PGA Tour Travelers Championship Preview

-


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.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

20 Ways Of Training The Mind On Positive Thinking

-
Image
1. Start the day with cheers and smiles. Your whole day depends on how you greet the morning. Therefore, as long as you welcome it with energy and high spirits, everything will go okay. You don’t want the rest of the day to get ruined, do you? Come on, smile! It doesn’t cost anything but is worth everything. 2. Ask for guidance. Only the Universe knows what we will be having on the day ahead of us. It will surely appreciate a few minutes of meditating and asking for guidance. Also, have faith that our requests will be granted as long as it is for our own good. With the Universe as our guide, we don’t have any reason not to say and believe in the thought that I can do this. I can make it through this day. Nothing is impossible. 3. Plan the day ahead. To avoid mistakes that will cause negative output on your daily activities that will later on become negative thoughts, it is better to plan your work first; after which, work your plan. Make sure today’s goals are clearly de
Read more

Golf's Mental Game - A Journey To Confidence

-
Image
What would you say is the most important aspect in becoming a better player? How can you get complete fulfillment from the game? What aspect of this sport is the key ingredient to having the most fun? Some people say that patience is the answer. Others point out that practice & repetition is the key to success in golf. And it is. Some players even think that having the right golf clubs is the "magic potion." A. Great Answers... Confidence. A generally good feeling about the strength of your abilities can be a priceless asset. Having confidence in yourself is important in golf & practically everything else too. How you feel about yourself will carry over into the quality of your game & elsewhere. Thousands of golfers have lowered their scores & increased their relative happiness by just reassessing how they view themselves. B. Performance Similarly, there is also "performance-oriented" confidence which is based more upon the
Read more

Golf Swing Basics - The Golf Grip

-
Image
A good golf grip is essential to playing a good game of golf.  If you are gripping the club incorrectly or too hard, you will end up with shots that go places you don't want them to go.  There is no one exact science to the golf grip, but there are three basic golf grips that golfers use today: * The overlapping grip is the most common golf grip used.  It is used mostly by male golfers and those with strong wrists and forearms.  The little finger of the right hand lies on top of or overlaps the index finger on the left hand. * The baseball grip is most commonly used by younger golfers, females, seniors, and those with weaker wrists and arms.  The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand meet but do not overlap or interlock. * An interlocking grip will be used by golfers with shorter hands and fingers, those with thicker or chunkier palms, and golfers who have difficulty with the overlapping grip.  The index finger of the left hand and the li
Read more