Golfbet recap: Scottie Scheffler continues Signature dominance with playoff win at Travelers

Scottie Scheffler has done it again.

An inevitable force since March, especially when the field size dips below 100, Scheffler earned his sixth win of 2024 on Sunday when he outlasted Tom Kim to win the Travelers Championship on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

The pair finished the tournament at 22-under, one shot off the tournament scoring record, as Kim buried a 10-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff. Scheffler claimed the trophy with a two-putt par on the first extra hole, a fourth Signature Event win this year.

Scheffler unsurprisingly opened the week as a +400 outright favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook. That price shortened after an opening 65, and while Scheffler topped out at +800 in live betting during the third round as Kim appeared to be a formidable force out in front, he was never above +300 in-play during the final round.

Round-by-round odds for Scottie Scheffler to win the Travelers Championship (via BetMGM)

• Pre-tournament: +400
• After Round 1 (T6, trailed by 3): +260
• After Round 2 (T2, trailed by 2): +180
• After Round 3 (T2, trailed by 1): +150
• Entering playoff: -135

Scheffler skipped the Wells Fargo Championship last month because of the birth of his son, meaning that he has not lost a Signature Event since The Genesis Invitational in February – having won four in a row in which he has entered.

He becomes the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win six times in a season, and the first since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to rack up six wins before July 1.

Results for outright picks from Golfbet Experts

• Will Gray: Tony Finau (+3300) T5
• Ben Everill: Xander Schauffele (+750) T13
• Chris Breece: Ludvig Åberg (+1200) T27
• Matt DelVecchio: Collin Morikawa (+1000) T13
• Rob Bolton: Xander Schauffele (+750) T13
• Mike Glasscott: Patrick Cantlay (+2000) T5

At one point on the back nine there were five players tied for the lead at 19-under, a group that included Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau whose title hopes were both dashed on the par-3 16th. Scheffler edged ahead with three straight birdies on Nos. 13-15, after which point he led by a shot and moved to a -550 in-play favorite. He was -800 while playing the 72nd hole, still up by a shot over Kim.

Kim was attempting to go wire-to-wire in Connecticut, having paced the field with an opening-round 62, and he didn’t go down without a fight. He left a birdie putt on No. 16 a few inches short but left no doubt on the 72nd hole, draining a putt after nearly holing his approach and following a brief interruption caused by protesters charging onto the final green. His chances came to an abrupt halt when his approach in overtime came up short and led to a plugged lie in a greenside bunker.

Scheffler’s win means another week of long lines at the window (virtual or otherwise) to cash outright tickets. Before the tournament began, BetMGM reported that Scheffler had the most tickets (10.4%) and handle (19.2%) of anyone in the 71-man field, and his popularity did not recede over the weekend as he never left the first page of the leaderboard.

He's expected to take the next two weeks off before teeing it up at the Genesis Scottish Open, where he’ll go for lucky win No. 7.

Rob Bolton Sleeper Picks and Golfbet Insider results

• Sungjae Im to win (+5000) T3
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout Top 5 finish (+900) T23
• Michael Thorbjornsen Top 10 finish (+750) T39
• Tom Hoge Top 20 finish (+330) T3
• Victor Perez Top 30 finish (+150) T44
• Justin Thomas Top 20 finish (+120) T5
• Thomas Detry Top 10 finish (+500) T55
• Sepp Straka Top 10 finish (+275) T23
• Adam Scott Top 20 finish (+200) T39
• Byeong-Hun An Top 20 finish (+175) WD
• Sungjae Im Top Korean (+275) T3
• Stephan Jaeger Top 30 finish (+275) T31
• Taylor Pendrith Top 20 finish (+240) T23
• Andrew Putnam Top 30 finish (+160) T44

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