Sleeper Picks: Travelers Championship

NOTE: Sleeper Picks did not appear in Rob’s Power Rankings, but each presents value for the bet specified.

Outright

Sungjae Im (+5000) … The winner always should emerge from the Power Rankings, and it does often, but the timing of identifying the champ among the other 56 in the field is not insignificant this week. And it’s twofold. For one, after grueling tests in the most recent fortnight, it’s not a bad idea to consider a guy who missed the cut at the U.S. Open as Im did by five strokes at Pinehurst No. 2. He wasn’t pressured like a contender and he’s rested. The other consideration is youth. While the majority of professional golfers are in peak physical shape, there’s no replacement for reserve energy. Im is just 26 and, as we well know, he’s accustomed to playing as often as he can. He’s 3-for-3 with a scoring average of 68.08 at TPC River Highlands, albeit without a top 20, but his form overall in the last two months has been inspiring. It’s highlighted by a successful title defense at the Woori Bank Championship in his native South Korea and supported by a T4, T8, T9 and T12 on the PGA TOUR.

Top 5

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+900) … There are worse (and shorter) options in this market, but perhaps restrict investment to a fraction of a unit. The 30-year-old is in the field at TPC River Highlands as the No. 4 in the Aon Next 10 thanks in part to a pair of top fives this year, the more recent of which just two weeks ago at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. He also finished T3 at the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan in late April.

Top 10

Michael Thorbjornsen (+750) … The newest member of the PGA TOUR via PGA TOUR University is in the field on a sponsor exemption, and this already is his third appearance in the tournament. He placed fourth as an amateur in 2022, so that alone is worth a nibble, but now he’s two years stronger and wiser for this challenge. It’s also serendipitous given that the Travelers Championship in central Connecticut is as home game as it gets for the native of Massachusetts. As always with shiny, new toys, our education is automatic when investing because of the emotional attachment. If he follows his trajectory, his odds won’t remain long for, well, long.

Top 20

Tom Hoge (+220) … This essentially is the same advice for the same endorsement that he fulfilled at the RBC Heritage. That week, he was +200 for a Top 20 and finished T18, which was a personal best at Harbour Town. Like then, he again is guaranteed four rounds to floor it in a limited field at TPC River Highlands where he has more experience and marginally better success, albeit still with no better than a T35 (in 2017) among six paydays in nine tries. He's among the elite scorers when red numbers are plentiful because of his proficiency in piling up greens in regulation and sinking putts.

Top 30

Victor Perez (+150) … Amid the sea of usual suspects with plus value for this finish in a field of just 71, there’s arguably less expected from the 31-year-old first-time PGA TOUR member from France who sneaks into the field as the last man via the Aon Swing 5. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open and he’s a debutant at TPC River Highlands. However, he’s been new to most tracks and still posted five top 30s since early March, all of which for a top 20 to boot. He’s among the most frequent to hit greens on approach and he doesn’t waste shots anywhere on the course.

Odds were sourced at BetMGM.

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