Webb Simpson claimed his seventh-career PGA title and his second win of 2020 at the RBC Heritage this past week. After he missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Simpson shot rounds of 65-65-68-64 to edge out Abraham Ancer by a stroke.
There was a slight scare on Friday of the tournament, however. Nick Watney tested positive for the coronavirus prior to teeing off for his second round. Many people were in close contact with Watney on Thursday and Friday, but thankfully, they all tested negative, and the tournament went on. The PGA Tour will continue to encourage its players to remain vigilant and socially distance to the best of their abilities.
The PGA Tour now heads to Cromwell, Connecticut for the Travelers Championship. Played annually at TPC River Highlands, golfers will once again see one of the shorter courses on the Tour. Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau headline the field of over 156 players. Once again, golf fans will be treated to another very strong field. A whopping 33 of the top 40 golfers tee it up this weekend.
Here are the past five winners at the tournament:
- 2019 Chez Reavie (-17)
- 2018 Bubba Watson (-17)
- 2017 Jordan Spieth (-12)
- 2016 Russel Knox (-14)
- 2015 Bubba Watson (-16)
DraftKings has come through with another Milli-Maker GPP contest this week. You will have the chance to take home one million dollars with just a small $20 entry fee. Always remember to differentiate your lineups as best as you can, and always leave plenty of salary money on the board to prevent duplicate lineups. Try to have a good idea of projected ownership beforehand and strive to play as many low-owned players as you can in contests with massive prize pools.
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Course Preview
The Travelers Championship is played at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. As another course designed by Pete Dye, TPC River Highlands is the second-shortest golf course in the PGA Tour circuit. Measuring at just 6,841 yards, golfers will once again see plenty of birdie opportunities on plenty of short Par 4s. With only two Par 5s on the scorecard, most of the scoring will come on the nine Par 4s that measure under 450 yards. As with any Pete Dye Design, it’s crucial to shoot deliberately and plot your way around each hole.
Key Stats
- Par-4 Scoring
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Ball-Striking
- Performance on Poa Annua Greens
- Performance on Pete Dye Designs
Recommended Plays
Bryson DeChambeau ($11,000)
DeChambeau continues to pile up high finishes. After his T8 showing at the RBC Heritage, DeChambeau now has five consecutive top-10 finishes, dating back to the Genesis Invitational in February. Now, he heads to another Pete Dye-designed golf course that has treated him well. DeChambeau has made four-straight cuts at TPC River Highlands and has finished eighth and ninth in the last two years. Continue to ride him while his form is hot.
Justin Thomas ($10,800)
After opening the RBC Heritage with a one-over round of 72, Thomas battled back to make the cut and go 13-under par on the weekend. A round of eight-under helped Thomas net his eighth top-10 in just 11 starts in 2020. He now goes to TPC River Highlands, a course where he led the entire field in strokes gained: ball striking, a year ago. He lost over seven strokes putting at the event last year, but judging by the way he was rolling it last week, this simply won’t happen again.
Patrick Cantlay ($9,800)
Cantlay will make his first start since the three-month break in action due to the coronavirus. While he may have some rust to shake off, he simply has too much talent to pass up at this price. Cantlay has played this event in two consecutive years, and he placed 15th both times. He is consistently top-10 in the PGA in ball-striking and is very elite with his irons. With four top-20 finishes in five starts to begin his 2020 season, Cantlay will look to pick up where he left off.
Abraham Ancer ($9,000)
Ancer did all he could to attempt to take home his first career PGA win at the RBC Heritage. He shot 21-under for the week and still fell one stroke shy of Webb Simpson for the championship. Ancer was simply brilliant. He led the entire field in strokes gained: approach, driving accuracy, proximity, and putts (GIR). He now goes to TPC River Highlands, where he finished eighth in 2019. Look for Ancer to keep rolling here.
Sergio Garcia ($8,500)
Garcia proved last week that he can still be a real threat in any strong field. He placed T5 at the RBC Heritage after finishing his week at 19-under par. Garcia led the entire field in strokes gained: tee-to-green, and he finished second in strokes gained: approach. It could have easily been a win for him, but he was very cold with the putter. He will now see another Pete Dye design that should favor his elite approach game. Let’s hope the switch to Poa Annua greens will pay dividends for him.
Joaquin Niemann ($7,900)
The young Chilean found himself in the lead briefly on Sunday. He played unbelievably all week, shooting rounds of 69-68-63-65 to finish at 19-under par. Niemann gave himself plenty of birdie opportunities with his elite display of ball-striking. He finished third in strokes gained: tee-to-green, but he couldn’t find much momentum with the putter. Niemann finished fifth at the Travelers Championship last year, and this Pete Dye course bodes well for him.
Viktor Hovland ($7,800)
Hovland should perform well at another Pete Dye course. He is coming off of two top-25 finishes at short courses and has the ability to rack up plenty of birdies for your DraftKings lineups. The young 22-year-old ranks 13th in strokes gained: off-the-tee in 2020. Ball striking and approach will be key this week, and Hovland checks both those boxes. He just needs to find some magic with the putter on these fast Poa Annua greens.
Corey Conners ($7,500)
Conners has played exceptionally well in his first two starts back since the coronavirus shutdown. The Canadian finished T19 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, then T21 at the RBC Heritage. Last week, Conners shot a round of eight-under-par 63 on Friday. He is one of the best ball strikers and approach players in the entire PGA. Conners led the PGA in Greens In Regulation in 2019, and he just needs an above-average week with the putter to make some noise.
Dylan Frittelli ($7,100)
Frittelli was incredible in his final round at the RBC Heritage last week. He closed his week with a nine-under-par round of 62 to climb the leaderboard and net a T8 finish. Frittelli gained 4.48 strokes with his approaches that final day, and if he carries this form into TPC River Highlands, the sky is the limit. The winner of 2019’s John Deere Classic thrives on shorter courses and is said to really enjoy playing at TPC River Highlands.
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Nic Turner is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nic, check out his archive and follow him @sportzbandit.