2011 Travelers Championship Predictions
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
After a thrilling week at Congressional, where 22-year-old Rory McIllroy dominated the field at the U.S. Open, the PGA TOUR season continues on with the 2011 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. While McIllroy and many of the other big names won’t be in action this week, eight players who finished in the top 25 at U.S. Open will.
This tournament has followed the U.S. Open since 2003, and has been a pleasant stop for those who have struggled with the grueling challenge of the second major of the season. While that isn’t exactly the case this year, as the U.S. Open didn’t live up to its standard of difficulty, you won’t find anyone complaining about how easy the course plays this week. TPC River Highlands is the third-shortest course on the schedule, and has seen a number of low scores posted over the years.
Bubba Watson won this event in 2010 with a 14-under 266, but he wasn’t the only player scoring low, as 20 players finished at 10-under or better. In 2009 Kenny Perry set the course record with a 22-under 258. 14-under seems to be the mark to get to, as five of the last nine winners have won with that score, and only once in the last 13 years has someone won with a lower score ( 2004: Woody Austin, 10-under).
For those of you looking to place a wager on the event this weekend, here is a look at three golfers I feel have a great shot at winning, plus their current odds to win heading into the opening round this Thursday.
Hunter Mahan (+1000) – Despite missing the cut at the U.S. Open last week, Mahan is the odds on favorite to take home the trophy this week. When you look at what he has done here in recent years, it’s easy to see why. Mahan won this event in 2007 with a 15-under 265, finished tied for 2nd in 2008 and tied for fourth in 2009. He also finished tied for 2nd in 2006. His game really fits this course well. He is 17th in total driving, 4th in greens in regulation, and 25th in putting. While some may steer clear of him after his disappointing showing last week, I believe that will only fuel him to come out and play well this week. He has nine top 20 finishes this season, and will come in with a ton of confidence from his past success at this event.
Zach Johnson (+2000) - Johnson got off to a strong start at the U.S. Open, but struggled down the stretch. Again we aren’t looking to much into how these players did last week. With the short distance of this course, Johnson won’t be at a huge disadvantage off the tee like he is in so many other tournaments. He is currently 8th in driving accuracy and should have no trouble reaching the greens in regulation this week. He has finished in the top 25 at this event in three straight starts, and if he can get the putter going early, he should be right there with a great chance to win come Sunday.
Ricky Barnes (+5000) – Barnes is a huge sleeper pick for this tournament, and at +5000 he is too good to pass up. He should be fresh and ready to go after not playing in the U.S. Open last week. The big reason I like Barnes to finish high this week, is the huge amount of success he had at this event last year. Barnes was tied for the lead going into the final round last year after a 64 on Saturday, but managed to shoot just 68 on Sunday to end up two shots back. There simply isn’t a player in the field with better value than what Barnes is coming in at.
Complete Travelers Championship Odds
| Hunter Mahan | +1000 |
| Nick Watney | +1500 |
| Zach Johnson | +2000 |
| Bubba Watson | +2000 |
| David Toms | +2000 |
| Brandt Snedeker | +2000 |
| Bo Van Pelt | +2500 |
| Webb Simpson | +2500 |
| Ryan Moore | +3000 |
| Fredrik Jacobson | +3500 |
| Ian Poulter | +3500 |
| Jim Furyk | +3500 |
| Padraig Harrington | +4000 |
| Lucas Glover | +4000 |
| Geoff Ogilvy | +4500 |
| Aaron Baddeley | +4500 |
| J.B Holmes | +4500 |
| Kevin Streelman | +4500 |
| Ricky Barnes | +5000 |
| Charley Hoffman | +5000 |
| Ben Curtis | +5500 |
| Vijay Singh | +5500 |
| Carl Pettersson | +5500 |
| Brandt Jobe | +5500 |
| Scott Verplank | +6000 |
| Heath Slocum | +6000 |
| Martin Laird | +6000 |
| Spencer Levin | +6000 |
| Ben Crane | +6500 |
| Brian Davis | +6500 |
| Paul Goydos | +6500 |
| Kevin Na | +6500 |
| Keegan Bradley | +7000 |
| Chad Campbell | +7000 |
| DJ Trahan | +7000 |
| Sean O’Hair | +7500 |
| John Rollins | +7500 |
| JJ Henry | +7500 |
| Pat Perez | +8000 |
| Charlie Wi | +8000 |
| Brendon De Jonge | +8000 |
| Tim Clark | +9000 |
| Kevin Chappell | +9000 |
| Anthony Kim | +9000 |
| Boo Weekley | +9000 |
| Chris Couch | +10000 |
| Troy Matteson | +10000 |
| Stephen Ames | +10000 |
| Chris Riley | +10000 |
| Greg Chalmers | +10000 |
| Jhonattan Vegas | +10000 |
| Nick O’ Hern | +10000 |
| Vaughan Taylor | +10000 |
| Tim Herron | +10000 |
| Kenny Perry | +10000 |
| Andres Romero | +10000 |
| Trevor Immelman | +10000 |
| Bryce Molder | +10000 |
| Corey Pavin | +10000 |
| Arjun Atwal | +10000 |
| Jerry Kelly | +12500 |
| Chris Kirk | +12500 |
| Matt Jones | +12500 |
| Blake Adams | +12500 |
| Kyle Stanley | +12500 |
| Stuart Appleby | +12500 |
| Cameron Tringale | +12500 |
| Kris Blanks | +15000 |
| Justin Leonard | +15000 |
| Johnson Wagner | +15000 |
| David Mathis | +15000 |
| Michael Putnam | +15000 |
| Jason Bohn | +15000 |
| Kevin Stadler | +15000 |
| Scott Stallings | +15000 |
More Golf Predictions
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