Geoff Ulrich gets you set for the Travelers Championship with winning trends and picks for your fantasy golf lineups.
The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Summer Sand Trap Special [$200K to 1st]
The Field
The Travelers has almost always been held the week after the US Open, and this year will be no different. Most of the top players in the OWGR are in attendance as the event does have signature status and will feature a reduced field with NO cut. The event also tends to rank highly among the players just in terms of hospitality, and the fun course setup is a good unwind for the pros after what is always a grueling U.S. Open.
As of writing, the field is set at 72 players, although there is always the potential for withdrawals as the week goes on. Four sponsors exemptions for this event were given out, with Tom Kim, Rickie Fowler, Luke Clanton, and Gary Woodland all gaining entry.
Some players coming in off disappointing US Open results include Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg, and Patrick Cantlay who all missed the cut last week at Oakmont. One name to watch is Corey Conners, who injured his wrist in Round 3 and had to withdraw before Round 4 at Oakmont. He’s in the field as of now but carries added risk this week.
For DFS, with no cut in play, there will be more ways to go about making optimal lineups this week, although the choices at the bottom of the field won’t be as plentiful with the smaller field.
The Course
TPC River Highlands—Cromwell, Connecticut
Par 70, 6,841 yards; Greens: Bentgrass/Poa
TPC River Highlands is a short par 70, featuring smaller bentgrass/poa greens and an eclectic blend of holes — it’s also the place where Jim Furyk had one of the greatest rounds of fantasy golf ever when he shot 58 on Sunday in 2016. In 2020, this venue was ranked just 32nd in terms of toughness (out of 41 ranked venues). In 2023, Rory McIlroy, when discussing the course, suggested that technology had “passed this course by” and even described it as obsolete. He’s likely not wrong.
There are only two par 5s on the course, but one of them is the extremely reachable 523-yard 13th hole, which should yield a high number of birdies and eagles. The course only has two par 5s, but it also features two very drivable par 4s, one of which is the 15th hole, that tends to play at under 300 yards most days and allows players to be ultra-aggressive, bringing in little chance of bogey or worse. There are also eight par 4s that measure between 400-450 yards, making distance off the tee less of an issue, but placement and short approaches more vital. Accuracy stats off the tee tend to rise at River Highlands, but the average driving distance is lower than usual just thanks to the number of holes with doglegs.
The course itself was originally designed back in 1928, but it was reworked by perennial PGA course designer Pete Dye in 1982. It is somewhat comparable to other more technical tracks around the PGA, but it does differ in some respects from older venues like Waialae CC and Harbour Town in that its fairways are extremely easy to hit. This tends to give the big hitters a little more leeway off the tee, and it’s helped players like Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson find success at River Highlands in the past. The poa greens are also noteworthy as they tend to be a surface we see only on the west coast. West Coast specialists like Dustin Johnson, Harris English, and Chez Reavie (among others) have found this course appealing for that reason alone and taking a look at who tends to putt well on poa is a good idea if you are diving into some recent form stats.
In general, Strokes Gained: Approach and Strokes Gained: Putting stats have been the most important metrics to target here. Of the past nine winners at TPC River Highlands, only one (English 2021) has failed to gain over 4.0 strokes on approach in the week of their win. This venue is extremely short by TOUR standards, so good proximity stats from 150 yards and in should also be essential to success.
The PGA TOUR did attempt to make the course play slightly tougher by modifying four or five of the tee boxes last season and growing out some of the rough. It didn’t slow down the players at all. Scottie Scheffler shot 65 or better in all four rounds, and won at -22 in a playoff over Tom Kim, who opened with a 62.
Ultimately, anyone who is hitting it well and can find the speed of the greens should be able to find success at River Highlands. It’s a relatively simple course that has produced a broad spectrum of champions. However, when you’re looking further down the field, it’s the players who have tended to excel when the PGA heads to short, technical courses like Waialae Country Club (Sony Open), Port Royal (Bermuda), and Pebble Beach that are most likely to find River Highlands appealing. That sort of correlation, combined with good recent form on approach and short proximity stats (175 yards and in), is a great combination when looking at which players to back this week.
2025 Weather Outlook: The weather for this year’s event looks decent. Highs will be in the low 80s, although Thursday could see it rise into the 90s during the afternoon. Wind on Thursday and Friday will also be significant. Gusts are expected to increase in the afternoon on Day 1, and we could see gusts up to 20-25mph on the first day of play by late afternoon. Fading the later starters could be a solid strategy early in the event. Day 2 may see the opposite strategy work best as the wind is slated to start strong (gusts of 20+ mph) and then die out as the day goes on. As of now, players with early Thursday tee times and late Friday tee times look best positioned, although that could change dramatically by tee off.
Last 5 winners
2024–Scottie Scheffler -22 (Over Tom Kim, playoff)
2023—Keegan Bradley -23 (over Brian Harman and Zac Blair -10)
2022—Xander Schauffele -19 (over Sahith Theegala -18)
2021 — Harris English -13 (over Kramer Hickok playoff)
2020 — Dustin Johnson -19 (over Kevin Streelman -18)
Winning Trends
10 of the last 11 winners of this event had posted at least a T31 at TPC River Highlands prior to winning.
In 3 of the last 5 seasons that the Travelers Championship has been played directly after the US Open (‘23, ‘22, ‘21, + ‘19) the winner at TPC River Highlands had finished T14 or better at the US Open AND gained over 8.0 strokes TOTAL at the US Open.
In four of the last five seasons, the winner of the Travelers made the cut at the US Open AND gained over 8.0 strokes TOTAL OR over 8.0 strokes TTG at the US Open.
The last six winners (not including the 2020 Covid season) had all posted a top-five finish in the first three months of the season, in the same year that they won this event.
Winners Stats and Course Overview
2024 Winner: Scottie Scheffler (22-under par)
2023 lead-in form (T41-win-T2-T8-win)
SG: OTT—+3.9
SG: APP—+4.4
SG: TTG—+10.0
SG: ATG—+1.7
SG: PUTT—+2.5
Dustin Johnson used a pretty familiar formula in 2020 when he won. He didn’t do anything impressive off the tee (and actually had a poor driving week for him) but ranked sixth in SG: Approach for the week and fourth in SG: Putting. This was extremely similar to the numbers that Keegan Bradley produced in his win in 2023.
2019 Champion Chez Reavie may be a shorter hitter than both of those players, but he used a similar formula as he ranked first on approach and was top 10 in SG: Putting.
Harris English was even more putter-reliant in 2021, gaining over 4.0 strokes putting for the week and also 2.9 strokes around the green. English was steady with his ball-striking but it was his performance with the scoring clubs that made the difference
Scottie Scheffler used an all-around approach to gain a victory but still was dominant on approach, gaining 4.4 strokes there for the week
Unlike last week, TPC River Highlands has easy-to-hit fairways and a lot of softer par 4s, which makes this a less-than-driver venue — and one where we don’t need to emphasize off-the-tee play. Efficiency and proximity with mid-to-short irons will be crucial.
Odds to win are one factor to think about when picking players (but not the only thing, so be careful putting too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value compared to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.
Comparables:
Comparables:
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
HORSES FOR COURSES
1. Brian Harman ($7,200; best finishes: T5-2021, T2-2023): Harman has found himself in contention or close to the top of the leaderboard at the Travelers on numerous occasions, including 2023 when he finished T2. The lefty has posted five top-10 finishes at TPC River Highlands over the last six seasons and is second in this field in strokes gained total stats at this venue over that period.
2. Keegan Bradley ($8,500; best finishes: T2-2019, win-2023): The native New Englander loves this event and was able to grab the title in front of friends and family in 2023. He also finished T2 here in 2019. Bradley is coming in off top 10 finishes at the PGA and Memorial so could be in line for a big finish again in 2025.
3. Patrick Cantlay ($9,800; best finishes: T5-2024, T3-2023): Cantlay showed up to this event as a rookie in 2011 and shot a 60, launching him into contention that season. He also shot a 61 at this event in 2023 in Round 3. He’s now played TPC River Highlands each of the past six years and finished T15 or better in all of those starts.
4. Justin Thomas ($9,300; best finishes: T3-2016, T5-2024): Thomas has finshed top 10 at this event in each of the past two years. The short course puts an emphasis on great short to mid iron play which is Thomas’ bread and butter. Coming off a missed cut at the US Open, he should be well rested and is certainly better suited for this week’s course than last weeks.
5. Russell Henley ($8,800; best finishes: T6-2018, T11-2016): Henley hasn’t done much at this event the last two seasons but he has come close to winning in Hartford on multiple occasions. He enters off a great US Open where he finished T10 and has been gaining on approach big over his last couple of starts.
RECENT FORM
1. Sam Burns ($9,100; T7-2nd-T12): Burns has come agonzing close to grabbing a win the last two weeks. He’s been gaining big on approach, so if he can put the disappointing Sunday at Oakmont behind him quickly, he could be in line to compete again.
2. Scottie Scheffler ($13,300; T7-win-T4): Scheffler nearly caught the leaders on Sunday but ran out of holes. He gained 5.8 strokes on approach last week and shows no sign of slowing down as we head to the last major of the season in July.
3. Ben Griffin ($8,100; T10-2nd-win): Griffin’s legacy run continued last week as he landed a T10 at the US Open, the best major finish of his career. His best finish at this event is a T67 over two career starts so perhaps we finally see some regression from him this weekend.
4. Cameron Young ($7,800; T4-T4): Young finished strong at Oakmont, landing a T4 off the back of a great final round. He’s been gaining most of his strokes on the greens and off the tee and will need his irons to start clicking to make a run this week.
5. Ryan Fox ($7,000; T19-win-T20): Fox is another player on a legacy run. He landed a top 20 at the US Open, his second top 20 finish in a major championship, and has won twice on the PGA this season. Considering how well he’s hitting his irons, it wouldn’t be overly shocking to see him challenge again this week.
Cash Games: Hovland and Fox look solid
Viktor Hovland will be disappointed not to have grabbed the moment last Sunday, but he is coming off an impressive week of golf. He gained over 8.0 strokes on approach and likely would have challanegd for the win or won outright at Oakmont, had he been a little better with his driver. River Highlands doesn’t punish players as much off the tee and with his price so low, he remains a great upper tier value. The same can be said for Ryan Fox, who also continued to gain big on approach at Oakmont and clocked a solid T19. He’s still only $7,000 and with how much confidence he has, there is no reason not to use him in core lineups until he starts failing, At this price, you don’t really need him to do all that much to pay off anyway. Other names to consider as core targets include Russell Henley ($8,800), Jordan Spieth ($8,200 – see below) and Bud Cauley ($6,800).
Tournaments: Finau worth the risk
It’s been a pretty tough year for Tony Finau ($7,700) from a results perspective. He has just the lone top 10 on his reumse from the Genesis back in February and also missed the cut at the Masters. Still, he does come in having made the cut at the last two majors and has seen his approach game start to make positiove gains on a weekly basis. His off the tee game has lacked consistency, but that’s less of a worry on a course like TPC River Highlands, a venue he finished T5 at last season, while losing strokes off the tee. Below Finau, I’d also not hesitate to give Rickie Fowler ($7,200) a look this week in GPPs, as he’s also been gaining on approach regularly of late and finished T7 in his last start at the Memorial. Other names to consider for big fields under $7,000 in price include Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($6,600 – see below), Thomas Detry ($6,800), and Tom Hoge ($6,800).
MY PICK: Jordan Spieth ($8,200)
Spieth has won at TPC River Highlands before (2017) and comes into this year’s version of the Travelers looking like he’s ready to win again soon. The American has been a little up and down most of the season but comes in off a solid T23 at the US Open where he gained 8.7 strokes tee to green and 8.6 strokes on approach. Overall, he’s now gained strokes on approach in four straight starts.
While the putter has been a bit off of late, Spieth’s magic short game has been flourishing, as he’s gained strokes around the green in six straight starts. All-in-all, he ranks top 15 in strokes gained approach, around the green, off the tee and tee to green stats over the last 24 rounds and has the look of a player ready for a big week.
Given the shorter setup and emphasis on short iron play and short games this week, he’s not someone I’d hesitate to roll out for any format in DFS on DraftKings. At $8,200, he’s a great upside play to pair with Scheffler or McIlroy at the top and his price tag (given the course history; recent form) makes him a good value for cash games.
On the DraftKings Sportsbook, combining a top 10 (+360) with an outright (+4500) looks like a great way to get exposure to his upside this week for betting.
MY SLEEPER: Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($6,600)
I’ve chased Bezuidenhout at these shorter courses (with moderate sucess) in the past and feel like it’s a solid time to go back to him again this week. The South African is coming off his best ever finish in a major last week when he grinded out a solid final round and ended the week in T12. Overall, his game has been trending nicely as he also posted a made cut at the PGA and finished T19 at Colonial, two events where he gained over 4.0 strokes on approach.
Bezuidenhout is never going to dominate off the tee, so the wider fairways and short layout certainly favor him this week and he’s proven capable of spiking with his putter on almost any surface. Last week, he gained 4.8 strokes putting on Oakmont’s Poa greens and gained a whopping 7.2 strokes putting in February on the Poa overseeded surfaces at TPC Scottsdale.
While he can be up and down, the no cut format and his cheap price tag make him a great GPP target for me this week, and for betting, his +850 top 10 odds, and +300 top 20 odds, make him an ideal ladder target on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is wavegoodbye) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
