Travelers Championship expert picks and predictions with our PGA Pro’s best bets for final 2025 Signature Event

In this betting preview:

• Expert picks and predictions
• DraftKings odds to win
• Betting preview and trends to know
• TPC River Highlands course overview

CROMWELL, CT—I've received a million messages about the final round at Oakmont. Notably, a majority of those people were with us and backing Sam Burns to win. Everyone was seeking my opinion on the Burns temporary water decision in the 15th fairway. Here's my take.

Following the deluge on Sunday afternoon, the golf course was borderline playable. Sending the players back out to finish on Sunday was an "executive decision." It involved television and the USGA. I understand why they did it, but in those meetings where you decide what to do, there is always a discussion about collateral damage.

The golf course was completely saturated before Sunday. Returning after the rain delay to use the TV window posed a competitive risk. Adam Scott and Sam Burns ended up on the wrong side of that decision. Scott's approach on 11 or Burns in the fairway on 15 were unfortunate breaks based on the conditions. You can argue they should have hit better shots, but how many offline shots did we see after the restart? All of those left approaches from the fairway by right-handed golfers... that's water in between the ball and the grooves.

I feel bad for Burns, and I congratulate J.J. Spaun. Spaun played incredibly well under the same conditions as Adam and Sam. He deserved to win on Sunday. I just cannot help but wonder what would have happened if the turf conditions hadn't been sacrificed for television.

The Travelers Championship is our final signature event of the season. The TOUR won't have to travel very far from western Pennsylvania to Cromwell, CT. Situated just southeast of Hartford, TPC River Highlands has been a mainstay on the PGA TOUR schedule for decades.

Once thought to be in an impossible place on the calendar following the US Open, Travelers took over the event in 2007. Since that transition, they have developed a blueprint that all sponsors should follow for running a successful PGA TOUR stop.

This preview is just that, a preview. For a complete list of my betting predictions covering the Travelers Championship, placements, and H2H matchups, please go to Read The Line and subscribe.

Travelers Championship 2025 best bets

Best bet to win: Viktor Hovland (+3500 on DraftKings)

You will need scoring this week and a player who can stare down Scheffler. Hovland can do both, and he proved it by beating the world No. 1 by two shots at Oakmont.

Hovland shared with the media in Pennsylvania that he is close. One of the most confident players on TOUR when he’s trending, I love his fit this week.

Viktor was third in the field on approach and second T2G at the US Open. His putter was only positive for two rounds in Pittsburgh. If he gets the flatstick going in Hartford, he’ll have another trophy at home.

Best bet to place in the Top 10: Cameron Young (+400 on DraftKings)

A very good Young heads back to the northeast, coming off back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the RBC Canadian Open and the US Open. Young shot 59 at TPC River Highlands last year on Saturday and finished ninth. The key to his recent success: the putter. Take one of the best driver/wedge/putter guys on TOUR and enjoy the comfort of the 10 places.   

Best head-to-head bet: Xander Schauffele over Collin Morikawa (+100 on DraftKings)

There’s a plus money H2H bet on Schauffele at an event where he has finished win, 19, 13 in his last three starts!

Morikawa led the field T2G at Oakmont and finished 23rd. His putter let him down and has not been great at TPC River Highlands in the past.

In four Travelers starts, Morikawa has missed two cuts. He also has just one finish inside the top 20 since The Masters. I’ll take the third-ranked player in the world and a positive moneyline.

Travelers Championship 2025 betting odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings. Showing odds shorter than +9000.

Travelers Championship 2025: Betting preview

Pete Dye gave us TPC River Highlands in 1982. A par 70 layout traversing 6,844 yards along the Connecticut River, Dye's design places a strong emphasis on accuracy. In three signature editions, the average winning score is 21 under par. Our winner will need to create 25 or 26 sub-par scores over 72 holes. Walking the grounds, it shouldn't be too hard as the turf conditions are soft, and the greens are receptive. The northeast has seen epic amounts of rain this spring, and the Hartford region is no different. It rained all day yesterday, and the forecast calls for more on Thursday afternoon/evening. I find it tough to imagine a world where this course plays firm (at all) by Sunday. Temperatures in the high 80s won't help, and the wind forecast is moderate, blowing most days in the eight to 10 mph range.

Our betting favorite is Scottie Scheffler. Set at an incredibly short number, Scheffler had an off week with the putter at Oakmont and finished tied seventh. One year ago, he finished forty-first at Pinehurst and then won the Travelers in a playoff at 22 under par over Tom Kim. As a Read The Line sub, you remember that finish. We had both Akshay Bhatia and Kim on our outright card and in the final group on Sunday with Scheffler. Bhatia faded early, but Kim remained competitive until the protestors stormed the eighteenth green. Security quickly safeguarded the situation, but not before they damaged the putting surface near the hole location. This was the tournament where they moved the hole due to the damage. Just another shining example that selecting successful outrights is hard.

Seventy-two players are playing 72 holes for $20 million. There is no 36-hole cut. A guaranteed payday for all, surely sponsor exemptions, Tom Kim, and Rickie Fowler have a ton to play for. Luke Clanton and Gary Woodland round out the four free tickets. All four of the exemptions and the remaining 68 players will need to focus on accuracy if they plan to win. Pete Dye loves to test players with small targets. TPC River Highlands has 68 bunkers and five holes where water comes into play; four of them are found over the final six holes. Fairways are narrow, and the average green size is 5,000 sq/ft. Covered in a Bentgrass/Poa blend, these surfaces will perform much like Oakmont and the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Even though they are soft, with just 72 players in the field, they will roll perfectly. Guys can make putts at the Travelers!

Scoring is a priority as 10 of the 12 par 4s are under 450 yards in length. This par 70 scorecard only has two par 5s, so you must take advantage. Along with the 5s, there are 12 holes that have a 15% birdie rate or higher. Conversely, only seven have a bogey rate over that value. You need to go low under normal conditions in Cromwell, but with the soft surfaces, I suggest taking dead aim. TPC River Highlands is the shortest par 70 the players have played to date in 2025. Most approaches are with a wedge in hand, so turn on the radar and lock in on these hole locations. I love being on property during signature weeks, either right before or after a major championship. Body language can tell us so much about what a player is thinking.

Watching the field prepare for the Travelers, certain players are just not into it. As fans, we cannot imagine a world where we wouldn't fight to play our best. Surely Scottie feels that way too, but observing guys like Rory and their mannerisms is one of the keys to winning this tournament. They are all human, and after Oakmont, some are tired. Then again, I also see players who know they are in great form and are trying to take advantage of the last signature event purse and points. It's a polar combination of trophy/vacation seekers. Who's ready versus who's ready to go home?

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Travelers Championship 2025: TPC River Highlands course overview

I've spent a large majority of my life in the northeast. As a club professional, junior golfer, and general golf fan. If I had a dollar for every time I heard the phrase, "He's a northeast style golfer," I'd be less upset about the Sam Burns situation on Sunday. What is a northeast style golfer, and more importantly, are they an actual good fit for TPC River Highlands?

Northeast golf courses stereotypical have certain characteristics. The first one we all notice is their size. Our region of the country is overpopulated. Less space means golf courses get squeezed. TPC River Highlands isn't small, but adding length to a tight footprint doesn't make the venue any bigger.

Players contend here by favoring accuracy off the tee and on approach. For every Bubba winner or DJ past champion, there are top 10s filled with Furyk, Henley, and Harman. Inaccurate length got exposed last week at Oakmont, and this is the same story. Keep the ball in play and allow yourself to attack these flags. Again, with the soft conditions, hitting from the fairway will be a huge advantage. It will allow players to control trajectory and, even more important, spin.

The approach ranges for these players are pretty simple (125-175 yards). The most strokes gained against the field by par are listed below:

• Par 3s: 150-175 yards
• Par 4s: 400-450 yards
• Par 5s: 500-550 yards

The field also gained the most strokes for approaches over 200 yards. That's an opportunity analytic. The two par 5s and two 200+ par 3s are important scoring moments in the round at River Highlands. Players who take advantage of those four shots gain a ton on the field. This is a common characteristic where northeast designs only give you a few long iron shots.

These moments are key in the round and have statistically proven themselves to help guys separate. I'm looking for great wedge players on approach who also can hit the green in two on par 5s. Target those men, and you'll have plenty of scoring potential. The last five winners have gained an average of five strokes on the field with their iron game.

Second to the iron game in gains by the slimmest of margins is putting. The last 10 winners have averaged 22 sub-par scores. That requires approximately 30 (or more) legitimate birdie opportunities. Converting that many birdie chances requires some serious flatstick form. If you were good at Oakmont on the greens, I'm interested. We're talking the same agronomy and texture with all of the wet weather. Players tend to make putts at TPC River Highlands. Those who have a ton of northeast experience, either growing up or in college, share an advantage. Can you ball strike your way to contention here, yes. In the end, I'll take guys who are above-average ball strikers that can go nuclear on the greens.

Every par 70 layout favors par 4 scorers, and TPC River Highlands is no different. A few less par 5s and players need to make birdies in other places. I write/say this all the time, but contending on par 70 courses is a skill. It can also be an important talent on par 72 venues. When it comes to par-70 scoring, you must know who these players are to build successful DFS lineups and betting cards. Take a look at the start off hole one. Four straight, completely different par 4s. Great rounds at TPC Highlands always get off to a hot start, and you need to birdie a couple of these to go deep. Not to mention the close, where Pete presents you with three completely different par 4 tests over the final four holes.

Guys who grew up in the Northeast, like Keegan Bradley and Cam Young, have fared well at the Travelers. Both are coming into this week in great form. What is also beginning to pique my attention is the Ryder Cup race. Starting with our Captain, all of these guys are trying to get on the team bus for Bethpage. This is our last opportunity to see how guys will perform on a similar agronomy and in front of a loud, raucous crowd. Cam Young, Ben Griffin, etc. are all here, and Keegan is most certainly watching. That extra layer of pressure inside a signature event is also being factored into my betting and DFS strategy this week.

Scrambling plays a huge scoring role at TPCRH. I'm weighing around the green acumen for close-range scoring on par 5s and short par 4s more than saving par. The shots are the same, but players who love to attack from awkward wedge lengths have fared well at the Travelers. Strokes gained ARG is ranked as the fourth most impactful trait of the four main strokes gained skills, but short game scoring is important and should not be overlooked. Especially when you consider the size of these greens and the terrain in this region. To reinforce this point, players practice a ton of wedge shots across the practice facilities at TPC River Highlands. If they are noticeably working on a specific skill, then you better believe it is important.

In back to back weeks, we have gotten burned. The world tends to even out at some point, and I have a good feeling about what I see and how certain players are performing. It's time to get back in the winner's circle with an excellent on-site week featuring guys who know how to play in this corner of the country.

Read The Line is the leading golf betting insights service led by 5-time award-winning PGA Professional Keith Stewart. Read The Line has 39 outright wins and covers the TGL, LPGA, and PGA TOUR, raising your golf betting acumen week after week. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter and follow us on social media: TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.