One of the oldest tournaments on the PGA Tour is the home for the return of golf in 2020 when the Travelers Championship tees off at TPC River Highlands starting Thursday, June 25th.
There are four rounds, but Showdown Challenge is just the scores from Round 1 of the event. Who will get off to a hot start on what is expected to be an 86-degree day in Cromwell, Connecticut? Keep in mind TPC River Highlands is a Par 70 setup with four Par 3’s and just two Par 5’s that plays to only 6,841 yards. It’s a track for ball-strikers and putters.
We make some picks for Round 1 below. Enter your lineups here.
Keegan Bradley ($7,500)
The born New Englander plays well in this area of the country, and has never missed the cut at TPC Highlands in nine tries. He finished second here last year and opened with a 65 on his way to -13. His only opening round not in the 60’s here was his first one. Grab the value.
Jordan Spieth ($8,000)
A bit of a gamble as its the huge number he tends to put up on one hole in otherwise excellent rounds seems to be the issue. If he can avoid the double-or-worse, you’ll be in good shape. Has been an average of -5 in his last two opening rounds. He’s not always shown it this year, but this is one of the best players in the world. Won here in 2017, but missed the cut last year.
Patrick Reed ($8,300)
He’s not the most fun human to root for, but we’re trying to win cash. Third on Tour in putting with 1.077 strokes saved with the flatstick per round, and before he got cut at the RBC last week he had finished won at the WGC-Mexico, then finished T7 and T15. Opened 68-66 here last year, and that’s too much value for a golfer priced $33 under the median DFS cost.
Rory McIlroy ($10,400)
All the payroll discipline above means you can splurge a little here. Has played here only twice, and opened with a 64 in 2018 on his way to 12th, and a 67 in 2017 towards a 17th. Has the highest fantasy points average of any golfer in 2020. Might be the best player in the world, and is #1 in the World Golf Ranking. That’s usually a pretty good reason to take a golfer you can afford under the salary cap.