Odds Outlook: Scottie Scheffler back as favorite horse at Travelers Championship

A high-end stretch of golf continues at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, as we come off a tough U.S. Open and into the eighth and final Signature Event of the 2024 PGA TOUR Regular Season.

A field of 71 players are set to determine the 73rd winner in the history of the event.

The last three weeks on TOUR have required the best in the business to be on top of their games. Starting two weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, Muirfield Village Golf Club was the tune-up before the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, the third major championship on the calendar, last weekend.

The headliner again at the BetMGM Sportsbook is Texan Scottie Scheffler, who shortened from +400 to +350 after U.S. Open runner-up Rory McIlroy announced Monday that he would not tee it up this week in Connecticut. Not even a disappointing T41 finish at Pinehurst can provide a crack in the door of opportunity for gamblers when it comes to Scheffler. With five wins and 12 top-10 finishes from 14 starts this season, the reigning Masters champion will look to get back on track. Posting four rounds above par at Pinehurst took his season total to eight from 46 total rounds. His previous worst finish was T17 at The American Express in January. Circling only four birdies for the week and finishing 72nd of 74 players in Putting, I expect a major correction on the par 70 that plays just 6,835 yards. Last season, he posted 19-under for T4, his best payday from four starts.

Xander Schauffele (+750) quietly was one of eight players to post red figures last week at the U.S. Open. Sharing seventh at Pinehurst, he picked up his second consecutive top-eight finish since winning the PGA Championship in May. The 30-year-old has not shown any signs of complacency after winning his first major title and returns to a course this week where he won in the summer of 2022 on 19-under.

The third consecutive week of elite fields brings us familiar names in the top players at BetMGM. Collin Morikawa (+1000) has resided in the top choices since his T3 at the Masters in April. Turning the corner after reuniting with his old swing coach when the Azaleas were in bloom, the two-time major champion has cashed T16 or better, including T14 at Pinehurst, on his own ball. Only Pebble Beach and Harbour Town have smaller green complexes on average than the 5,000 square foot Bent/Poa targets and that will suit the hyper-accurate iron player.

For the second time in three major championships since April, Ludvig Åberg (+1400) demanded our attention. Finishing runner-up to Scheffler at the Masters in April, the Swede sat 5-under par and led after 36 holes at the U.S. Open. Posting 73-73 on the weekend, he slipped to a share of 12th place but led the field in Greens in Regulation and was T3 in Fairways. He also noted his knee was no longer giving him any issues. Making his second consecutive visit to Connecticut, he sat 13-under par after 54 holes last year before drifting to T24.

The Viktor Hovland (+1800) experience is still running the ups and downs of a roller coaster. Cashing third at the PGA Championship, the Norwegian sat T2 and just three shots off the 36-hole lead at the Memorial. Rounds of 77-75 on the weekend saw him fall down the leaderboard to T15. At Pinehurst last week, he opened with 78 before rallying to post 68 on Friday but missed the cut by a shot. When his ball striking is firing, he will find himself in contention.

Patrick Cantlay (+2000) shared third at the U.S. Open, his first top 10 at this event, after missing the cut at the Memorial, a tournament he has won twice and finished in the top five four times. After a stressful Sunday in the penultimate pairing at the U.S. Open, the one-time course record holder at TPC River Highlands should enjoy the post-major soft landing. Posting 61 last year in Round 3, the Californian recorded his best finish, T4, and sixth consecutive T15 or better result at the Travelers.

A healthy Hideki Matsuyama (+2200) has been producing performances that have moved him up the weekly odds board. Posting top-12 paydays in five of seven events since winning The Genesis Invitational, the Japanese star played his final 54 holes at Pinehurst in 4-under par and cashed solo sixth after T8 the previous week at the Memorial. Making his second visit to TPC River Highlands, he posted T13 last year on 16-under-par.

Here's a look at other notable odds via BetMGM.

Note: Webb Simpson, Adam Scott and Billy Horschel were added as the final sponsor’s exemptions.

• +3300: Corey Conners, Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala, Sam Burns, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau
• +4000: Brian Harman, Russell Henley
• +5000: 2023 winner Keegan Bradley, Jordan Spieth, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim
• +5500: Max Homa
• +6000: Sepp Straka, Si Woo Kim
• +6600: Adam Scott, Billy Horschel, Byeong Hun An, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, JT Poston, Jason Day, Will Zalatoris, Wyndham Clark, Akshay Bhatia, Cameron Young, Denny McCarthy
• +8000: 2021 winner Harris English, Robert MacIntyre, Thomas Detry
• +10000: Chris Kirk, Matthieu Pavon, Michael Thorbjornsen, Stephan Jaeger, Taylor Pendrith, Tom Hoge
• +12500: Adam Hadwin, Austin Eckroat, Ben Griffin, Justin Rose
• +15000: Lee Hodges, Kurt Kitayama, Lucas Glover, Mackenzie Hughes, Rickie Fowler, Victor Perez
• +17500: Eric Cole, Andrew Putnam
• +20000: Adam Svensson, Cam Davis, Davis Riley, Emiliano Grillo, Nick Dunlap, Nick Taylor, Patrick Rodgers, Taylor Moore
• +25000: Adam Schenk, Brendon Todd, Seamus Power, Webb Simpson
• +30000: Chris Gotterup, Jake Knapp
• +50000: Peter Malnati

How the Travelers Championship works:

• A field of 7 players.
• The Official World Golf Ranking is represented by 27 of the top 30 players, plus 44 of the 50 players.
• There is no cut.
• The purse of $20 million sees the winner pocket $3.6 million plus 700 FedExCup points.
• This is the eighth and final Signature Event of the season.

-Odds courtesy of BETMGM.COM-

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