Travelers Championship Matchup Bets (Im, Riley, & McIlroy Each Poised For Success)
By Joe Summers
The Travelers Championship gets going this weekend at TPC River Highlands after a sensational U.S. Open.
You can check out my preview or favorite dark horse bets as well as Peter Dewey's predictions for the top golfers, but now let's dive into some matchup wagers. It's fun and wonderful to cash winners at huge odds, but the individual matchups are our bread and butter.
Using the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook, here are my favorite matchup bets for the Travelers Championship:
Want even more golf betting coverage? Check out this week's episode of "Green on the Greens!"
Travelers Championship Matchup Bets
Sungjae Im (-116) vs Tony Finau
Sungjae is one of my favorite plays to win the whole tournament, and his game fits TPC River Highlands much better than Finau's right now.
Driving accuracy and short approach shots are key at the Travelers and Im has Finau beat on both. Finau ranks 142nd in driving accuracy on Tour and 159th in approach shots from 50-125 yards, while Im is 29th and 35th, respectively.
We also know that Par 4 scoring average is crucial. Well, Sungjae is second among all golfers at Par 4 Scoring and Finau is 44th.
Neither golfer made the cut at the U.S. Open, but Im played much better than Finau and was coming off three consecutive top-15 finishes. I'll roll with the golfer in better form that fits TPC River Highlands more like a glove than a square peg.
Davis Riley (+104) vs Brooks Koepka
Breaking: Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is the latest golfer to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series, sources have confirmed to @Mark_Schlabach.
— ESPN (@espn) June 21, 2022
LIV Golf is expected to announce the addition of Koepka in the coming days. More: https://t.co/xfpLXmHA32 pic.twitter.com/4CUzQXfiOG
Fresh off the announcement that Brooks Koepka would be forgoing morality in exchange for money, I expect him to struggle in likely his final PGA Tour tournament. His best finish in his last three tournaments is T55, and he should be mentally checked out as he waits to cash his big check from the LIV Tour.
Davis Riley, meanwhile, is a trendy pick to win this week and has finished in the top 15 in five of his last six tournaments. He's 27th on Tour in Par 4 scoring, 32nd in approach shots from 50-125 yards, and 64th in driving accuracy. Brooks ranks 106th, 118th, and 177th in those respective categories.
Give me the plus-money on the better golfer who will actually care about the Travelers in my favorite matchup bet of the weekend.
Rory McIlroy (-140) vs Patrick Cantlay
Rory is my top choice to win this week. He's playing his most consistent golf in years and has been more impressive in recent weeks than the admittedly-dangerous Cantlay.
Rory McIlroy’s T5 at the US Open has him up to No. 2 in the world, his highest ranking since July 2020.
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) June 20, 2022
Eighth or better in 5 of his last 6 starts, including a win. His career means every major he doesn’t win feels like a missed opportunity. But on his best form in years
I think both golfers are likely to be in contention, though the stats favor Rory. Cantlay is first on Tour in Par 5 scoring average this season, but with only two Par-5 holes at TPC River Highlands, that advantage is mitigated. Short approach shots are difficult for Cantlay, as he ranks 159th in approaches from 50-125 years and doesn't have the long drives that Rory has to make those shots even easier.
With Rory chasing down the No. 1 world ranking, I expect a huge week from him. Cantlay should play well, but McIlroy is the pick.
Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.