Congratulations if you were on-board Wyndham Clark at Monday odds of 66/1 to win the U.S. Open. What a rise for the 29 year-old, who has jumped from 163rd in the world rankings at the turn of the year to a best-ever 13th spot. He’s also now a lock for Zach Johnson’s Team USA Ryder Cup squad, heaping pressure on some established names into the bargain.
The Travelers Championship has always been a well supported event on the PGA Tour and has a ‘big tournament’ feel in Cromwell, Connecticut, just 2 hours drive out of Manhattan. 2023 sees elevated status and the associated strong field with Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland and defending champion Xander Schauffele all committed. You can add 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark to that list as well.
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Course Guide: TPC River Highlands is a stock ‘Up-State’ Par 70. At 6,852 yards, the course is attackable and gives all styles of play a chance of victory. Chez Reavie averaged 279 yards off the tee here in 2019, whilst Bubba Watson has averaged 317 yards off the tee across his 3 victories here. Jordan Spieth, Russell Knox, Kevin Streelman, Ken Duke and Freddie Jacobson plotted and putted their ways to victory, as did Dustin Johnson, Harris English and Xander Schauffele over the past 3 years, using hybrids off many tees.
River Highlands has seen significant changes since the 2015 renewal with a PGA Tour inspired renovation seeing 50 bunkers removed and the remaining bunkers being upgraded and in many cases moved to create fairway pinch points. 5 greens on the inward set were also rebuilt to present new hole locations. All in all though, River Highlands is a good, solid, mid-scoring, tree-lined parkland course where making birdies and putting extremely well will be key on Poa Annua/Bentgrass mix greens that aren’t overly taxing. Birdies and minimising mistakes will be the name of the game.
TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut: Designer Robert J. Moss 1928 with Pete Dye (1982), and PGA Tour (2016) renovations; Course Type: Parkland, Mid-Score, Short; Par: 70; Length: 6,852 yards; Holes with Water In-Play: 5; Fairways: Bentgrass with Poa Annua; Rough: Kentucky Bluegrass with Fescue +4″; Greens: 5,000 sq.ft average featuring Bentgrass with Poa Annua; Tournament Stimp: 12ft; Course Scoring Average 2012: 69.84 (-0.16), Difficulty Rank 26 of 49 courses. 2013: 70.25 (+0.25), Difficulty Rank 20 of 43 courses. 2014: 69.69 (-0.31), Rank 32 of 48 courses: 2015: 69.38 (-0.62), Rank 29 of 52 courses. 2016: 69.67 (-0.33), Rank of 26 of 50 courses. 2017: 70.20 (+0.20), Rank 21 of 50 courses. 2018: 69.60 (-0.40), Rank 25 of 51 courses. 2019: 6 9.72 (-0.28), Rank 19 of 49 courses. 2020: 68.63 (-1.37), Rank 32 of 41 courses. 2021: 69.74 (-0.26), Rank 22 of 51 courses. 2022: 69.39 (-0.61), Rank 22 of 50 courses.
Fairway Widths (yards): Below are the fairway widths for TPC River Highlands and how they compare to recent courses on Tour:
TPC River Highlands: 250 yards from the tee: 38 yards wide; 275:36; 300:29; 325:29; 350:28.
North Course – LACC: Average 43 yards wide.
Muirfield Village: 250 yards from the tee: 34 yards wide; 275:32; 300:28; 325:24; 350:27.
TPC Stadium, PGA West – The American Express since 2016
Whistling Straits – 2010 and 2015 PGA Championship
Course Overview: TPC River Highlands is a traditional north-eastern state parkland golf course that features little water. The short format calls for a greater degree of accuracy off the tee to fairways which aren’t difficult to hit for players who focus on course management. At an average of 5,000 square feet, the green complexes are a typical short Par 70 affair, but the key to the course is that the Poa Annua/Bentgrass mix surfaces run at a receptive speed. River Highlands is a second-shot course where accurate approach play is key. Accurate drivers and plotters tend to prosper, although bombers can contend with Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson prime examples. But here more than anywhere a red-hot putter will be required to deliver circa 20 birdies required for victory.
No course statistics really jump from off the page – River Highlands really is pretty stock across the piece, apart from the fact that scrambling from the rough is particularly difficult (top 10 hardest pretty much every year) for those missing greens. This tournament though tends to be won on the par-4s, with the victor always towards the top of the scoring charts across the 48 looks at the par-4s.
Below is a breakdown of player par-4 scoring at TPC River Highlands across the last 10 tournaments here. Finishing position in brackets:
Tournament Stats: We’ve published some key player statistics for this week’s event that are well worth a look. Naturally they’ll help to shape a view on players who could go well this week: Current Form | Tournament Form | First Round Leader | Combined Stats.
My published predictor is available here. Top 10 of my published predictor are: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Viktor Hovland, Tom Kim and Wyndham Clark.
Our brand new predictor model is running alongside, where you can build your own rankings in live time, using the variables listed on the left hand side.
2022: Thursday: Mostly cloudy. High of 76. Wind SE 7-14 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy. High of 81. Wind SW 3-6 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 91. Wind light and variable. Sunday: Sunny. High of 92. Wind SSW 8-15 mph.
2021: Thursday: Due to fog, the start to the first round was delayed 15 minutes and began at 7 a.m. Mostly sunny with a high of 79. Wind SW 10-15 mph. Friday: Light showers in the morning. Mostly cloudy with a high of 77. Wind SSE 6-14 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy with occasional showers. High of 81. Wind SSW 15-20 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy with a high of 87. Wind SW 10-15, gusting to 25 mph.
2020: Thursday: Mostly sunny with a high of 87. Wind SW 8-16 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy with a high of 88. Wind W 6-12 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a high of 83. Occasional showers. Wind SSW 6-12 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy with a high of 86. Wind SW 5-10 mph. Due to a dangerous weather situation, the final round was suspended from 5:17 p.m. until 6:15 p.m.
2019: Thursday: Overcast, with light showers throughout the day. High of 74. Wind S 6-12 mph. Due to wet course conditions, preferred lies in closely-mown areas were in effect for round one. Friday: Rain in the morning and partly cloudy in the afternoon. High of 74. Wind NNW at 10-20 mph. Due to wet course conditions, preferred lies in closely-mown areas were in effect for round two. Saturday: Sunny. High of 82. Wind NW 12-22 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 85. Wind WNW 10-20 mph.
2018: Thursday: Partly cloudy. High of 85. Wind NNE 6-12 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy. High of 67. Wind SE 4-8 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. High of 67. Wind NE 6-12 mph. Sunday: Mostly cloudy. High of 81. Wind SW 8-15 mph.
2017: Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 85. Wind SSW 7-12 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy, with intermittent showers throughout the day. High of 85. Wind SSW 10-20 mph. Saturday: Due to expected morning thunderstorms, tee times were between 10:45 a.m. and 1:05 p.m. Cloudy in the morning, with light rain. Clear and mostly sunny in the afternoon, with a high of 86. Wind NW 8-16 mph. Sunday: Sunny, with a high of 84. Wind SW 10-18 mph.
2016: Thursday: Sunny. High of 82. Wind SSE 6-12 mph. Friday: Sunny. High of 85. Wind SSW 10-15 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy with light precipitation. High of 85. Wind WSW 10-15 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 87. Wind WNW at 10-15 mph.
2015: Thursday: Sunny, with an afternoon high of 83. Wind SW at 6-12 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy, with an afternoon high of 85. Wind SW at 6-12 mph. Saturday: Cloudy, with an afternoon high 73. Light, afternoon rain. Wind SE at 8-15 mph. Sunday: Due to expected overnight rain Saturday, officials moved final-round tee times between 11:40 a.m.–1:30 p.m., in threesomes off Nos. 1 and 10 tees. Cloudy, with light rain. High of 74. Wind NNE at 7-12 mph.
Weather Forecast: The latest weather forecast for Hartford, Connecticut, is here.
From rinse and repeat weather in Beverly Hills, a return to the north-east of the United States sees a forecast with more variety. Temperatures look consistent at 25-27 degrees Celsius (77-81 Fahrenheit) with wind only really a feature on Saturday. There hasn’t been a lot of rain in the build-up to the Travelers so expect perfect conditions on Thursday. But there is a +50% chance of rain on Friday and Saturday morning, plus throughout the day on Sunday. Any potential rain across the weekend also comes with the delay hazard of electrical activity, and would naturally soften the course.
Player Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the Mexico Open / Korea Championship which includes both PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, where recorded. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Ludvig Aberg; 2) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Patrick Cantlay; 4) Byeong Hun An; 5) Garrick Higgo / Viktor Hovland; 7) Sam Bennett; 8) Rory McIlroy; 9) Beau Hossler / Vincent Norrman / Xander Schauffele; 12) Min Woo Lee; 13) Austin Eckroat; 14) Tommy Fleetwood / S.H. Kim; 16) Jon Rahm; 17) Joseph Bramlett / Corey Conners / Ryan Palmer; 20) Will Gordon / Luke List / Matthew NeSmith; 23) Si Woo Lim; 24) Cameron Champ; 25) Gary Woodland.
Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Collin Morikawa; 3) Hideki Matsuyama; 4) Russell Henley; 5) Mark Hubbard; 6) Jon Rahm; 7) Xander Schauffele; 8) Christiaan Bezuidenhout; 9) Nate Lashley; 10) Ryan Palmer; 11) Tom Kim / Gary Woodland; 13) Austin Eckroat / Dylan Wu; 15) Wyndham Clark / Lucas Glover; 17) Tommy Fleetwood / Rickie Fowler / Si Woo Kim / Adam Schenk; 21) Thomas Detry / Emiliano Grillo; 23) David Lipsky / Matt NeSmith; 25) Corey Conners / Andrew Novak / J.J. Spaun / Kevin Streelman.
Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) C.T. Pan; 3) Beau Hossler; 4) Tony Finau; 5) Hideki Matsuyama; 6) Harry Hall; 7) Rickie Fowler; 8) Greyson Sigg; 9) Matthias Schwab; 10) Doug Ghim; 11) Ludvig Aberg; 12) Eric Cole; 13) Keegan Bradley / Kevin Streelman; 15) Brendon Todd; 16) Tommy Fleetwood; 17) Stephan Jaeger / Davis Thompson; 19) J.B. Holmes / Peter Malnati; 21) Trey Mullinax; 22) Rory McIlroy; 23) Byeong Hun An / S.H. Kim; 25) Wyndham Clark / Vincent Norrman.
Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Ludvig Aberg; 3) Hideki Matsuyama / Jon Rahm; 5) Rickie Fowler; 6) Rory McIlroy; 7) Byeong Hun An / Xander Schauffele; 9) Tommy Fleetwood / Russell Henley / Viktor Hovland; 12) Collin Morikawa / Gary Woodland; 14) Si Woo Kim; 15) Austin Eckroat / Tony Finau; 17) Corey Conners; 18) Patrick Cantlay / Doug Ghim / Vincent Norrman; 21) Joseph Bramlett / Ryan Palmer; 23) Wyndham Clark / Stephan Jaeger / C.T. Pan.
Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Brian Gay; 2) Denny McCarthy; 3) Justin Suh; 4) Xander Schauffele; 5) Max Homa; 6) C.T. Pan; 7) Wyndham Clark; 8) Ryan Brehm; 9) Chez Reavie / Justin Lower; 11) Adam Scott; 12) Carson Young; 13) Andrew Putnam / Sahith Theegala; 15) Stewart Cink / Adam Long / Jimmy Walker; 18) Viktor Hovland; 19) Harris English; 20) Patrick Rodgers; 21) Tommy Fleetwood / Nate Lashley / Scott Piercy / J.T. Poston; 25) Keegan Bradley / Patrick Cantlay / Min Woo Lee.
Top 25 SG Total: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Rory McIlroy / Xander Schauffele; 4) Viktor Hovland; 5) Tommy Fleetwood; 6) Patrick Cantlay; 7) Rickie Fowler; 8) Jon Rahm; 9) C.T. Pan; 10) Denny McCarthy; 11) Ludvig Aberg / Hideki Matsuyama; 13) Wyndham Clark; 14) Adam Scott; 15) Thomas Detry / Si Woo Kim; 17) Matt Fitzpatrick / Russell Henley; 19) Joseph Bramlett / Eric Cole; 21) Nate Lashley / Andrew Putnam; 23) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Austin Eckroat / Max Homa / Shane Lowry / Ryan Palmer.
For a summary of the Strokes Gained Performances from this week’s field here at TPC River Highlands since 2016 click here.
Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the Strokes Gained Stats of the Travelers Championship winners here at TPC River Highlands Muirfield Village since 2016 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this north-eastern parkland test:
Strokes Gained Tournament Trends:
2022, Xander Schauffele (-19). SG Off the Tee: 15th, SG Approach: 5th, SG Around the Green: 47th, SG Tee to Green: 8th, SG Putting: 4th.
2021, Harris English (-13). SG Off the Tee: 9th, SG Approach: 32nd, SG Around the Green: 8th, SG Tee to Green: 3rd, SG Putting: 18th.
2020, Dustin Johnson (-19). SG Off the Tee: 46th, SG Approach: 6th, SG Around the Green: 25th, SG Tee to Green: 6th, SG Putting: 4th.
2019, Chez Reavie (-17). SG Off the Tee: 10th, SG Approach: 1st, SG Around the Green: 24th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 10th.
2018, Bubba Watson (-17). SG Off the Tee: 4th, SG Approach: 18th, SG Around the Green: 10th, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 22nd.
2017, Jordan Spieth (-12). SG Off the Tee: 56th, SG Approach: 7th, SG Around the Green: 2nd, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 30th.
2016, Russell Knox (-14). SG Off the Tee: 16th, SG Approach: 3rd, SG Around the Green: 42nd, SG Tee to Green: 5th, SG Putting: 19th.
Strokes Gained Tournament Skill Averages:
SG Off the Tee: 22nd, SG Approach: 10th, SG Around the Green: 23rd, SG Tee to Green: 4th, SG Putting: 15th.
Tournament Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the final stats of the winners of the Travelers Championship back to 2016 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this parkland test:
2022, Xander Schauffele (-19). 296 yards (31st), 75.0% fairways (9th), 87.5% greens in regulation (1st), 32’7″ proximity to hole (9th), 66.7 % scrambling (20th), 1.67 putts per GIR (8th).
2021, Harris English (-13). 297 yards (31st), 75.0% fairways (11th), 75.0% greens in regulation (15th), 34’8″ proximity to hole (25th), 77.8 % scrambling (2nd), 1.69 putts per GIR (11th).
2020, Dustin Johnson (-19). 303 yards (27th), 62.5% fairways (47th), 77.8% greens in regulation (10th), 27’8″ proximity to hole (3rd), 62.5 % scrambling (33rd), 1.63 putts per GIR (4th).
2019, Chez Reavie (-17). 279 yards (55th), 82.9% fairways (3rd), 75.0% greens in regulation (1st), 31’4″ proximity to hole (2nd), 83.3% scrambling (2nd), 1.69 putts per GIR (10th).
2018, Bubba Watson (-17). 312 yards (7th), 51.8% fairways (70th), 77.8% greens in regulation (7th), 33’11” proximity to hole (29th), 56.4% scrambling (44th), 1.64 putts per GIR (5th).
2017, Jordan Spieth (-12). 290 yards (52nd), 62.5% fairways (41st), 68.1% greens in regulation (42nd), 31’1″ proximity to hole (35th), 65.2 % scrambling (19th), 1.63 putts per GIR (3rd).
2016, Russell Knox (-14). 296 yards (24th), 67.9% fairways (30th), 79.2% greens in regulation (5th), proximity to hole 30’6″ (8th), 66.7 % scrambling (19th), 1.68 putts per GIR (8th).
Tournament Skill Averages:
Driving Distance: 29th, Driving Accuracy: 30th, Greens in Regulation: 12th, Proximity to Hole: 16th, Scrambling: 20th, Putting Average 7th.
Let’s take a view from players as to how TPC River Highlands sets up and what skill sets the course favours:
Xander Schauffele (2022): “It’s one of those courses if you’re living in the rough all day it’s going to be a long day. You can’t really get too aggressive to pins. I was in the rough a few times. Fortunately I had room to run up the ball. I got nine yards of roll on a couple of wedge shots out of the rough. It’s not too hard to shoot level par or nothing too low if you’re not in the fairway off the tee.”
“Yeah, this course protects itself. It did rain last night, but if it didn’t rain, the course is pretty firm. Mid teens to high teens have won this tournament. If you finish in the high teens you’re in a pretty good spot for the week. If it stays soft, it may be lower than that for the week. I think it’s just a forgiveness thing. After playing the U.S. Open you kind of beat yourself up all week and then you kind of hit a bad shot on a day like today and your ball may stay on the green and not roll off into some ankle-high rough. I think mentally it’s a little bit more forgiving.”
“I think I focused a little bit more. I was expecting him (Sahith Theegala) to par or birdie. He hits it a really long way. So if he hit it down the fairway he would have had a lob wedge in as well. I knew the 18th hole is, even though it’s downwind, that left bunker is dangerous, as we saw. The right rough is probably the thickest on the property. So if for whatever reason you don’t hit a great tee shot there you’re trying to play for par. With the greens being firm and crusty you just never know what can happen. So I really just tried to worry about myself and the task at hand and I think Austin and I did a really good job of that.”
Harris English (2021): “I’ve played here a lot over the years, so I feel like I know where the pins are going to be. Kind of played this course in my mind. Coming out here I know where to hit all the shots. It’s just about focusing and pulling it off.”
“I love the U.S. Open setup. I love when it’s difficult like that. I can use a lot of that on days like today where it’s tough, it’s windy, you’ve got to grind out there. I feel like I’m a really good grinder on the golf course. I never really get out of it. Had some really great up-and-downs today, made some great seven- or eight-foot par saves. It just shows the validation, all the work you put in, the work I put in back at Sea Island, and putting myself in those positions. I love being in that spot. I love being in the hunt of a golf tournament, and to come down the stretch and actually pull it off is an unbelievable feeling.”
Dustin Johnson (2020): “Well, to me I thought the wind, well, yesterday morning they didn’t have any breeze. Today we had, I mean, I was just talking to Jordan, and other than 16, every single shot we hit was into the wind. I mean, we didn’t get one hole downwind. I don’t know how you can go around this golf course and do that other than 16, which worked in our favour. All three of us made birdies there. But yeah, I thought the wind was tricky today. It was hard to get a beat on it, and it wasn’t blowing one or two miles an hour, it was enough to where it would affect the golf ball enough. That’s why I think it played tougher this morning.”
“Yeah, I mean, probably obviously the way I hit my irons today was, finally I felt like I had a lot of control of my distance and the shot shapes. I hit a lot of great shots, you have to shoot a 61. I think that was probably the biggest key. But probably the most important part of the round would have been No. 11, where I made that really good bunker save because I put myself in just an awful spot with a wedge.”
“On 9, I’ve been hitting hybrid off the tee, and today I hit hybrid and a pitching wedge to about two inches, and then yesterday I did the same thing, hybrid and a pitching wedge to about five feet and made it. I just want to hit it off the fairway, especially around here, because the rough is pretty thick. It’s hard to control the golf ball. The greens are fast and kind of firm. For me, it doesn’t really matter what distance I’m playing from, as long as I’m in the fairway.”
Chez Reavie (2019): “I mean, I hit the ball a little closer on the back than I did on the front, but I hit a lot of great shots on the front, too. I would say the front was a little tougher for me. Some of the holes are real long and playing into the wind today. I was hitting 5-wood. Like at 4 and 5 I hit 5-wood at both of those holes and hit good shots. So I just got some more scorable clubs on the back nine in my hands. I have shot 28 before on nine holes, but not on tour, I don’t believe. I’ve done it at home.”
“Yeah, the golf course is great. You can shape it both ways off the tee; hit every club in your bag from longer irons to short irons. It’s just a test of all your shots. That’s something I like. I’m a shot maker. I like to work it both ways. Fortunately I don’t have to hit hybrid like I did at Bethpage.I’ve always loved the layout since the first time I came here. Just the way the holes are shaped you can shape shots and think around the greens. It’s a great challenge and something I really enjoy”.
“Biggest shot for me down the stretch? When I stepped up to 17 tee, which that is the toughest visual shot for me on the golf course because I like to hit a draw. With that water off to the left it kind of doesn’t suit me, so I just tried to aim at the bunkers and let the wind blow it into the fairway. Knocked it on the green and I was very comfortable, and when I made the putt it kind of sealed the deal for me.”
Bubba Watson (2018): “Earlier this year I had won in L.A. for my third win in L.A. Now I just need one more in Augusta and that would be great. Get a different jacket. I like this jacket, don’t get me wrong. I love this. I’ve got a few of them. But, yeah, there are certain places that we’ve built our schedule, everybody builds their schedule around places they’ve seen, loved, the atmosphere, all of that comes into play. Around here there are a lot of driver holes where I can hit some drivers and shape it. There are a lot of guys, a lot of guys that are starting to come. Jordan came last year when he won, and he said, “Bubba, anywhere you play good that’s where I want to play, because I think I can play where you can play.” I don’t know if that was a dig or what, but he backed it up with a win. Yeah, it’s one of those things where it just fits our eye. You can see the fairway. You can see the shape of the holes and the greens are always in great shape, so it’s fun.”
Jordan Spieth (2017): “Yeah, I had no idea until we kind of got on the grounds and I saw Michael (Greller) on Tuesday before we played any holes, and he said, “This course is tailor made for you,” is what he said. I love the back nine. I think it’s a very exciting nine holes of golf, one of the coolest stretches that we play where anything can happen. So that’s good and bad when you’re leading. So again, yeah, I thought it was a really good golf course for us. You kind of manoeuvre the ball both ways. You’ve kind of got to watch out for – you’ve got some clearings where the wind affects it more than other times where you’re kind of in the valleys. But overall, poa annua greens, historically, aren’t my best, and so today was a big confidence boost. The rest of the golf course I really love. You’ve got to work both ball flights. You’ve got to kind of be fearless in playing different shots. You really have to. You can’t get out there and just step and hit just draws the whole day. It forces you to hit different shots. The greens are just tough.
Yeah, you’ve got to stay patient. You can’t force it here. You get so many opportunities, you feel like you’re losing to the field if you don’t birdie with a wedge in your hand. But they put these pins in such difficult locations it’s hard to feed it next to it, once you do, it’s difficult to get the right line on the green. So recognizing that the course is 6800 yards for a reason. It’s tricked out elsewhere. And being very patient on the weekend is key. I always mention that, that’s always the word. I try to tell myself that, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Given here especially, given that we’re going to have a lot of chances, greens in regulations is going to be an important stat.”
Russell Knox (2016): “The scores here – I always think this course, if you tee off in the morning, the conditions, you can always shoot a mega low score. That’s what Jim Furyk did last year on Sunday. But as the day goes on, teeing off in the afternoon, especially on a weekend, shooting under par is a great score if you tee off at 1, 2 o’clock. So the course changes significantly as the day goes on, just the firmness of the greens. I think players like that. But every hole, I don’t really feel uncomfortable on. I mean, you don’t have to overpower this course. I remember watching the year before. I think Bubba Watson and Corey Pavin were in a playoff with Scott Verplank maybe too. And I remember thinking what an amazing course this must be that the shortest hitter and longest hitter in the field are in the playoff. So this course, I think, allows everyone in the field to win, and I think that shows what a great course this is.”
Paul Casey: “This is a golf course where the green is relatively small, but they’re tucking the pins away and putting them on some funky little slopes. If you short side yourself, especially if you get over these greens, you’re going to be in a world of hurt. I’m a guy that hits a lot of greens in regulation. I’m pretty aggressive when going with the irons into the greens. I try to give myself a lot of birdie looks. To me, as a player, I love playing these kinds of events where you can go low. I think it’s good for the psyche. If all you ever do is play events where level par is winning score, you feel like you get beaten up, and you’ve got to have these, because every now and then you’ve got to go really low. It is fun. You can’t get the wrong side of it. With a golf course like this, it’s not that easy. I think the scores are reflective in the fact that we’ve got perfect conditions and perfect greens. If you get to the wrong side of it, you can make bogeys very easily out there.”
Bubba Watson: “First hole is going to be a wedge; second hole, wedge; third hole, wedge. These are the approach shots. And then next hole is going to be…it’ll change, but 8, 9 or wedge; next hole is a 6 iron to a 5 iron; next hole is a 3 iron, going for it in two; next hole is a wedge; next hole is an 8 iron; next hole is a wedge; next hole is a wedge; next hole is a wedge; next hole is a wedge; next hole is going for it in two; next hole is a wedge; next hole is a wedge, or if you drive the green you can putt; next hole is a 9 or an 8; 17 is a 9 or a wedge; and 18 is a wedge. So when you look at that, why would I not want to play here if I’m hitting that many wedges? It doesn’t matter if I’m in the rough or not, those are the clubs I’m hitting. It comes down to me putting; if I can putt halfway decent, I have a chance to top 10 here or scare a victory.”
Path to Victory: Below are the end of round positions for the winners of the Travelers Championship since 2010:
For the record, here’s the breakdown of pure Poa Annua and Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix PGA Tour victors in the field since 2008:
5 – Jon Rahm.
4 – Jason Day, Max Homa, Rory McIlroy.
3 – Collin Morikawa, Jimmy Walker.
2 – Scott Piercy, Chez Reavie, Adam Scott, Nick Watney, Gary Woodland.
1 – Keegan Bradley, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Champ, Stewart Cink, Cam Davis, Jason Dufner, Harris English, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Emiliano Grillo, James Hahn, Tom Hoge, J.B. Holmes, Billy Horschel, Russell Knox, Matt Kuchar, Nate Lashley, Luke List, Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele, Scott Stallings, Justin Thomas, Kevin Tway, Erik van Rooyen, Richy Werenski.
From a correlating course perspective, there’s undoubtedly a form link between TPC River Highlands and a number of other parkland golf courses. The course here features Bentgrass with Poa Annua mixed green surfaces, and as we know the latter is a problem for many players. So a look at west coast courses which feature Poa Annua isn’t a bad angle in my view, namely Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach and Riviera Country Club.
A look at Dustin Johnson’s west coast resume tells you all you need to know. A 2-time winner at Pebble Beach (2009, 2010) a winner at Riviera Country Club (2017) amongst 10 top 10 finishes. DJ also has a 3rd place at Torrey Pines (2011) to his name.
Johnson may not be the best example so let’s take defending champion Xander Schauffele. A winner at Kapalua (2019), with supporting runner-up (2020) and 5th (2021) on the Plantation Course, Xander has also finished runner-up and 3rd at TPC Scottsdale (2021 & 2022). From a Poa Annua perspective 2nd (2021 Farmers Insurance Open) and 7th (2021 U.S. Open) at Torrey Pines, Schauffele also finished 3rd at the Pebble Beach-hosted 2019 U.S. Open.
Harris English – 2021 Travelers champion – is a winner at Kapalua (2021) and with a 3rd (2015), 4th (2014) and 9th (2013) at Waialae he’s also played well on the Bermuda segment of the west coast swing. However even the Georgia-based player has a decent west coast Poa resume. 10th (2014) at Riviera, Harris had finished 2nd (2015) and 8th (2018) at Torrey Pines, before finishing 3rd at the Torrey Pines hosted 2021 U.S. Open. That was his best ever Major finish and by the following Sunday he had won the Travelers Championship.
2019 champion Chez Reavie won this straight off finishing 3rd at Pebble Beach-hosted U.S. Open the week before. He had also finished 2nd at the 2018 AT&T Pro-Am at the classical Pebble and a finished 7th (2016) and 10th (2020) at Riviera Country Club.
3-time Travelers winner Bubba Watson has a great west coast Poa Annua CV. 4th (2007), 1st (2011) and 6th (2020) at Torrey Pines is supported by 3 wins (2014, 2018 and 2018) at Riviera. 2017 Travelers winner Jordan Spieth follows the Reavie-mould with 4th (2014), 7th (2015), 1st (2017), 9th (2020) and 3rd (2021) at the AT&T National Pebble tournament. He’s also been a feature at Riviera finishing 12th (2014), 4th (2015) and 9th (2018). 2014 champion here at TPC River Highlands, Kevin Streelman, is a real Pebble Beach specialist chalking up 4 top 9 finishes on the Monterey coast. 9th (2012), 6th (2018), 7th (2019) and 2nd (2020)w, highlights a player who copes admirably on a short course, with Poa Annua greens.
And 2012 Travelers champion Marc Leishman, has finished 2nd (2010), 9th (2011), 2nd (2014), 8th (2018) and 1st (2020) at Torrey Pines, with 5th (2016) and 4th (2019) at Riviera.
So what is the key to TPC River Highlands? Well high quality birdie making powered by top-notch Strokes Gained on Approach is the winning formula here in Hartford, Connecticut. All 12 of these Travelers winners sat in the top 17 for Putting Average (Putts per GIR) across the week with a sub-1.7 Putts per GIR looking an essential target for victory, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to a strong Strokes Gained Putting performance. So we aren’t necessarily talking about whoever holes the highest distance of putts winning this week. Instead 6 of the last 7 winners all have ranked in the top 18 for Strokes Gained on Approach and all have been in the top 8 for Strokes Gained Tee to Green.
My Final Travelers Championship Tips Are As Follows
Tony Finau 2pts ew 22/1 (10EW, 1/5) with Ladbrokes
Tony Finau looks the right sort to take out the Travelers Championship this week. 4 wins in 22 PGA Tour outings is brilliant, but he finds himself outside of the top 12 qualifiers for Zach Johnson’s Team USA Ryder Cup squad.
Yes I’m sure he’d get a Captain’s Pick whatever, but Tony will want to make sure that Zach has no wriggle room and qualifies on merit. A win this week at the Travelers Championship pretty much solidifies that. And let’s remember that Tony was in similar situations in the high summer of both 2021 and 2022. His Northern Trust victory in August 2021 at Liberty National got him a Steve Stricker pick for the Ryder Cup, with wins last year at both the 3M Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic, eliciting automatic qualification for the President’s Cup. Those wins also came in the states of New Jersey, Minnesota and Michigan, so up-state, Bentgrass and Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix greens makes up 50% of his 6 PGA Tour titles.
He’s also performed brilliantly on the west coast swing across Torrey Pines (4th 2017, 6th 2018, 6th 2020, 2nd 2021, 9th 2023) and Riviera Country Club (2nd 2018, 2nd 2021), highlight his liking for Poa Annua infested putting surfaces.
32nd last week at Los Angeles Country Club saw Tony 11th and 15th after 36 and 54 holes, ranking from a Strokes Gained perspective 12th for Approach and 19th for Tee to Green across the week. He’s definitely there or thereabouts and has 4 top 25 finishes here from 7 appearances, with 13th last year being his best finish here in Cromwell. RESULT: T45
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Collin Morikawa 2pts ew 22/1 (10EW, 1/5) with Ladbrokes
Collin Morikawa hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since the 2021 Open Championship, so approaching 2 years. From a player who won 2 Majors, a World Golf Championship, a DP World Tour Championship and a further 2 PGA Tour titles across a 29 month span, that’s a huge gap. He also won all of those titles before the age of 24. So opportunities such as an elevated 2023 Travelers Championship is not to be sneezed at, especially with Wyndham Clark now taking a coveted Team USA Ryder Cup spot which nobody really saw coming.
That has to motivate the likes of Jordan Spieth, Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau and Collin Morikawa – all of whom find themselves outside of the automatic qualifying spots, with Major winners Clark and Koepka in a near cast-iron “in the team come what may position.” We can all presume who Zach Johnson will pick – but top players want to qualify on merit, so results are needed.
There are no doubts that Morikawa is playing some exceptional stuff from Tee to Green right now. 21st (PGA Championship), 15th (Colonial), 23rd (Muirfield Village – after 54 holes) and 15th (U.S. Open) for Strokes Gained Tee to Green across his past 4 outings, there are also signs that he’s getting confidence back with the flat stick. 20th for Strokes Gained Putting at Muirfield Village before he WD with back spasms on Sunday, he also ranked 28th for Putting at Los Angles Country Club last week. With the first 3 of his 5 PGA Tour wins having come on Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix putting surfaces, the Californian should like the greens here at TPC River Highlands, and there is further hope that Morikawa will get on well at the Travelers Championship this week as he was 6th here after 36 holes way back in 2019, in only his 3rd professional start. RESULT: MC
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Tommy Fleetwood 1.5pts ew 33/1 (8EW, 1/5) with Boylesports
Tommy Fleetwood is playing some exceptional stuff right now and he should go well again at this week’s Travelers Championship. TPC River Highlands is a course he has experience of and he’s played some good stuff in the north-east of the United States over what to date has been quite a limited schedule up-country. 2nd at the Shinnecock Hills (New York) hosted U.S. Open in 2018, 8th at the BMW Championship at Aronimink (Pennsylvania) also in 2018 (he was 4th heading into Sunday), it’s worth remembering that Tommy was also 2nd just a fortnight ago at the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto. That was played at a short, Par 72 at Oakdale, which featured Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix greens. Fleetwood ranked 1st that week for Strokes Gained Putting.
13th and 46th across his 2 outings here at TPC River Highlands, the first is worthy of investigation. Coming here off form of 65 (US Open)-48(PGA Championship)-8(British Masters), Tommy on course debut shot 66-69-67 to be 6th heading into Sunday. 13th was the end result, where Fleetwood ranked 3rd for Strokes Gained Putting. Fast forward to 2023 and we see the World Number 20 arriving from a fast finishing 5th at the U.S. Open last week. Across the week from a Strokes Gained perspective he ranked 8th for Off the Tee, 2nd for Approach and 2nd for Tee to Green – gaining 13.18 strokes to the field. For the record that’s his 2nd highest ever Tee to Green number on the PGA Tour – behind only the 13.49 he gained at the 2018 Honda Classic when finishing runner-up.
A high profile non-winner on the PGA Tour – 4 of his 6 DP World Tour wins have come off previous outings of 3rd (prior to 2017 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship), 6th (prior to 2017 Open de France), 6th (2018 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship), and 4th (2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge). RESULT: MC
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Tom Kim also sparked into life last week at a +7,400 yard, Par 70, which just cannot be his ideal set-up. 8th at the U.S. Open was the 20 year-old’s first Major Championship top 10 of many undoubtedly and that must significantly boost the confidence of a player who has gone through a relatively fallow time of it recently. Since he finished 16th on his Masters debut, individual play form of MC/23/34/MC/MC highlights that players just aren’t lines on a graph, or Strokes Gained metrics in an optimizer. Instead Joohyung has had to learn brand new courses, make his first United States home in Dallas, Texas, plus of course learn the week-to-week grind on the PGA Tour.
It’s worth remembering that Kim has already won twice on the PGA Tour. His phenomenal victories at the Wyndham Championship and Shriners Children’s Open (we were on-board at 22/1), highlight the South Korean’s amazing ability to learn a course quickly. 3rd at the Genesis Scottish Open, 7th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, 5th at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and 6th at The American Express (host Stadium Course is a Pete Dye design), it’s amazing to think that Joohyung has seen all of these courses for the very first time, with this week at TPC River Highlands being no different.
Tom has already won 10 times across a number of developmental Tours. Wins have now come across India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and the United States. This guy shows both an amazing amount of maturity for his young age allied to a huge desire and ability to win golf tournaments. 4th for Strokes Gained on Approach, 11th for Tee to Green and 18th for Putting last week in Los Angeles, Tom also shot 66/69 (-5) across the weekend, which was second only to Tommy Fleetwood (-7), for weekend scoring. RESULT: T38
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C.T. Pan is playing some lovely stuff right now and has been a factor across his past 2 outings. 4th at the Byron Nelson birdie-fest was followed by 3rd at the Canadian Open hosted at Oakdale, where he was the 54-hole leader. Pan is a plotter who thrives on short- to medium-length golf courses and his confidence must be sky high after the 31 year-old has returned from a niggling wrist injury, which laid him off for 5 months prior to the RBC Heritage in April.
It’s worth remembering that Cheng-tsung’s only win on the PGA Tour was at the 2019 RBC Heritage played the week after The Masters on Pete Dye’s Harbour Town Golf Links. Plus he’s also got some form that correlates very nicely from a Poa Annua green perspective. 2nd at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open (Torrey Pines), 6th at the 2021 Fortinet Championship (Silverado) and 9th at the 2022 Genesis Invitational (Riviera Country Club), were naturally all achieved in California. It all makes sense for a player who attended the University of Washington.
8th here on Travelers Championship debut in 2017, Cheng-tsung also played brilliantly at the 2018 Dell Technologies Championship played just 2 hours away at TPC Boston in Massachusetts. RESULT: MC
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