Travelers Golf Tournament Preview Courtesy of Fairway Jay, A Professional Sports Handicapper featured on Touthouse.com
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As its name implies, the TPC at River Highlands sits atop a ridge overlooking the Connecticut River, just 14 miles South of Hartford and 90 minutes from Boston. The par 70 layout features fairway’s that meander through the gorgeous rolling estate with the signature TPC mounding and natural amphitheaters providing unobstructed views. Holes number 15-17 play around a four-acre lake, known as the ‘Golden Triangle’. Banked by large hills, the closing stretch of holes offer great fan viewing options for the exciting finish.  The 296-yard 15th is a fun, driveable risk/reward par 4 followed by hole 16, a dramatic par 3 over water. Holes no. 4 and 17 ranked as two of the top 50 toughest holes on Tour last year, and the closing two holes are two of the strongest par 4’s that require accurate drives with water running along the entire right side of the signature hole no. 17.

TPC River Highlands is the third shortest golf course on Tour at 6,820 yards. Yet the past seven winners have all ranked in the top-15 in driving distance, allowing them to attack the pins with short irons and strong wedge play getting them in position for shorter birdie putts. The past three winners have shot 15, 14 and 14-under par, so ‘shooting’ for birdies should be a welcome relief for those players that competed in the U.S. Open last week.

While the argument can be made that players that competed at the U.S. Open may not be as sharp mentally to compete the following week, some pretty strong results show that solid play at the U.S. Open often carries over the week following the Major Championship. Since 2000, the winners of the event following the U.S. Open have five top-25 finishes at the U.S. Open. The following players are listed in match-up betting this week and come off a solid performance at the U.S. Open. Check out their course results below and consider them in your match-up wagering this week.

Hunter Mahan – Defending Travelers champ finished T18 at the U.S. Open and is an excellent driver of the golf ball. He currently ranks 4th on Tour in Greens-in-Regulation (GIR – 68%), but putting problems (69th of 79 at U.S. Open) have led to sub-par results by his standards this season. His win last year at the TPC River Highlands was part of a solid stretch of 9-straight top-25 finishes, and the less severe and sloped greens should be to his liking again this week.

DJ Trahan – Finished 4th at the U.S. Open and also 4th in all-around stats at the U.S. Open. No top-20 finishes at TPC River Highlands however, but a solid ball striker and ranks 10th on Tour in driving. Short iron play holding him back from better results, and prefer one of his opponents in a pair of listed match-ups. Still, confidence soaring after his high U.S. Open finish which also earned him a trip to next year’s Masters.

Stewart Cink – Another solid finish for Cink at the U.S. Open (T14), and he’s now finished top-25 ten times in fourteen events this season including six top-10’s (tied for first on Tour with Tiger). His game is sharp and overall stats place him near the top in many categories as he’s enjoying his best year on Tour. Only a victory is lacking, and Cink won at TPC River Highlands in 1997 and has four top-10’s in ten starts at the Travelers Championship.

Carl Pettersson – Fresh off a T6 at the U.S. Open and a final round 68, the Swede often excels on shot-maker courses. Additional top-10’s at Byron Nelson and Memorial and T33 at Colonial has big Carl in good form and feeling confident knowing he’s qualified for next year’s U.S. Open while also earning an invitation to the Master’s with his top-8 finish last week.

Jerry Kelly – The University of Hartford graduate is short off the tee but accurate, and he’s found River Highlands to his liking with four top-15 finishes. Jerry has been very inconsistent this year while missing the cut in 8 of 17 events including last week’s U.S. Open. Possible ‘bounce back’ this week, but prefer his opponent in the match-up this week, as Woody Austin is a solid ball striker and iron player with a past victory here and three top-10’s. Woody’s woes continue to be putting and scoring however.

With the Boston Celtics having just won the NBA Title, the area fans should again be wild and supportive for the largest sporting event in New England with nearly 300,000 fans in attendance.