The 2023 Travelers Championship is the final designated event of the PGA Tour season and will take place this week at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Due to its elevated status, 14 of the top 20 ranked golfers in OWGR are set to compete in an absolutely loaded field. TPC River Highlands consistently delivers a great atmosphere from its fans, but it also will feature way more red scorecards than we saw during the U.S. Open at LACC during Wyndham Clark’s win this past weekend.
DFS slates will once again have a ton of value to acquire on the lower salary brackets, as well as offering up plenty of blue-chip prospects to insert into lineups, albeit at a premium. Two of our recommended plays last week, Tommy Fleetwood (T5) and Wyndham Clark (1st), provided a significant return on investment, which we love to see. While others, like Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka, made the cut but couldn’t put together a complete round. Adam Scott missed his first cut, and Max Homa, who was a trendy pick due to setting a course record at LACC during his collegiate career, also joined Scott with a missed cut. Overall, it was a mixture of good and bad results, so we’ll attempt to piece together stronger overall lineup suggestions at the Travelers Championship this week.
TPC River Highlands has small Poa Annua and bentgrass greens, measuring 12 feet on the Stimpmeter and 5,000 square feet on average, rewarding ball strikers. It also has tough scrambling conditions and more water hazards than we’ve seen at recent events, alongside four-inch Bluegrass rough in the penal areas flanking tree-lined fairways. Players with hot putters are always a commodity, but inserting a prospect who is dominant off-the-tee, tee-to-green, and around the green will net just as much production in DFS lineups this week.
Let’s get into six of my favorite players to target when constructing DraftKings and FanDuel PGA lineups ahead of Thursday’s opening round at the 2023 Travelers Championship.
Before we get into our Travelers Championship DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Travelers Championship selections this week.
DRAFTKINGS $50,000 MAXIMUM SALARY
Viktor Hovland ($9,900)
My favorite blue-chip prospect at this elevated event is Viktor Hovland, who recently just secured his first outright win at the Memorial Tournament, another designated event. The 25-year-old Norwegian is ranked 17th or better in strokes gained approaching the green, tee-to-green, and off-the-tee while ranking fourth in total driving. He’s improved his putting ability, which led to his outright win at Muirfield, but his salary is cheap for a top prospect on DraftKings due to his quiet 19th-place finish at even par during the U.S. Open. Hovland logged a T11 finish during his last appearance at TPC River Highlands in 2021, so don’t miss out on the bounce-back from one of the outright betting favorites this week.
Harris English ($7,700)
Harris English won the 2021 Travelers Championship, and he’s been playing excellent golf lately, logging finishes of T3, MC, T12, T52, and T8, entering Thursday’s first round at TPC River Highlands. English is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour this season, ranking 14th in strokes gained putting while sinking 18 birdies during the U.S. Open last week en route to a T8 finish. While he is lacking in other areas, English is 29th in strokes gained around the green and ranks 30th in scrambling, which will be a massive skillset to possess at a course that is more difficult than normal when it comes to saving par after missing the greens. At a mere $7,700 salary, English is an automatic insert into DraftKings lineups this week, especially at a course where he’s comfortable, securing the outright win in 2021 and finishing T19 in 2022.
Brian Harman ($7,500)
I’ve been favoring Brian Harman more in DFS contests lately, and he has not disappointed. Harman has yet to secure an outright win at TPC River Highlands, but the Georgia native has four T10 finishes in his last five appearances at Travelers, plus he’s coming off of a 14-birdie outing at the U.S. Open. Yes, he’s averaging just 59.3 FPPG this season, but Harman does some things very well, including ranking 39th for greens in regulation, 14th scrambling, and 20th in sand save percentage. Plus, he’s equipped with an accurate driver that will keep him away from errant lies, which is key to maintaining the production we’ve seen from Harman at recent events. Based on his current form and comfort level at this event, this could be his best finish since a T7 at RBC Heritage. Grab Harman and plug him into your lineups without hesitation.
FANDUEL $60,000 MAXIMUM SALARY
Scottie Scheffler ($12,300)
I wanted to emphasize Viktor Hovland as my favorite blue-chip prospect, but Scottie Scheffler continues to stay cemented in the top five no matter which event he’s competing in. The 26-year-old Texan and World No. 1 ranked golfer is firing on all cylinders when it comes to his irons, ranking first in total strokes gained, including first tee-to-green, off-the-tee, and approaching the green. He’s also ranked second in total driving, so his only liability is the putter, which we’ve seen heat up slowly over the last couple of events. Yes, Scheffler is the most expensive player on FanDuel’s slate this week, but we cannot blame them due to his consistency and the massive floor he provides. Anchor your FanDuel lineups with Scheffler and watch him continue to work magic with his irons at the final elevated event of the 2023 PGA Tour season.
Denny McCarthy ($9,200)
Denny McCarthy has been on fire lately, despite falling short against Viktor Hovland at the Memorial Tournament a couple of weeks ago. The 30-year-old has finishes of T25, T8, T29, T73, and T20 since the RBC Heritage, using his incredible putting ability, ranked fourth in strokes gained putting, to generate production and stay near the top of leaderboards. Plus, McCarthy ranks seventh in scrambling and averages 69.8 per round, ranked 16th lowest on the PGA Tour this season. McCarthy has not fared well at TPC River Highlands in 2021 and 2022, but I’m confident he’ll continue to linger around a T25 finish or better based on his current form. $9,200 is a good value on FanDuel, especially when spending up for Scheffler, so go ahead and get McCarthy into your lineups with confidence.
Justin Suh ($8,300)
This is my first time this season recommending Justin Suh, but his results are consistent and create a high floor to chase at a low salary. Suh is another quality putter, ranked 11th in strokes gained putting this season while ranking 18th in three-putt avoidance. Suh tends to start hot, scoring a lot of birdies early, so you don’t have to worry about a missed cut. He’s gone T25, T8, T29, MC, 2nd, and T20 leading up to Travelers, so let’s ride his current form, despite not flashing in other areas, and land an easy return on value investing in Suh’s putting prowess at the final designated event of the year.
