2023 Travelers Championship: First Round Leader Picks & Predictions
With the third major championship in the books, the PGA Tour heads across the country to Cromwell, CT for the 2023 Travelers Championship. This event will be the tour’s only stop in New England after the recent elimination of TPC Boston as a rotational playoff week host. Defending champion Xander Schauffele returns amongst 37 of the top 50 players in the world rankings, including newly crowned U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark.
TPC River Highlands is a par 70, just like Los Angeles Country Club was a week ago, but plays far less long at 6,852 yards. The winner here is usually in the high teens under par, so expect to see lots of birdies, some eagles, and low numbers. There is a threat of rain all weekend, so there may be a delay or two in play, and the course should play extremely soft so golfers will be able to fire at pins all week. The longer hitters should also have an advantage in these conditions because tee shots will be all about carry with soft fairways. We won’t see balls roll out like we did last week. Let’s get to our predictions for Thursday.
2023 Travelers Championship Best First-Round Leader Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Rory McIlroy (28-1)
Another major, another near miss for Rory McIlroy who has posted six top-ten finishes in his last seven major championship starts. While the Northern Ireland native hasn’t found a way to capture his fifth career major, that hasn’t stopped him from coming out of the gates hot at the Travelers. The 34-year-old has posted opening-round scores in the low 60’s here, three of the last five years including a 62 just a year ago. The longest player off the tee on tour, McIlroy should continue to dominate this course and is worth backing to be atop the leaderboard Thursday evening.
Harris English (65-1)
The 2021 Travelers Championship winner had a phenomenal week at the U.S. Open, opening with a 67 and following that up with a 66 on his way to a T-8 finish. The University of Georgia alum has made nine career appearances in Hartford, making seven cuts and posting a T-19 last year to follow up his win. English sits 54th in SG: Total on tour this season, and 13th in Total Putting. The 13th-year pro is comfortable at TPC River Highlands, having carded 64 here twice in the past so backing him at this number is worth the price.
Mackenzie Hughes (250-1)
This may seem like a dart throw, but when we take a deeper look at the numbers, it’s worth the risk. The Canadian has made six appearances at the Travelers Championship. He has three top-25 finishes and made the cut in all six events. That includes an opening round 60 just three years ago. The 32-year-old Hughes is having a solid season and sits 35th in the FedEx Cup rankings and is 45th in SG: Putting this season. A small investment in Hughes at such a big number could provide a very handsome return.
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