Travelers Championship Odds & Betting Preview: Early Bets & Picks, Including Keegan Bradley
The signature events keep on coming, and true to the PGA Tour’s 2025 vision, they’ll look to continue the momentum from the U.S. Open. Let’s delve into Travelers Championship odds at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. The electric crowd atmosphere never disappoints in Connecticut. Although a par-70, TPC River Highlands offers ample birdie opportunities and true tests that reward the best ball strikers.
As the conversations surrounding rolling back modern golf ball technology continue, TPC River Highlands is a quintessential example of why this has become so necessary. Time has passed this 6,835-yard course by, as what was once a quintessential plodder’s paradise has fallen victim to the bomb-and-gouge approach. Longer hitters have begun to cut off angles, going over the top of this tree-lined layout for ample driver-wedge birdie opportunities. Still, Pete Dye’s TPC River Highlands continues to reward elite ball strikers who bring a streaky putter into tournament week.
Below are key facts and information about TPC River Highlands ahead of the 2025 Travelers Championship.
Travelers Championship Betting Odds: To Win The Tournament
The Field At A Glance
The PGA Tour’s best will remain on the East Coast for one more week, with a short trip from Pittsburgh to New England next on deck. The Travelers has always been a favorite amongst PGA Tour players and has gained some serious momentum since the fragmentation of the PGA Tour and LIV. Tapped with Signature Event status, virtually all of the tour’s best will flock to Cromwell, Connecticut, with an electric Northeast crowd awaiting.
Of the top 50 eligible OWGR players, all but Justin Rose, Billy Horschel, and Sahith Theegala are here to tee it up this week. That means we have yet another loaded field headlined by Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, and Ludvig Åberg to look forward to. Each of these tour stars returns in great recent form with proven past high finishes at this event.
Scheffler is back to defend one of his many 2024 titles. Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele, and Harris English also represent past Travelers Championship winners set to tee it up in this limited-field event.
Introduction To TPC River Highlands
A bit less speculation and guesswork lies ahead for the Travelers Championship than the last few weeks. The confines of TPC River Highlands bring plenty of familiarity. This year marks the Travelers’ 72nd year on the schedule, with TPC River Highlands hosting since 1984.
If we affectionately refer to the WM Phoenix Open as “The People’s Open,” then we may want to dub the Travelers “The People’s Championship.” Attendance ranks second only to TPC Scottsdale each year. That adds a stadium atmosphere and makes for an exhilarating viewing experience down the final stretch. The Travelers doesn’t have the pedigree of the Genesis, but it’s done an excellent job of attracting the game’s best players, a credit to the energy created each year. It’s no coincidence that for that reason, The Travelers has been tapped as a Signature Event for the second consecutive year, continuing the momentum from last week’s U.S. Open with another loaded field with heightened stakes.
Playoffs have been a mainstay at the Travelers, with six contests extending beyond regulation over the last 13 years. That includes last year’s showdown between Scheffler and Tom Kim, as well as the marathon between English and Kramer Hickok in 2021. The 18th sets the scene for many infamous “walk-off” hole-outs, notably from Spieth in 2017.
Patrick Cantlay’s breakout moment came on these grounds in 2011 when he shot the course record 60 as an amateur, still in college at UCLA. That record did not last long, however, as Jim Furyk came back in 2016 and fired a 58. Mackenzie Hughes also opened the 2020 Travelers with a Thursday 60.
This course can be a birdie maker’s dream when the irons and putter click. Interestingly, the winning score has surpassed 20-under-par in each of the last two years, but prior to that, it had gone 11 straight years (2012-2022) without a winner reaching -20. It seems players have begun to take a more aggressive approach on a course that had always rewarded precision and positioning above all else.
- Related: Golf DFS Picks & Longshot Bets For Travelers Championship
Course History & Comparisons
Course history is stickier at TPC River Highlands than the average tour course. I’m beginning my research by striking through any players who failed to post a top-40 finish in their prior starts. Course specialists used similar game plans each year to produce consistent results and find themselves in contention.
Looking at the recent Travelers results, eight players have had multiple T15 finishes over the last five years. That list includes Rory McIlroy, Brian Harman, Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler, Keegan Bradley, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, and Tony Finau. Judging from this group, strong iron play prevails, but the varying profiles of players who found repeated success here suggest that there are many different ways to attack this course.
Eleven players avoided missing the cut in each of the last five years (min. three appearances): McIlroy, Cantlay, Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Scott, Shane Lowry, Russell Henley, Harris English, Sungjae Im, and Austin Eckroat.
The top 10 players in terms of overall course history at TPC River Highlands are: Patrick Cantlay, Brian Harman, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Keegan Bradley, Min Woo Lee, Sungjae Im, Akshay Bhatia, and Hideki Matsuyama.
Course Elements
Short positional courses are a dime a dozen on the PGA Tour. They tend to bring the most correlation from a comp standpoint, with similar emphasis on position off the tee and separation with short-to-middle irons. In the case of TPC River Highlands, many other courses of a similar profile have proven themselves indicators of success.
Strongest Comps
Colonial CC seems the top comp in my eyes. It features the exact same average green size and rough length, plays under 7,200 yards, and uses heavy tree lining to force positional layups off the tee. Spieth has won at both events, and Kevin Kisner, Zach Johnson, Harris English, and Brooks Koepka have each also found repeated success at both.
TPC Deere Run is another great comp course. It also plays short and positionally on similar Bentgrass greens, with a layout that rewards a combination of SG: OTT and Birdies or Better Gained. TPC courses bring plenty of design consistency, and the philosophy of a fan-friendly atmosphere with ample scoring opportunities should translate.
Of all the Pete Dye comps, the presence of penal rough and ample hazards has me leaning towards TPC Sawgrass as the top one. Harbour Town and The Stadium Course also serve as solid references and have been strong indicators earlier in the season.
If we use Bubba Watson as a barometer for course fit (he has three wins here), then Riviera CC, Innisbrook Resort, and (to a lesser extent) TPC Scottsdale also stand as interesting reference points.
Given its recency, positional emphasis, and same Bent-Poa northeast greens, TPC Toronto and Philadelphia Cricket Club also serve as reliable comp courses.
Combine performance across this list, and the top 10 players in Comp Course History here are: Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Kevin Yu, Brian Harman, Daniel Berger, Rory McIlroy, Ben Griffin, and Sepp Straka.
Key Stats For Travelers Championship Odds
- SG: OTT
- SG: APP
- Birdies or Better Gained
- SG: ARG
- Prox 100-150
- SG: T2G (<7,200-Yard Courses)
- Par 4: 400-450 / Par: 4: 0-350
- SG: TOT (Pete Dye Courses)
- SG: Putting (Bent & Poa)
- Course & Comp Course History
It’s easy to look at a 6,841-yard par-70 Pete Dye course and deduce that accuracy holds high importance. That holds true at a surface level, as players like Chez Reavie, Ryan Moore, and Brian Harman showed us many times that a lack of distance doesn’t leave a player at a huge disadvantage here. But having distance does set up players for success, more so than you might expect at the other positional courses on tour.
In recent weeks, there’s been an emphasis on the importance of Total Driving (Driving Accuracy + Driving Distance) in lieu of SG: OTT. This week, I’m going heavy on SG: OTT. The top-10 players in SG: OTT entering this week are: Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners, Rory McIlroy, Kevin Yu, Ludvig Aberg, Luke Clanton, Taylor Pendrith, J.J. Spaun, Collin Morikawa, and Aaron Rai.
Any short Pete Dye course puts an emphasis on iron play. Just behind SG: OTT for me this week is SG: APP. The top 10 entering this event are: Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Bud Cauley, Keegan Bradley, and Aaron Rai.
Given Pete Dye’s tricky green-side complexes, SG: ARG still ranks highly despite the high volume of birdies expected. Just 10 players rank top-30 in both SG: Ball Striking and SG: ARG – Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley, Aaron Rai, Justin Thomas, Russell Henley, Ryan Gerard, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Spieth.
Birdies & Specific Distances
We don’t normally find so many holes at one course concentrated in one range. This week, we see eight holes funneled between 400 and 450 yards. That means a high concentration of approach shots should continue to come from the 100-150 yard range. The top-10 players from this distance are: Collin Morikawa, Sepp Straka, Justin Thomas, Russell Henley, Corey Conners, Keegan Bradley, Ryan Fox, Brian Harman, Shane Lowry, and Sam Burns.
With so many low individual scores posted over the years, TPC River Highlands has become a birdie maker’s delight. It presents a great opportunity for streaky players to separate themselves if the irons and putter click. The top 10 players to keep an eye on for Birdies or Better Gained are: Scottie Scheffler, Sepp Straka, Max Greyserman, Stephan Jaeger, Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Cam Davis, Luke Clanton, Hideki Matsuyama, and Tony Finau.
To summarize, I’m looking for players who excel in SG: OTT and Prox. 100-150 and possess an above-average history at TPC River Highlands and other comp courses. Seven players meet that criteria: Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Daniel Berger, Corey Conners, Keegan Bradley, and Aaron Rai.
Course Correlations
Looking at the correlation charts this week, we see quite a few stat categories that profile TPC River Highlands as a unique test compared to the average PGA Tour course. par-3 Scoring, par-5 Scoring, and P4: 450-500 have proven less consequential at this event, and each falls from their usual place in the top 10.
The number of short par 4s means we instead see a premium concentrated on P4: 400-450 and P4: 0-350. Ten holes play between these two ranges, so players who take advantage should position themselves to stockpile the most birdie chances.
Just outside the top 10, we notably see driving distance and doubles avoided, bringing historical success. Distance does not come to mind on a 6,800-yard course, but it’s proven a good “nice to have” for players like Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day, and Charley Hoffman historically at TPC River Highlands. Doubles Avoided also feels like a tertiary stat. But, on a course that baits you into taking shots over hazards and forces layups from tee shots that fall out of position, it makes sense that we want players who keep big numbers off of their cards.
Just eight players in the field rank above average in each of the above 10 key stat categories: Scottie Scheffler, Sepp Straka, Patrick Cantlay, Kevin Yu, Daniel Berger, Tommy Fleetwood, Ben Griffin, and Keegan Bradley.
Player Spotlight: Keegan Bradley (+4000, DraftKings Sportsbook)
As the saying goes, you play Bradley in New England when he’s on the bubble in a Ryder Cup year. On the heels of yet another impressive showing at the U.S. Open, Bradley might be making his job just a little bit easier for himself as Team USA’s Ryder Cup captain is beginning to separate from the other bubble players.
Two years ago, Bradley successfully fed off of this high-octane, home crowd atmosphere to win the 2023 Travelers Championship. Having won the ZOZO Championship earlier that season, many thought this win cemented his trip to Rome; however, a sluggish playoff run ultimately kept him off Zach Johnson’s team. The redemption arc is back in play now for Bradley, who is in the midst of the best statistical season from a SG: TOT standpoint since 2014. To put that in perspective, Bradley is having his best SG: OTT season since 2017, his best SG: APP season since 2021, and his best SG: ARG season ever.
The Florida resident who grew up in Massachusetts and played college golf at St. John’s University can essentially claim the entire east coast of the United States as a home game, and the local support in tournaments like these has always lent credence to that. With the Travelers Championship being the only PGA Tour event in the New England or Tri-state area, Bradley has made it known that this is an event he has circled every year. Although this has been elevated to Signature Event status, there’s something to be said about the U.S. Open hangover factor not hitting Bradley quite as hard here.
Ranking No. 5 in Course History at The Travelers with a win and two other top-10s over the last seven years, Bradley is top-10 overall in my model this week, and enters in even better form than he did leading into his 2023 victory at TPC River Highlands.
Travelers Championship Odds: DFS Player Pool
With all the course-fit profiles in mind, I’m leaning early toward the below player pool. Naturally, I’m looking their way in the 2025 Travelers Championship odds as well. I’ve broken the list down by projected pricing/odds tier for DraftKings.
Tier 1
- Scottie Scheffler
- Collin Morikawa
Tier 2
- Sam Burns
- Xander Schauffele
- Shane Lowry
- Tommy Fleetwood
Tier 3
- Keegan Bradley
- Ben Griffin
- Tony Finau
- Corey Conners
- Russell Henley
- Sepp Straka
Tier 4
- Brian Harman
- Aaron Rai
- J.J. Spaun
- Daniel Berger
Tier 5
- Kevin Yu
- Ryan Gerard
- Bud Cauley
Travels Championship Odds: Model Results Breakdown
In my model, I’m emphasizing SG: APP, Prox 100-150, SG: OTT, Birdie or Better Gained, and Comp Course History, followed by a more balanced mix of SG: TOT (Easy Scoring Conditions), SG: T2G (<7,200 Yard Courses), Doubles Avoided, and SG: P (L36, Bent/Poa).
Golf Betting Model Favorites
Unsurprisingly, Scheffler claimed the top overall spot in my model this week. Despite looking human for the first time in nearly two years at the U.S. Open, it’s hardly a surprise to see Scheffler atop any model run for this week. He has finished first, T4, and T13 at the Travelers Championship over the last three years and will be playing with a little something extra to prove after such a disappointing showing at Oakmont last week.
After Scheffler, my model’s top 10 is rounded out by Justin Thomas, Sepp Straka, Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy, Daniel Berger, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele, and Keegan Bradley.
I could see myself building a relatively long card as far as Signature Events go. After Scheffler, there does not seem to be an obvious top name who comes in with great form and good history at this event. So, depending on where the odds ultimately fall, I may start my card further down the board with the likes of Shane Lowry, Ben Griffin, and Keegan Bradley.
Check back in later this week for more updates, and best of luck navigating the Travelers Championship odds!
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