Travelers Championship: 4 Dark Horses Not To Be Overlooked
By Derek Helm
Each week I will provide my favorite chalk and Dark Horse plays for the upcoming DraftKings DFS slate. This week I will highlight my favorite DraftKings plays for the 2023 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.
A value play is determined by a golfer being underpriced or coming in at lower ownership. I’ll also establish who will be the most rostered on the slate; also known as the “chalk”.
We always want to play the best plays but need leverage as well. Determining the difference between good “chalk” (highly owned) and bad “chalk” is essential.
I’ll list which of the high-owned golfers I like the most this week. Pairing those plays with lower-owned and/or lower-priced golfers (Dark Horses) is the optimal way to build and gives us the best route to winning a DraftKings contest.
*Ownership projections are estimates and will vary from contest to contest. The percentage provided is in regard to guaranteed prize pools on DraftKings.
2023 Travelers Championship: Favorite Chalk Plays
Scottie Scheffler ($11,300)
DK Ownership: 17-20% – Obviously the putter is an issue but if he even makes a few more putts, Scottie is going to run away with one of these.
Scheffler has five straight top-5 finishes coming into the week, and he has gained over 33 strokes from tee to green over his last two tournaments.
Scottie is the best by far statistically for TPC River Highlands, or any course for that matter. He’s 1st in strokes gained approach, 1st in par 4 scoring, 1st in opportunities gained, and 3rd in birdies or better gained over the last 50 rounds.
Hideki Matsuyama ($8,600)
DK Ownership: 15-17% – Hideki has some good finishes coming into the Travelers, the two most recent of which were derailed by one blowup round. It was the putter that let him down at the US Open where he lost six strokes putting.
He did however gain 8.6 strokes on approach at the US Open. He’s gained strokes on approach in nine straight tournaments. He’s 1st in opportunities gained, 5th in strokes gained approach, and 10th in par four scoring over the last 24 rounds.
Hideki has made the cut in seven straight tournaments with an average finishing position of 19th over that span.
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2023 Travelers Championship: Dark Horse Plays
1. Harris English ($7,700)
DK Ownership: 10-12% – English won the Travelers in 2021 and came 19th here last year. His 2nd best finish at TPC River Highlands was a 7th place finish way back in 2014.
He’s played much better recently coming in 8th place last week at the US Open. He also had a 12th place finish at the Charles Schwab and came 3rd at the Wells Fargo last month.
2. Brian Harman ($7,500)
DK Ownership: 10-12% – This is basically a ‘horses for courses’ argument. Harman has played very well at the Travelers over the years.
Harman has only missed the cut twice in 11 appearances at the Travelers Championship. The last five times he’s played here he came 8th, 5th, MC, 8th, and 6th.
Although 2023 has been up and down for Harman, he has gained strokes on approach in three of his last four tournaments coming in, including gaining four strokes last week at the US Open.
3. Austin Eckroat ($7,300)
DK Ownership: 14-17% – Eckroat has been playing well recently coming 10th last week at the US Open, 30th at the Memorial Tournament,16th at the Charles Schwab, and 2nd at the AT&T Byron Nelson last month.
He’s gained strokes off the tee in eight straight tournaments and strokes on approach in five straight.
Eckroat is 8th in opportunities gained, 18th in par four scoring, 20th in scrambling, and 21st in DraftKings scoring over the last 24 rounds.
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4. Mark Hubbard ($6,900)
DK Ownership: 12-14% – Hubbard has been on a tear finishing 9th at the Charles Schwab, 30th at the Memorial, and 6th most recently at the RBC Canadian Open where he gained 8.8 strokes on approach.
He’s gained strokes on approach in seven straight tournaments. He’s 2nd in strokes gained approach over the last 24 rounds.
Hubbard has never missed the cut in four appearances at the Travelers Championship with his best finish coming in 2021 when he finished in 13th place.