2021 Travelers Championship: Tournament preview and picks guide

The 2021 Travelers Championship welcomes a significantly strong field this week as the PGA makes the trip to Cromwell, Connecticut, and TPC River Highlands.

For much of the scrutiny that Torrey Pines took the past week, there can be no argument that we were treated to an excellent and exciting 121st U.S. Open that saw some of the biggest names in golf within touching distance of the lead at one point on the final day.

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In the end, it was Jon Rahm who took advantage of some breaks and played some superb golf down the closing stretch that culminated with two of the most clutch long-range putts one could hit on his final two holes. The Spaniard won the first of what is sure to be a long list of career majors in the end, and it really seemed like it was just meant to be for Rahm after the unfortunate events that took place back at the Memorial.

Attention now turns to the Travelers Championship and what is looking like a very nice field for the week following a major. This week’s 156 man field includes five of the World’s top ten ranked players as 2020 Travelers winner Dustin Johnson is joined by the likes of Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay, and Patrick Reed, who are all set to take on TPC River Highlands this week.

2021 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands

Par 70
6,841 Yards
Pete Dye Design
Bent/POA Blend Greens
156 Player Field/Top 65 and ties cutline

Past Champions

2020: Dustin Johnson (-19)

2019: Chez Reavie (-17)

2018: Bubba Watson (-17)

2017: Jordan Spieth (-12)

2016: Russell Knox (-14)

2015: Bubba Watson (-16)

The Favorites at the 2021 Travelers Championship

The odds used in this article are provided by WynnBet and are current at the time of the article, for more betting news and information be sure to check out Betsided

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Dustin Johnson +1200 returns to TPC River Highlands a year on from his victory at this event and is listed as the joint favorite to win it again by the oddsmakers. Bryson DeChambeau +1200 joins DJ at the top of the board this week and will be looking to put his collapse over the back nine holes at last week’s U.S. Open behind him.

Patrick Cantlay +1300 has been playing great golf over the past month and he is joined by Paul Casey +1500 in this range before all three of Brian Harman +1700, Brooks Koepka +1700, and Patrick Reed +2000 close out the 20 and under tier.

Casey would be the pick in this range for me this week if I were to go with one of the favorites, the Englishman has a terrific history at the Travelers with three top 5’s in his last four starts at TPC River Highlands. He also has recorded eight top 10 finishes in thirteen starts in 2021, but at this price will be a pass for me this week.

The Midtier

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Pete Dye specialist Abraham Ancer +2200 opens up the midtier range alongside Scottie Scheffler +2200 who comes into this week following another excellent finish at a major after his 7th place finish last week at Torrey Pines.

Big names Tony Finau +3000 and Bubba Watson +4000 also populate this range going into the Travelers and of the two it would be Watson who is the most appealing with his excellent history at this event that includes two wins over the past five year’s here.

I’ll pass on Bubba though and instead start the card for this week with Harris English +4000 who comes into the week following his 3rd place finish at the U.S. Open in which he gained strokes with both the Irons and putter. Harris doesn’t have the best of track records at TPC River Highlands but he is largely a better and more consistent player than he has been in the past.

I expect this week to come down to who can hit their approach shots close and make a bunch of putts and English ranks inside of the top 20 in both putting and making birdies this year, so if he can bring his iron play from last week into this week’s Travelers he should do well here.

Russell Henley +5000 will be the final add from this week’s midtier and whilst there is some fear his long week at the U.S. Open will take its toll here, he exhibited enough to catch the eye in this spot. Russell was sensational with irons last week, something that has been a constant for him throughout much of 2021 as he ranks inside of the top ten in approach for the year. Henley’s problems have come from off the tee but on a shorter course this week at the Travelers I wouldn’t expect that to play much of a role.

The 32-year-old finished top 10 at Harbour Town, another short Pete Dye design, and he has played well at TPC River Highlands in the past as well with a 6th and an 11th at this event previously. Henley looks to have his game in a good spot at the moment and I’ll take a chance that he can go the Chez Reavie route and win the Travelers following a good performance at a major this week.

Long Shots

It may be wishful thinking to hope that Stewart Cink +7500 can win again on a Pete Dye design the week following a major, but that is exactly what I’m going to do. Cink has won twice already during the PGA super-season and he had things going last week at Torrey Pines for a while before eventually finishing outside of the top 50.

The irons were a bit of a problem last week for Cink but that is forgivable considering the difficult conditions that players were presented with, I expect that to flip back the other way for Stewart this week as he ranks inside of the top 15 in greens in regulation for the season. Cink has demonstrated an ability to play short Pete Dye courses really well and he did finish 2nd at the Travelers in 2018.

I’ll wrap up this week’s card with two play’s in the 100/1 range, both of whom played well at last week’s major. Canadian Mackenzie Hughes +1000 was in contention going late into Sunday last week before he had the unfortunate luck of having his golf ball get stuck in a tree, which essentially ended his chances.

Still, a 15th place finish at a major championship is no small feat and now he gets to come back to a tournament that he led after round one last year, following an opening-round 60. Hughes was 3rd at the Travelers Championship last year and 17th back in 2017, and after he gained strokes with his irons last week I’m willing to take a chance with him this week at triple digits.

2021 U.S. Open: Winners and Losers from Torrey Pines. dark. Next

Impressive Italian Guido Migliozzi +1000 had a fantastic U.S. Open last week that resulted in a top 5 finish, and while he has yet to secure a win in 2021 he does have three 2nd place finishes over on the European Tour to go alongside his impressive showing last week. I’ll take a chance that he can carry over that impressive performance into this week’s Travelers.

Travelers Championship Card

Harris English +4000

Russell Henley +5000

Stewart Cink +7500

Mackenzie Hughes +1000

Guido Migliozzi +1000

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