Eight out of the top 10 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings are playing the Travelers Championship, which starts Thursday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should back one of them to win. Nine players out of the top 10 were supposed to play, but Brooks Koepka dropped out because of COVID-19-related concerns.
Top-ranked golfer Rory McIlroy is one of three favorites at 12/1, but his record as the top pick isn’t good this year. The Irishman is now 0-6 in 2020 when tabbed the favorite to win a PGA Tour event.
Besides, Mcllroy has only played this event twice before, finishing tied for 12th in 2018, and tied for 17th in 2017. There are definitely better golfers to put money on at the Travelers Championship.
Odds to Win Travelers Championship
| Golfer | Westgate | William Hill | BetOnline |
| Rory McIlroy | 12/1 | 12/1 | 13/1 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 12/1 | 14/1 | 11/1 |
| Justin Thomas | 12/1 | 14/1 | 12/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 16/1 | 20/1 | 16/1 |
| Bubba Watson | 25/1 | 33/1 | 28/1 |
| Dustin Johnson | 25/1 | 28/1 | 25/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 25/1 | 28/1 | 25/1 |
| Justin Rose | 30/1 | 28/1 | 25/1 |
| Abraham Ancer | 30/1 | 35/1 | 28/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 30/1 | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| Sungjae Im | 30/1 | 35/1 | 33/1 |
| Paul Casey | 30/1 | 33/1 | 33/1 |
| Collin Morikawa | 35/1 | 28/1 | 28/1 |
| Patrick Reed | 40/1 | 40/1 | 33/1 |
| Gary Woodland | 40/1 | 45/1 | 50/1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 50/1 | 40/1 | 40/1 |
Who are they? Here’s a look at some players we’re high on this week, and others we’re steering clear of.
Golfers to Consider
Justin Thomas (12/1)
One of three favorites at the Westgate SuperBook USA, Thomas is one of only three golfers to post top-10 finishes in the last two events. He finished tied for 10th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and tied for eighth at last week’s RBC Heritage.
It’s concerning that his last two appearances at the Travelers Championship have been poor, but he did finish tied for third at TPC River Highlands in 2016.
Bryson DeChambeau (12/1)
DeChambeu is the other player who has two straight top-10 finishes. He muscled up before the season resumed, and it appears to have paid off for the 26-year-old. He finished tied for third at the Schwab, and tied for eighth at the RBC.
He also finished tied for eighth at Travelers Championship last year.
Joaquin Niemann (40/1)
Niemann could be a solid long shot to back for two reasons. First, he looked extremely sharp last week at the RBC and, if it wasn’t for one mistake late in the final round, he could have finished higher than tied for fifth.
Second, he finished tied for fifth at the Travelers Championship in his debut there last year. Bettors will enjoy an incredible payday if he wins, and he’s worth consideration if you want to take a flyer.
Golfers to Avoid
Jon Rahm (16/1)
Rahm might be ranked No. 2 in the world right now, but he’s been struggling for the past two weeks. He missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge and tied for 33rd at the RBC Heritage.
The Spaniard last played the Travelers Championship in 2016, finishing tied for 25th.
Patrick Cantlay (30/1)
Cantlay is making his return to professional golf after choosing to skip the last two tournaments. It makes one wonder how sharp he’ll be since the last professional event he played in was the Genesis Invitational back in February.
The 28-year-old was playing well before the season was suspended, but we’d like to see how he performs after a long layoff before we put any money down on him.