as well. Kuchar is coming off a T27 last week and will surely be looking to bounce back this week. He is 13th on TOUR in greens hit, 23rd in birdie average and second in adjusted scoring – watch out for Matt this week!
Hunter Mahan 14/1
This may be Mahan’s favorite track – 2nd in 2006, won in 2007 and 2nd again in 2008. Mahan has also been hot this year with two wins on TOUR. He was up and down last week but showed flashes at the Open. TPC River Highlands plays right into Mahan’s strengths – he absolutely has to be in the conversation to win this week!
The Contenders:
Zach Johnson 18/1
Johnson has been on a bit of a downslide since his win at Colonial – a missed cut and a 41st at the Open last week. He is 26th on TOUR in birdie average and ninth in adjusted scoring and has played well in this event in the past – four top 25s in six appearances. On a course in which distance is not the key, Johnson could be in the mix come Sunday.
Padraig Harrington 20/1
Nice to see Padraig back isn’t it? He finished T4 in the US Open last week – that makes three straight top 15 finishes. He likes this course as well finishing T5 here in 2010. Harrington is playing his best golf in quite some time and looks like he is having fun in the process.
Bubba Watson 22/1
Has missed two straight cuts – Memorial and the U.S. Open. It is safe to say that he is not exactly in the best form. He did win here in 2010 and he had top 15s in the two years prior to that so we know that Bubba is fond of this track. Bubba is a prideful guy – look for a much better effort this week!
Ryan Moore 25/1
Has finished second in this event twice including last year and also had a T4 in 2009. He has played very well this year and unlike some of the other contenders, he should be fresh after taking a couple of weeks off. He hasn’t missed a cut in his last seven events and has three top 10s in those seven. Moore is prime for a win on a course that he absolutely loves.
Bo Van Pelt 25/1
Is another player that has fared well at this event – four top 25s in six appearances with his last 13 rounds here at or below par. He, like so many was brutal at Olympic Club and will be looking for a bounce back performance.
Fredrik Jacobson 28/1
Is the defending champ in this event and he played very well last week eventually finishing T15 after a 75 on Sunday. I like the way he’s playing but realize it is nearly impossible to repeat in an event two years in a row.
The Sleepers:
John Huh 50/1
Has been a quiet factor on TOUR this year with four top 10s and four top 25s already. He is 36th in birdie average, 22nd in adjusted scoring and ninth in average distance of putts made and could be a factor once again this weekend.
Michael Thompson 55/1
Thompson was one of the better stories with a T2 last week at the Open and now he gets to look for his first PGA TOUR win on a course that he finished 4th at last year, thanks to a 62 in the final round. Thompson has been impressive and will certainly be riding a wave of confidence after last week’s impressive result. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
John Rollins 66/1
Finished T2 here last year and is playing well so far this year – nine cuts made this season – eight top 25s (including four top 10s). Rollins has been solid and deserves some serious sleeper consideration here!
The Pick:
Hunter Mahan at 14/1 is my pick this week based on his love for this track and his quest to become the only three-time winner on TOUR this year. After a somewhat disappointing Open, Mahan returns to a track that he has owned!
My sleeper is Michael Thompson at 55/1. He was terrific last week and based on that effort may be deserving of a victory this week. Thompson, like Mahan has played very well on this course!
2012 Travelers Championship Betting Lines & Future Odds
CLICK TO BET
| Matt Kuchar | 14/1 |
| Webb Simpson | 14/1 |
| Hunter Mahan | 14/1 |
| Zach Johnson | 16/1 |
| Padraig Harrington | 20/1 |
| Bubba Watson | 22/1 |
| Bo Van Pelt | 25/1 |
| Fredrik Jacobson | 25/1 |
| Ryan Moore | 22/1 |
| Keegan Bradley | 33/1 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 33/1 |
| Ian Poulter | 33/1 |
| John Huh | 50/1 |
| Bryce Molder | 50/1 |
| Chad Campbell | 50/1 |
| Brendon De Jonge | 50/1 |
| John Rollins | 60/1 |
| Aaron Baddeley | 66/1 |
| Seung-yul Noh | 66/1 |
| Vijay Singh | 66/1 |
| Andres Romero | |
| Harris English | 66/1 |
| J.B. Holmes | 66/1 |
| Michael Thompson | 66/1 |
| Ken Duke | 66/1 |
| Brian Davis | 66/1 |
| Kevin Stadler | 66/1 |
| Robert Allenby | 66/1 |
| Blake Adams | 66/1 |
| Bud Cauley | 66/1 |
| Robert Karlsson | 66/1 |
| Rory Sabbatini | 66/1 |
| Matt Every | |
| Charlie Wi | 80/1 |
| John Merrick | 66/1 |
| Sean O’Hair | 80/1 |
| Cameron Tringale | 80/1 |
| Johnson Wagner | 80/1 |
| Kevin Streelman | 80/1 |
| Kyle Stanley | 80/1 |
| Marc Leishman | 100/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 80/1 |
| Camilo Villegas | 100/1 |
| Charley Hoffman | 100/1 |
| Nick O’Hern | 100/1 |
| Ricky Barnes | 100/1 |
| Greg Chalmers | 100/1 |
| Y-E Yang | 100/1 |
| Kyung-Tae Kim | 100/1 |
| Brian Gay | 100/1 |
| Tim Clark | 100/1 |
| Chris Stroud | 100/1 |
| David Mathis | 125/1 |
| Tom Gillis | 125/1 |
| James Driscoll | 125/1 |
| Roberto Castro | 150/1 |
| Kenny Perry | 125/1 |
| Ryo Ishikawa | 100/1 |
| Heath Slocum | 150/1 |
| John Peterson | 100/1 |
| Daniel Summerhays | 125/1 |
| Jason Bohn | 150/1 |
| Angel Cabrera | 150/1 |
| George Mcneill | 125/1 |
| J.J. Henry | 100/1 |
| Sang-Moon Bae | 150/1 |
| Tommy Gainey | 125/1 |
| Jhonattan Vegas | 125/1 |
| Brendan Steele | 125/1 |
| Brandt Jobe | 125/1 |
| Jerry Kelly | 175/1 |
| Kyle Reifers | 150/1 |
| Lucas Glover | 150/1 |
| John Mallinger | 150/1 |
| Kris Blanks | 150/1 |
| Kevin Kisner | 150/1 |
| William Mcgirt | 150/1 |
| Graham Delaet | 175/1 |
| Danny Lee | 150/1 |
| Vaughn Taylor | 150/1 |
| Rod Pampling | 175/1 |
| Tim Herron | 175/1 |
| Bill Lunde | 175/1 |
| Matt Jones | 175/1 |
| J.J Killeen | 175/1 |
| Jeff Maggert | 175/1 |
| Justin Leonard | 200/1 |
| Arjun Atwal | 175/1 |
| Scott Stallings | 200/1 |
| Steve Marino | 225/1 |
| Troy Matteson | 200/1 |
