The TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., was just one more stop on the Scottie Scheffler Victory Tour in 2024.
Scheffler is the defending champion of the Travelers Championship this week, which begins on June 19. Scheffler beat Tom Kim in a playoff after they tied in regulation at 22-under-par 258, one shot off the scoring record of 23-under set by Keegan Bradley in 2023.
The Travelers was one of the seven PGA Tour titles Scheffler won in 2024 on his way to earning Player of the Year honors. It’s also the last of the PGA Tour Signature Events, with a purse of $20 million, with $3.6 going to the winner.
The Travelers is the PGA Tour’s oldest continuous event in the Northeast. It began in 1952, with Ted Kroll as the champion, and has had an eclectic mix of winners, from World Golf Hall of Famers (Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson), to relative unknowns (Ken Duke, J.J. Henry, Olin Browne, Tim Norris, Don Bies).
It also was one of the last PGA Tour events in which an entertainer lent his name to the proceedings. From 1973 to 1988 it was the Sammy Davis Jr., Greater Hartford Open.
Travelers Championship favorites, odds
BetMGM has made Scheffler the favorite at +275 on the money line. The next-best favorite is Rory McIlroy at +1200, followed by Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele at +1600 and Patrick Cantlay at +2000.
What about U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun?
It appears BetMGM thinks Spaun might have a bit of a major champion hangover this week. It has given Spaun a money line of +5000, longer odds than any of the main competitors he beat at Oakmont last week such as Robert MacIntyre (+3300), Viktor Hovland (+3300) or Sam Burns (+3000).
Travelers Championship picks
Scottie Scheffler: It’s hard to pick against the defending champion and the world’s No. 1-ranked player, who would have won the U.S. Open last week had he even had an average week on the greens. He missed five putts of 5 feet or less during the week, and finished five shots behind Spaun.
Keegan Bradley: He won the 2023 Travelers with a record score, his third career top-10 in the tournament and his sixth finish of 25th or better. He’s made 12 of 14 cuts at the tournament that is the closest to his native state of Vermont and has earned nearly $5 million for his career at River Highlands. And the U.S. Ryder Cup captain is playing well. Before a tie for 33rd at the U.S. Open he had a tie for eighth at the PGA and a tie for seventh at The Memorial.
Viktor Hovland: Since missing three cuts earlier in the season he’s made seven in a row, with one victory at the Valspar Championship, a tie for 13th at the RBC Heritage and last week’s solo third at the U.S. Open. Those courses demand control off the tee, as does River Highlands. Hovland has been solid in The Travelers, making the cut in all four starts with a tie for 20th last year and a tie for 11th in 2020.
Past Travelers Championship winners
PGA Tour winners this season
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Travelers Championship picks, predictions, odds: Who wins in 2025?
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
