Wyndham Clark, at a pre-championship price of 40-1 to 45-1, became the first player since Martin Kaymer in 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2 to go wire-to-wire and win the U.S. Open championship. However, it was the U.S. Open, and it is arguably the hardest event in golf to win. Clark, even while paired in the final group with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (T-4 finish), had a six-stroke lead (-7) going into Sunday’s final round. The 2023 and now 2026 U.S. Open champion carded bogeys on three of his first seven holes but never lost the lead. 

It was not Scheffler who emerged as Clark’s primary challenger, but one of Scheffler’s best friends, Sam Burns, who carded birdies on four of his first eight holes but could not quite reach Clark. Burns, one of our pre-event outright tips at 45-1, did have a chance to make birdie at 18 to post 4 under, the eventual winning score for Clark, but missed the 17-footer by four inches to post 3 under. 

Clark had not won anywhere in over two years and fell to 78th in the world heading into the Masters but won last month in Dallas at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and is now a two-time U.S. Open champion ranked eighth. 

This week, Clark (28-1) could find the Connecticut crowds a bit more friendly at The Travelers Championship, unless he has a six-stroke lead again and just about takes out all the intrigue in another event. 

Scheffler (4-1), a 2024 winner at the Travelers, is back in Hartford to lead the field at this “Signature Event.”

Xander Schauffele (16-1), the 2022 Travelers winner, was probably the easiest bet on the board last week to finish top 20 at the U.S. Open and did so once again with a T-11 for his 10th consecutive top-15 finish in the championship. 

Both Tommy Fleetwood (16-1), who had a three-stroke lead heading into the final round, and Russell Henley (33-1) looked primed to win last year’s Travelers but were defeated courtesy of a walk-off birdie at 18 by New Englander Keegan Bradley (45-1), who has now won here in Hartford two of the last three years. 

Ludvig Åberg (20-1) and Justin Thomas (25-1) both finished top 20 last week courtesy of under-par final rounds. 

Cameron Young (22-1) and Matt Fitzpatrick (22-1) were both heavily backed last week, but both disappointed with finishes of T-43 and 22nd, respectively, especially Fitzpatrick, who was in the final pairing with Clark on Saturday but fell down the leaderboard on the weekend. 

The winless drought of over three years continues for Burns (20-1), but he has finished second and fourth over the last three weeks, so he is knocking at the door for a victory. 

Si Woo Kim (28-1) is always considered a threatening specialist on Pete Dye designs like this week’s venue at TPC River Highlands. 

Other top-10 finishers from last week’s U.S. Open in this week’s field include fourth-place finishers Memorial winner J.T. Poston (66-1) and Keith Mitchell (50-1), along with seventh-place finishers Gary Woodland (60-1) and Sam Stevens (80-1). 

Some other former Travelers winners in the field this week include 2021 winner Harris English (50-1) and 2017 winner Jordan Spieth (55-1).

The Event 

The Travelers Championship was established in 1952 as the Insurance City Open before it became known as the Greater Hartford Open for most of its existence from 1967 to 2003. Legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. was a fixture at the Tuesday/Wednesday pro-ams in Hartford and his name was attached to the event from 1973 to 1988. TPC River Highlands has been the permanent venue for the tournament since 1984. The event is managed by the Greater Hartford Community Foundation. Travelers, which is one of the largest insurance companies in the United States, took over the sponsorship in 2007 after Canon and Buick were associated with the event for many years.

Multiple time winners at the Travelers include Billy Casper (1963, 1965, 1968, 1973), Bubba Watson (2010, 2015, 2018), Arnold Palmer (1956, 1960), Paul Azinger (1987, 1990), Phil Mickelson (2001, 2002), Peter Jacobsen (1984, 2003), Stewart Cink (1997, 2008) and Keegan Bradley (2023, 2025).

The Travelers is customarily (since 2007) held the week after the U.S. Open on the PGA Tour schedule but has managed to attract consistently solid fields year after year, even before becoming a “Signature Event.” In both 2017 and 2018, the tournament earned the PGA Tour’s Players Choice Award, which is voted on by PGA Tour members for its services, hospitality, and quality of both the course and overall event. 

The Greater Hartford area continuously supports this event as The Travelers consistently rates just behind the Waste Management Phoenix Open for attendance. 

The Field

Seventy-two players will be part of this week’s Travelers Championship field. One notable absence is Rory McIlroy, who likely will return next month at the Genesis Scottish Open the week before the British Open at Royal Birkdale. 

The winner receives $3.6 million of a $20 million purse. 

The Course

TPC River Highlands is in Cromwell, Conn., which is approximately 12 miles south of Hartford. Robert Ross and Maurice Kearney were the original designers in 1928, and the track was founded as the Middletown Country Club. It became the Edgewood Country Club from 1934 to 1984 before being purchased by the PGA Tour and officially becoming TPC of Connecticut before being renamed TPC River Highlands in 1989. It was redesigned by Pete Dye in 1984 and remodeled in 1989 by Bobby Weed, a Dye protege, with assistance from consulting then-PGA Tour pros Howard Twitty and Roger Maltbie.

The course plays as a par-70 of 6,844 yards. which is the third-shortest course thus far on this year’s PGA Tour schedule.

Jim Furyk set the course record here in the final round of the 2016 Travelers by shooting a 58, the lowest round in PGA Tour history.

TPC River Highlands is a tight (30-yard average fairway width) and short tree-lined parklands that sits on a bluff above the Connecticut River. Wind is the main defense here, though, and the winning score averages out to be in the mid-teens under par.

There are only five water holes, and some bunkers (69 in total on the course remain) were removed in a 2015 renovation to create more fairway short pitch shots into the greens. The fairways and rough are Bentgrass/Poa Annua (Kentucky Bent/Fescue mix in the four-inche penal rough) and the greens (5,000 square foot average — fifth-smallest on tour; 12, which is average speed on the stimpmeter) are also a Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix. In terms of the type of player this course favors, there really isn’t a prototype. Shorter hitters have won here as well as bombers. As always, ball striking and hitting greens with regularity is usually a good recipe for success and River Highlands is no exception.

Here is the official scorecard for the 2026 Travelers Championship (courtesy of PGATOUR.com):

The front nine is straightforward and there are few hazards off the tee. The tough finishing stretch of holes 15-18 is what has given this event so many close and competitive Sunday finishes. This stretch of holes is typical of Pete Dye courses, as he loves tempting players to hit toward hazards on drives and approach shots. Hitting toward the hazards increases the risk but also provides a reward with an easier shot into the greens.

Holes 15-17 all play around a four-acre lake. The 296-yard par-4 15th is a great risk-reward hole. It tempts players to go for the three-tiered green with water surrounding on the left side and a forested hilly area with bunkers on the right. Eagles will be carded here along with double bogeys. The 171-yard par-3 16th hole is in the most wind-affected area of the course and is completely over water where you cannot be long. The par-4 17th is 431 yards and wraps around the pond with a difficult tee shot and an approach shot towards the back-to-front sloping green.

Here are some of the other Pete Dye designs that feature on the PGA Tour:

Austin Country Club – WGC Dell Matchplay since 2016

Crooked Stick – 2012 and 2016 BMW Championship.

Harbour Town Golf Links – RBC Heritage

Ocean Course – Kiawah Island – 2012 and 2021 PGA Championship

TPC Louisiana – Zurich Classic of New Orleans

TPC Sawgrass – The Players Championship

TPC Stadium, PGA West – The American Express since 2016

Whistling Straits – 2010 and 2015 PGA Championship

Of the other Dye courses, Harbour Town and TPC Sawgrass have the most correlation to TPC River Highlands. Other correlated courses include Colonial, Pebble Beach, Sedgefield, Innisbrook and Waialae. 

WFSB-3, the CBS affiliate in Hartford, put together a hole-by-hole flyover drone video of TPC River Highlands.

Weather

The AccuWeather forecast calls for some rain on Friday. 

The course received some rain early this week, so it is reasonable to expect lush fairways and soft greens.

The scoring should be lower than last year, as the 2025 Travelers had high winds. This year should be closer to the 2023 and 2024 tournaments with around 20 under and potentially lower being the winning score. 

Travelers Championship Recent History/Winners

2025: Keegan Bradley (-15/265); 45-1

2024: Scottie Scheffler (-22/258); 4-1*

2023: Keegan Bradley (-23/257); 90-1

2022: Xander Schauffele (-19/261); 20-1

2021: Harris English (-13/267); 35-1**

2020: Dustin Johnson (-19/261); 30-1

2019: Chez Reavie (-17/263); 70-1

2018: Bubba Watson (-17/263); 33-1

2017: Jordan Spieth (-12/268); 10-1***

2016: Russell Knox (-14/266); 50-1

2015: Bubba Watson (-16/264); 14-1 ****

2014: Kevin Streelman (-15/265); 150-1

2013: Ken Duke (-12/268); 150-1 *****

2012: Marc Leishman (-14/266); 125-1

2011: Fredrik Jacobson (-20/260); 45-1

2010: Bubba Watson (-14/266); 40-1******

Playoff win vs. Tom Kim – *

Playoff win vs. Kramer Hickok – **

Playoff win vs. Daniel Berger – ***

Playoff win vs. Paul Casey – ****

Playoff win vs. Chris Stroud – *****

Playoff win vs. Corey Pavin & Scott Verplank – ******

Statistical Analysis

The greens at TPC River Highlands are some of the smaller ones on tour, so players must be sharp with the irons here.

Strokes Gained Approach — Average Per Round (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Matt Fitzpatrick 0.776
  2. Collin Morikawa 0.749
  3. Si Woo Kim 0.735
  4. Adam Scott 0.726
  5. J.J. Spaun 0.709
  6. Kurt Kitayama 0.648
  7. Daniel Berger 0.617
  8. Ryan Gerard 0.616
  9. Wyndham Clark 0.567
  10. Ludvig Åberg 0.551
  11. Justin Rose 0.551
  12. Scottie Scheffler 0.540
  13. Viktor Hovland 0.488
  14. Sepp Straka 0.485
  15. Jackson Suber 0.481
  16. Cameron Young 0.471
  17. Aaron Rai 0.460
  18. Alex Smalley 0.419
  19. Shane Lowry 0.412
  20. Hideki Matsuyama 0.403
  21. Jake Knapp 0.397
  22. Xander Schauffele 0.391

TPC River Highlands has seen both bombers off the tee and more accurate hitters win as well. Positional driving is key here as the fairways are among the narrowest on tour, and many tighten considerably where the longer hitters typically hit their drives. So players will often have to club down and hit fairway woods or long irons off the tee.

Total Driving — Driving Distance Rank + Driving Accuracy Rank (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Ludvig Åberg 50 (13 + 37)
  2. Scottie Scheffler 50 (31 + 19)
  3. Kurt Kitayama 59 (17 + 42)
  4. Cameron Young 67 (24 + 43)
  5. Min Woo Lee 77 (9 + 68)
  6. Matt Fitzpatrick 78 (66 + 12)
  7. Collin Morikawa 81 (71 + 10)
  8. Gary Woodland 88 (4 + 84)
  9. Xander Schauffele 91 (14 + 77)
  10. Justin Rose 98 (50 + 48)
  11. Tommy Fleetwood 99 (94 + 5)
  12. Sam Stevens 99 (34 + 65)
  13. Corey Conners 102 (95 + 7)
  14. Jake Knapp 102 (9 + 93)
  15. Adam Scott 102 (22 + 80)
  16. Daniel Berger 103 (57 + 46)
  17. Keegan Bradley 103 (46 + 57)
  18. Harris English 104 (76 + 28)
  19. Robert MacIntyre 107 (62 + 45)
  20. Ryo Hisatsune 109 (74 + 35)

The highest concentration of the approach shots here will come anywhere from 100-150 yards.

Average Approach Proximity — 100 to 150 Yards (Last 24 rounds)

  1. Tom Hoge 20.9
  2. Mark Hubbard 21.1
  3. Jackson Suber 22.0
  4. Aaron Rai 22.6
  5. Brandt Snedeker 22.8
  6. Eric Cole 23.1
  7. Corey Conners 23.1
  8. Ryan Gerard 23.2
  9. Alex Fitzpatrick 23.3
  10. Justin Thomas 23.4
  11. Kristoffer Reitan 23.6
  12. Lucas Glover 23.8
  13. Shane Lowry 23.9
  14. Russell Henley 24.0
  15. Ryan Fox 24.1
  16. Matt Fitzpatrick 24.4
  17. Brian Campbell 24.4
  18. Sepp Straka 24.4
  19. Jacob Bridgeman 24.6
  20. Mac Meissner 24.7
  21. Si Woo Kim 24.8
  22. Taylor Pendrith 25.0
  23. J.J. Spaun 25.0
  24. Nick Taylor 25.0

NOTE: Average Distance from the Hole in Feet, Inches

In 2023, the scoring average per round was -1.60 strokes under par and even easier in 2024 at -2.37. With less wind in the forecast, the scoring should be lower this year. Birdie opportunities are never “gimmes” on Pete Dye layouts, but they are plentiful. 

Birdie Or Better Percentage (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Scottie Scheffler 27.03%
  2. Si Woo Kim 25.84
  3. Wyndham Clark 25.62
  4. Ludvig Åberg 25.21
  5. Jake Knapp 25.15
  6. Collin Morikawa 24.87
  7. Eric Cole 24.67
  8. Jacob Bridgeman 24.64
  9. Ryan Gerard 24.28
  10. Harris English 24.11
  11. Min Woo Lee 24.11
  12. Akshay Bhatia 24.07
  13. Keith Mitchell 24.07
  14. Sam Burns 23.97
  15. Robert MacIntyre 23.66
  16. Maverick McNealy 23.66
  17. Cameron Young 23.61
  18. Tony Finau 23.39
  19. Matt Fitzpatrick 23.12
  20. Chris Gotterup 22.99

On a par-70 layout, there are 12 par-4s and they are wide-ranging here from 296 to 481 yards.

Par-4 Scoring Average (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Scottie Scheffler 3.90
  2. Si Woo Kim 3.95
  3. Gary Woodland 3.96
  4. Akshay Bhatia 3.97
  5. Sam Burns 3.97
  6. Cameron Young 3.97
  7. Jacob Bridgeman 3.98
  8. Patrick Cantlay 3.98
  9. Ryan Fox 3.98
  10. Russell Henley 3.98
  11. Kurt Kitayama 3.98
  12. Jake Knapp 3.98
  13. Alex Smalley 3.98
  14. Ludvig Åberg 3.99
  15. Wyndham Clark 3.99
  16. Eric Cole 3.99
  17. Harris English 3.99
  18. Ryan Gerard 3.99
  19. Min Woo Lee 3.99
  20. Shane Lowry 3.99
  21. Robert MacIntyre 3.99
  22. Collin Morikawa 3.99
  23. Xander Schauffele 3.99

NOTE: Tour average score is 4.04. 

TPC River Highlands has rated as the second-toughest course over the last five years to gain strokes around the greens. The course also features a variety of tiered, small green complexes and collection areas, making chipping from short grass and tight lies particularly challenging.

Strokes Gained: Around The Green — Average Per Round (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Matt Fitzpatrick 0.557
  2. Tommy Fleetwood 0.534
  3. Jason Day 0.520
  4. Scottie Scheffler 0.516
  5. Ben Griffin 0.490
  6. Eric Cole 0.471
  7. Brandt Snedeker 0.459
  8. Justin Thomas 0.440
  9. Sungjae Im 0.406
  10. Sahith Theegala 0.398
  11. Harry Hall 0.368
  12. Maverick McNealy 0.363
  13. Wyndham Clark 0.352
  14. Nick Taylor 0.342
  15. Tony Finau 0.328
  16. Hideki Matsuyama 0.328
  17. Min Woo Lee 0.282
  18. Mac Meissner 0.279
  19. Bud Cauley 0.274
  20. Keegan Bradley 0.260
  21. Patrick Cantlay 0.254

The Scrambling percentage at TPC River Highlands has been around 52% over the last several years, primarily due to the thick Bluegrass/Fescue rough surrounding many of the greens.

Scrambling (2026 PGA Tour season)

  1. Scottie Scheffler 67.17%
  2. Tommy Fleetwood 66.24
  3. Russell Henley 66.01
  4. Xander Schauffele 64.81
  5. Cameron Young 64.71
  6. Jake Knapp 64.16
  7. Matt Fitzpatrick 63.95
  8. Mac Meissner 63.82
  9. Patrick Cantlay 63.71
  10. Jason Day 63.64
  11. Denny McCarthy 63.57
  12. Eric Cole 63.53
  13. Ben Griffin 63.37
  14. Jordan Spieth 63.29
  15. Maverick McNealy 63.19
  16. Min Woo Lee 63.06
  17. Hideki Matsuyama 62.98
  18. Bud Cauley 62.90
  19. Sahith Theegala 62.87
  20. Harris English 62.76
  21. Nick Taylor 62.72
  22. Brandt Snedeker 62.56

The greens at TPC River Highlands are Bentgrass/Poa Annua (predominantly Bentgrass commingled with Poa that is less bumpy than the Poa seen on the west coast). 

Strokes Gained Putting — Average Per Round — Bentgrass (Last 24 rounds)

  1. Harris English 1.43
  2. Collin Morikawa 1.38
  3. Ryan Gerard 1.32
  4. Sam Burns 1.21
  5. Denny McCarthy 1.07
  6. Wyndham Clark 1.00
  7. Alex Smalley 0.97
  8. Maverick McNealy 0.92
  9. Kurt Kitayama 0.88
  10. Eric Cole 0.87
  11. Alex Noren 0.76
  12. Tommy Fleetwood 0.73
  13. Ben Griffin 0.61
  14. Bud Cauley 0.58
  15. Si Woo Kim 0.57
  16. Akshay Bhatia 0.55
  17. Nick Taylor 0.53
  18. Jake Knapp 0.52
  19. J.T. Poston 0.50
  20. Brian Harman 0.47

Players who play well on one Pete Dye layout tend to play well on most, if not all, of them.

Strokes Gained Total — Average Per Round — Pete Dye Designs (Last 36 rounds)

  1. Scottie Scheffler 2.56
  2. Matt Fitzpatrick 2.44
  3. Ludvig Åberg 2.23
  4. Xander Schauffele 2.11
  5. Cameron Young 2.11
  6. Collin Morikawa 1.80
  7. Alex Smalley 1.74
  8. Jacob Bridgeman 1.64
  9. Sepp Straka 1.47
  10. Russell Henley 1.46
  11. Si Woo Kim 1.34
  12. Sam Burns 1.26
  13. Justin Rose 1.21
  14. Hideki Matsuyama 1.16
  15. Patrick Cantlay 1.14
  16. Tommy Fleetwood 1.11
  17. Jason Day 1.09
  18. Ryan Gerard 1.09

Selections

Embed from Getty Images

Tommy Fleetwood (+1750, DraftKings)

Fleetwood has unfinished business at the Travelers after giving it away last year. 

He finished T-11 last week at the U.S. Open and gained strokes across the board.

Fleetwood has gone 4-11-11 in his last three events and has the Scottish Open and the British Open, in his hometown of Southport, England, on deck. This group of events seems like one of the spots for his next victory. 

Justin Thomas (30-1, Circa Sports)

Thomas closed his U.S. Open with an under-par round on Sunday to finish T-17. 

JT has a few wins at shorter courses on tour, including a couple on Pete Dye designs like Harbour Town (RBC Heritage) and TPC Sawgrass (The Players Championship). 

Here at The Travelers, he has made 10 appearances where he has finished third (2016), ninth (2023), fifth (2024) and ninth (2025). 

Collin Morikawa (31-1, FanDuel)

In the midst of playing a full-time schedule and dealing with a back injury in recent months, Morikawa also became a father for the first time earlier this month. 

He finished T-17 last week at Shinnecock Hills but was on the first page of the leaderboard for most of the weekend. Losing strokes Around The Greens likely cost him a top-10 finish, but there were tighter lies last week, and this week the short game should be better, chipping and pitching out of the thick stuff. 

Wedge play and driving accuracy are right in his wheelhouse, and that is what you need to win at TPC River Highlands.

Patrick Cantlay (+3250, Fanatics)

Cantlay missed the cut at the U.S. Open, but so did Keegan Bradley three years ago and then won here. Some guys can refocus after missing the cut, while others who were in the mix struggle the following week after a grueling major championship.

He has never finished outside the top 15 here in the last eight years. 

Brian Harman (68-1, DraftKings)

If Cantlay has good career form here, then Harman has spectacular form at TPC River Highlands with eight top-10s in his last 11 appearances, including a run of five straight in the last five years.

He made the cut at the U.S. Open (T-32), but his best finishes of the season are on shorter courses where driver positioning is paramount and/or Pete Dye designs: TPC Sawgrass (T-11), Pebble Beach (T-19), Colonial (T-22) and Harbour Town (T-25). 

Ryan Gerard (80-1, BetMGM)

Gerard has four runners-up since last December. 

While missing the cut last week at the U.S. Open, Gerard is still on good form, having one of those runners-up at The Memorial and finishing 10th at the Charles Schwab Challenge the week prior. 

Another runner-up was to Scottie Scheffler earlier this year at The American Express, played on another Pete Dye design at PGA West. 

Placement markets, matchups and/or other bets will be available Wednesday at VSiN.com/picks. 

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