This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Travelers Championship
TPC River Highlands (6,841 yards, par 70)
$7.0M Purse -- $1,260,000 to the champion
Setting the Stage
CROMWELL, CT – Just 100 miles north of Long Island sits TPC River Highlands, highly revered by both players and fans alike as one of the best PGA Tour stops on the calendar. In the wake of the U.S. Open, the birdie-friendly course will find favor after last week's grueling major. Being so close to Shinnecock has resulted in 50 U.S. Open entrants teeing it up, producing one of the best fields the Travelers Championship has ever seen. Household names like Koepka, McIlroy, Spieth, Thomas, and Day join the deep field in what should be a low-scoring affair. Many highlights have occurred in Cromwell, including Jim Furyk's 58, Patrick Cantlay's 60 as an amateur, Jordan Spieth's walk-off hole-out from a bunker, and Kevin Streelman's seven straight birdies leading to win a in 2014. Expect plenty of late-round birdies to decide the championship in what should be an exciting week.
Recent Champions
2017 – Jordan Spieth
2016 – Russell Knox
2015 – Bubba Watson
2014 – Kevin Streelman
2013 – Ken Duke
2012 – Marc Leishman
2011 – Fredrik Jacobsen
2010 – Bubba Watson
2009 – Kenny Perry
2008 – Stewart Cink
Key Stats to Victory
• Par Breakers percentage
• Par 4 Scoring Average
• Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green
Length is no advantage, but deadly accurate irons are
As one of the shortest courses the PGA Tour will see all year, the entire field will be granted plenty of short irons into greens. What further amplifies the importance of hitting deadly accurate irons is that many holes are sharp doglegs, forcing players to play position golf off the tee and make hay from the fairway. This is precisely why length has such little advantage in Hartford, other than maybe a drivable par-4 and a longer par-5. The rest is just about hitting it close and converting makeable birdies.
Yahoo Value Picks
Best of the Best
Justin Thomas, $45 – On paper Thomas checks all the boxes for TPC River Highlands: fifth on Tour in par-breakers, fifth in par-4 scoring, and eighth in Strokes Gained: Approach. Riding a string of 15 straight top-25 finishes in individual events, Thomas should at minimum keep the streak alive in Hartford.
Brooks Koepka, $42 – Now a two-time major champion, Koepka enters on the heels of a mentally exhausting U.S. Open in which he was the last man standing. But don't expect the youngster to be too fatigued since he has only played seven events in 2018 due to a wrist injury early in the year. At the very least he should make the cut in his sleep, and brings the upside for a top-10 finish.
Patrick Reed, $41 – After contending for victory at last week's U.S. Open on the heels of his Masters triumph in April, Reed is enjoying a career year. Reed is 16th in par-breakers and 11th in par-4 scoring average this season, so it would be no surprise for the elite putter to continue his momentum this week and perhaps pick up another victory.
Bargain Bin
Ryan Moore, $36 – Moore's game can be summed up as great positioning and control off the tee, elite iron play, and average putting. That's pretty much all you need in Hartford to play well, and he's proven that with 5 top-10s in 10 career starts here. At $36, Moore appears to be a steal, so don't overthink this middle-tier option who could easily be in the mix Sunday.
Daniel Berger, $36 – Berger was among the best putters at the brutish U.S. Open last week, so if he can keep up his typically solid ball striking and continue his torrid putting, look out. In two career starts at TPC River Highlands, Berger has notched a T5 and a runner-up. Much like Moore, Berger is a no-brainer middle-tier option this week.
Russell Knox, $27 – Knox quietly recorded three top-20s over his past four events, making him a fantastic value this week at $27. The Scot is a very accurate driver of the ball with solid iron play and par-4 scoring, so expect the 2016 champion to validate his win here with another quality finish.
Strategy Tips on Yahoo this week (based on $200 standard salary cap)
A welcome return to low scoring this week means a much wider net of players capable of getting hot and picking up a win. At such a short, vulnerable track, players with elite short irons and the ability to convert birdies are the sought-after group. Look for players up and down the salary list to contend, but expect a well-established talent to rise to victory this week. As such, target as many studs as possible and fill in with some high-upside risks in the lower tiers.
