PGA Tour Travelers Championship Preview

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This week the PGA Tour heads to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship. Bubba Watson has won this event 3 times and looks to become the only four time tournament winner since Billy Casper. The field includes many top name players including Brooks Koepka who is ranked number 1 in the official world golf rankings. 5 of the top 10 players in the world are playing including Koepka, Francesco Molinari (6), Justin Thomas (7), Patrick Cantley (8), and Bryson DeChambeau (10). Other big name players include Phil Mickelson and Jordan Speith.

Tournament Information

COURSE : TPC River Highlands
LOCATION : Cromwell, Connecticut
ARCHITECT : Robert J. Moss and Maurice Kearney/1928
2018 WINNER :Bubba Watson

Course Information

Tournament Set-up
Par: 70 Yardage: 6,841
Course Statistics
Average Green Size: 5,000 sq. ft. Average Tee Size: 1,200 sq. ft. Acres of Fairway: 26
Acres of Rough: 60
Number of Sand Bunkers: 69 Number of Water Hazards: 4
Soil Conditions: Sandy loam Water Sources: River
Drainage Conditions: Well drained
Turfgrass
Greens: Bentgrass / poa annua .110” Tees: Bentgrass / poa annua .390” Fairways: Bentgrass / poa annua .390” Rough: Kentucky bluegrass / Fescue 3.5”

Initial Thoughts

TPC River Highlands is not a long golf course. It will play just over 6800 yards. To toughen up the course the rough will be long and the greens will be firm and fast. Hitting fairways is fairly easy. Scoring will come down to approach shots and putting. With the yardage under 7000 this gives the shorter hitters an opportunity to score well. If you are looking for players to add to your fantasy golf roster for this week the stats that I would be looking at are fairways hit, greens in regulation, average proximity to the hole, and average putts per round. Most fantasy experts will be looking at strokes gained stats so I like strokes gained approach. I like when players have the most opportunties to score. The more greens in regulation a player hits the more opportunties for birdies and less chances of making double or higher. Percent of cuts made is another critical stat to look at especially within the last 6 rounds. Most players will "stay hot" for about 4 weeks. You will want to catch the players who are in the middle of their hot streak. That makes recent form a big factor in player selection. When looking at recent form you want to take into consideration that last week was a major. Coming off a major week most players will be exhausted physically and mentally especially if they finished in the top 25. This might be the only time you look for someone who was hot playing up to the US Open but missed the cut last weekend. They have had time to rest and refocus to prepare for this week.

Players To Watch

Top Dog: Brooks Koepka - Koepka is ranked #1 in the WGR but only turns it on during majors. He should make the cut and make a lot of birdies but will he want the win is the big question.
Value Pick: Keegan Bradley - He is ranked #1 in strokes gained approach shots.
Course Fit: Patrick Cantley - Cantley is ranked 5th on approach shots proximity to the hole from 100-125 yards and he is first in 175-200 yards. He has also finished in the top 10 in his last 7 starts. including a win at the Memorial. He is due for a "cool off" but he is coming off a solid performance at the US Open so it is hard to not roster him this year.
Cut Maker: Jordan Speith - Although Jordan has not returned to the top performer we saw a couple of years ago his game is starting to come around. He has made the cut at his last 8 events.
Sleeper Pick: Emiliano Grillo - Grillo is due to come into form. He had a top 10 finish at Memorial and he is a solid player from 100-125. He gains about 5 feet per shot on the field from those distances. He is not the best ball striker from 175-200 but with the limited shots this week from those distances he should be fine.



Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is for general information purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, however we make no representation of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information on the site. Statistical information was abtained through PGA Tour Media anf FNGC.

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