2026 Travelers Championship: Top DraftKings Showdown Plays & Live Bets Ahead of Round 2
The 2026 Travelers Championship is officially underway, with TPC River Highlands producing a logjam of contenders after its first round. Eric Cole leads the way at 7 under par, but a chasing pack of six others – Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Bud Cauley, Ben Griffin, Kristoffer Reitan, and Nico Echavarria – remain just one stroke off Cole’s pace.
Looking ahead, we have new data at our disposal to adjust our approach in DFS formats before Round 2 gets underway on Friday. Conditions were largely calm on Thursday, but there will be a slight uptick in wind on Friday. Ahead, we’ll look to identify the players who have shown they are most due for a Round 2 breakout.
Take a look at some of the best pillar players for the 2026 Travelers Championship DFS contests and live betting opportunities.
DraftKings Showdown Golf Strategy
DraftKings Golf Showdown Golf is a one-round Daily Fantasy format in which players aim to construct the best-scoring one-round lineup while staying within the allotted salary cap. To identify value in Golf Showdown, it’s typically best to focus on buy-low opportunities on players who’ve shown uncharacteristically poor putting in the prior round. There is also an opportunity to find leverage by identifying favorable weather splits and players who are more likely to card birdies-or-better.
Round 2 Travelers Championship Showdown Pillar Plays
As expected, birdies have been much easier to come by at TPC River Highlands than we saw at Shinnecock Hills in the week prior. TPC River Highlands is not a pure birdie fest, but it is the type of TPC venue that allows in-form ball-strikers to go on a hot run. It’s no surprise we’ve seen multiple players break 60 over the years at this event, and I don’t think Eric Cole’s 63 is the lowest round we’ll see this week. Looking ahead, it is going to take a combination of driving accuracy, elite wedge play, and a streaky putter to go low at TPC River Highlands.
Identifying value players who check each of these boxes can provide valuable bonus points in the DraftKings Showdown format. The three players below will be foundational plays in my Round 2 Showdown lineups for these reasons.
Sam Burns ($9,500)
While I was optimistic enough about Sam Burns’ chances this week to bet him to win outright, I was a bit apprehensive to see how he would bounce back in his first round after the emotional roller coaster of nearly winning the US Open. A comfortable pairing alongside his best friend Scottie Scheffler certainly helped, as Burns posted a solid round of 66 and currently sits T14, just three strokes off the lead.
Burns ranked No. 1 in SG: Putting leading into this week, so you can’t help but feel like he left some strokes out there on Thursday, ranking 47th in SG: P and 7th in SG: T2G. Burns has leaned on his hot wedge play all season, stacking top-15 finishes at similar short positional courses like TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town, and Pebble Beach already this season. If he can get anything going on the greens in round 2, Burns’ tee-to-green game continues to look world-class amidst this current heater he’s on.
Viktor Hovland ($8,100)
It’s been a slow journey back to prominence for Hovland, but the case continues to build that he is regaining his star form. Hovland ranked top-20 in SG: APP leading into this week, and has shown no signs of letting up, ranking 3rd in the category after his opening round. This is a nice discount on Hovland’s price, who has clearly shown he is playing better golf of late than his recent results would otherwise indicate.
He is just two starts removed from his best result of the season, a 3rd place finish at the RBC Canadian Open. While not a perfect comp course to TPC River Highlands, TPC Toronto was another risk-reward TPC layout played on similar northeast Poa greens. Currently T8 at 5 under par, Hovland is in great position to make a charge on Friday.
Bud Cauley ($7,100)
It was fair to wonder if an emotional hangover would set in for Bud Cauley, who claimed his first PGA Tour win at the RBC Canadian Open at the age of 36. As it turns out, he has not skipped a beat, as he blitzed TPC River Highland with an opening round of 64. Cauley has proven to have on of the highest floors on the PGA Tour this season, having made 11 consecutive cuts and gaining in terms of SG: OTT, SG: APP, and SG: ARG in each of his last eight starts.
The putter was the key to his breakthrough up in Canada, and he continues to look comfortable on these similar northeast Poa greens in Cromwell, Connecticut. Cauley led the field in SG: OTT in the opening round and ranks top-25 across all four strokes gained categories. He looks poised to add to a solid career resume at the Travelers Championship, which includes three top-25 finishes.
Live Bets To Consider Entering Round 2
Round 2 Matchup: Keegan Bradley over Jordan Spieth
Best Available odds: -115
In this battle of the past Travelers champions, I’m siding with the two-time winner in Keegan Bradley. Keegan got the better of Spieth in the opening round, clearing him by four strokes. There were many red flags from Spieth in his opening round, ranking in the bottom 20 in SG: OTT, SG: ARG, and SG: Putting.
Positioning is everything at TPC River Highlands, as penalty hazards come into play quickly for those who are not in control of their tee shots. On the other hand, you can string together birdie opportunities quickly when playing this course consistently out of the fairway. That was the difference between Keegan and Spieth in round 1, and it’s Keegan who’s given us more reason to believe in his ball striking over the course of this 2026 season.
Leader After Round 2: Sam Burns
Best Available odds: +3200
It’s priced as a long shot, and it may be too much to expect Burns to climb past 13 players in one round to erase his current 3-stroke deficit, but I see a real path for Burns to at least claim a share of the lead.
Everything is pointing in Burns’ favor leading into Round 2. The US Open hangover is behind him, he has another comfortable pairing with his best pal Scottie Scheffler, his tee-to-green game remains in top form (7th in SG: T2G, top-20 in all three tee-to-green categories). He’s also due for some positive regression on the greens, ranking 47th in SG: Putting despite entering this week as the No. 1 putter in the field over the last 36 rounds.
Best of luck with your Travelers Championship DFS lineups and bets!
Photo Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
