Racing Post's Travelers Championship predictions and free golf betting tips

When to bet 

By 12.45pm on Thursday

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Where to watch the Travelers Championship

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday

Ian Wilkerson's Travelers Championship predictions

Hideki Matsuyama
2pts each-way 28-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Corey Conners
1.5pts each-way 45-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Russell Henley
1pt each-way 40-1 bet365

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We have reached the final tournament of the PGA Tour's signature events where the big names are virtually obliged to turn up and there will be plenty of players heading to TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship who would probably rather spend the week putting their feet up.

It was no surprise when Rory McIlroy pulled out on Monday after he threw away the US Open the day before, missing two short putts in the closing holes to hand victory to Bryson DeChambeau, while we also witnessed the wheels finally coming off the Scottie Scheffler juggernaut as the world number one finished 41st, 14 shots off the pace.

So it looks like a week to look further down the list and there are a few names who may be more energised and look capable of building on strong Pinehurst showings.

Top tip

Hideki Matsuyama 28-1

One player who looks to fit this assignment perfectly is Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama.

The 2019 Masters champion is not a player we get to see every week but that means he could come into this tournament relatively fresh.

His sixth at the US Open was just his third outing since the annual Augusta get-together, which seems like a light schedule when compared to McIlroy, who was playing his seventh tournament in that period, while the trip to Pinehurst was Scheffler's fifth.

When he has been in the line-up, Matsuyama has not disappointed. He has not finished worse than 12th in his last five regular PGA Tour outings and has already been a signature-event winner this year, claiming a three-shot victory in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February.

He is ranked third in strokes-gained from tee-to-green this year and 15th on approach, and it is worth noting that seven of last year's top 12 were in the top ten for both of those metrics in last year's TPC River Highlands gathering.

It would be unwise to read too much into his putting ranking of 122nd as that was affected by some early-season dancefloor performances as bad as a drunk uncle at a wedding reception.

He has gained shots on the greens in seven of his last nine outings - he was the 24th best putter last week - so it would be no surprise if he is a factor on a course where he was 13th on his first visit last year.

Next best bet

Corey Conners 45-1

Corey Conners is another player who has had a decent few weeks and the Canadian has the game to put himself in the mix in Connecticut.

Rankings of eighth from tee-to-green and second on approach are encouraging and his ninth place at Pinehurst came a fortnight after he was sixth when playing under plenty of pressure in his home Open in Toronto.

His putting performance was strong on both occasions - he was 20th last week on the greens and sixth at the Canadian Open - and he should head into this week's tournament with plenty of confidence, particularly as be posted a commendable ninth-placed finish in the Travelers last year.

Other selection

Russell Henley 40-1

Nobody putted better than Russell Henley at Pinehurst last week and the Georgian will be delighted not only with a seventh-placed finish but also his closing round of 67, which was not bettered by anyone on Sunday.

Henley has been a consistent performer for years and has missed just one cut in his last 19 regular PGA Tour events with the free weekend coming at March's Players Championship at Sawgrass.

He took a two-week break after last month's PGA Championship and there is a strong chance that downtime will have stood him in good stead for the final signature event of the campaign.

Henley should be encouraged by four top-20 finishes in six visits to River Highlands, with his best performance coming in 2018 when he was sixth.

TPC River Highlands course guide

Course TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
Prize money $20m($3.6m to the winner)
Length 6,835 yards
Par 70 – Two par-five holes; 12 par-fours; four par-threes
Field 73 (no cut)
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Rory McIlroy (2), Xander Schauffele (3), Ludvig Aberg (4), Wyndham Clark (5)
Course records - 72 holes 257 Keegan Bradley (2023) 18 holes 58 Jim Furyk (2016)

Course winners taking part Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele, Harris English, Jordan Spieth

When to bet By 12.45pm on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday

Time difference Connecticut is five hours behind the UK & Ireland 

Last week – US Open 1 Bryson DeChambeau (20-1), 2 Rory McIlroy (11-1), 3 Tony Finau (55-1), 4 Patrick Cantlay (50-1), 5 Matthieu Pavon (300-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview The Pete Dye-designed course has hosted this tournament since 1984 and Fescue rough offers its best defence alongside water, which characterises the closing holes, but it has been a course that has generated low scores when the top professionals have tackled it in recent years.

The story of last year Keegan Bradley made mincemeat of the track in the opening three rounds and eased to victory by three shots from Brian Harman and Zac Blair in a full-field event.

Weather forecast Temperatures are likely to top 35C and there is a strong chance of thunderstorms on each of the last three days.

Type of player suited to the challenge It is hard to establish a type for TPC River Highlands as Jim Furyk holds the 18-hole course record with a 58 while big bomber Bubba Watson has won there three times. A strong tee-to-green game is essential but putting performance can eventually tip the balance.

Key attribute Touch/putting

Spotlight insight 

The last six Travelers Championship winners have posted a winning score of at least 17 under par

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