Here's everything you need to know about 2024 Travelers Championship PrizePicks plays and Thursday first-round picks for this week's PGA Tour event in Cromwell, Connecticut.
With the U.S. Open in the rear-view mirror, we now look forward to this week's 2024 Travelers Championship. TPC River Highlands hosts once again, which it has done annually since 1984.
TPC River Highlands is a par-70, 6,835-yard track designed in 1982 by Pete Dye and renovated by Bobby Weed in 1989. It is a short course that is easy to score on, with the winning players typically relying on strong iron play to stick close approach shots for simple birdie opportunities.
Last season, each of the top-six finishers here ranked in the top 22 among the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green, the only statistic or metric in which such a trend occurred.
Find my 2024 Travelers Championship PrizePicks plays for Thursday below.
2024 Travelers Championship PrizePicks
Tony Finau More Than 4.5 Birdies or Better
I just discussed the importance of iron play in the introduction, and that will benefit Tony Finau greatly this week because he ranks third on Tour this season in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green.
As someone who was on Finau outright last week at the U.S. Open (and is betting him outright once again this week), it was fun to watch how brilliantly he played at Pinehurst No. 2.
He played a tremendous all-around game and was right in the mix alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy, and he was a few putts away from perhaps forcing a playoff as well with how many birdie opportunities Finau left on the table.
With that said, he is not going to have those issues on a far more forgiving course at TPC River Highlands.
Finau is in great form, making the weekend in eight consecutive tournaments, including three top-10 finishes over that stretch. He has also been a birdie machine this season, ranking eighth on Tour in Birdie Average.
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Sahith Theegala Less Than 68 Strokes
I wrote about Sahith Theegala in my First-Round Leader article this week, and if I like him to lead after the first round, then I obviously also like him to shoot 68 or lower in the process.
He has made the weekend in 14 of his 17 tournaments this season, boasting eight top-20 finishes over that stretch. Theegala also finished runner-up here in 2022, so it's not like he can't compete at TPC River Highlands.
I want to take us back the first tournament of the season: The Sentry, which was contested at Kapalua (Plantation Course). I think that tournament is a good comparison to this week for two reasons.
First, there is a similar strength of competition with both events having smaller fields stacked with the best golfers on the PGA Tour.
Second, the Plantation Course at Kapalua is easy to score on like TPC River Highlands, and most other Signature Events have been played on the toughest golf courses on the PGA Tour.
With that in mind, Theegala was the solo FRL at The Sentry, and I think he could position himself in a similar spot once again this week. He has also shot a 67 or lower in three of his past five rounds at TPC River Highlands.
Russell Henley Less Than 68 Strokes
When you look at his performance this season, it's hard not to argue that Russell Henley is nearing the tier of "one of the Tour's best players." Yes, obviously he is not Scheffler, Schauffele or McIlroy, but Henley has put together a very quality season.
He has made the weekend in 13 of his 14 tournaments thus far, posting five top-10 finishes over that stretch. This run culminated with a seventh-place finish at last week's U.S. Open, and if he can score at Pinehurst No. 2, then he can score this week.
Henley is an incredible iron player who relies on his accurate ball-striking to navigate courses, but his putter shined more than anything last week. If his putter is joining those irons and accurate tee shots, then there really is nothing stopping Henley from catapulting himself toward the top of the leaderboard once again.
He finished sixth here in 2018, and Henley is a far superior golfer now than he was back then. He has also shot 68 or lower in two of his past three rounds at TPC River Highlands.
For a more in-depth analysis of the Travelers Championship, check out the Links + Locks Best Bets podcast.
