After one of the most dramatic finishes in recent U.S. Open memory, players travel to Cromwell, Connecticut, for the annual Travelers Championship. JJ Spaun captured his first U.S. Open title at Oakmont, narrowly defeating Robert MacIntyre by 2 strokes as the only player to finish under par for the week.
Spaun, who left us with an unforgettable putt to win the U.S. Open, is in this field to attempt to go back-to-back. Many of the tour's top players were sent home early by Oakmont, so I expect most of them to bounce back in a familiar place.
TPC River Highlands is a par-70 layout that measures just under 6,850 yards. This course has been a tour stop for many years, and we know it rewards accuracy off the tee, consistency with your irons and wedges, and a hot putter. It’s one of the shortest courses on tour, meaning distance off the tee is less important than ball placement and control into the greens.
The conditions will certainly be a shift from the brutal conditions of Oakmont to a much more scoreable setup at TPC River Highlands. It’s a fan-favorite event, and this year’s event is packed with the tour’s top players. Four of the last five winners have had a score of -19 or lower, so expect scoring opportunities once again!
Signature holes like the drivable par-4 15th and risk-reward par-4 17th create drama late in rounds. This is a course where aggressive players can go on scoring runs, but one mistake can cost a leaderboard climb.
TPC River Highlands consistently rewards players who shine in the following areas:
Driving Accuracy (%) – Highest stat correlating to success here, ranking 13th out of 52 courses. By far the closest correlating stat, while the rest are fairly average middle 20’s rankings. Other secondary key stats ranking top 10 supporting Driving Accuracy include Distance from Edge of Fairway and Right Rough Tendency.
Strokes Gained: Total – Ranking 18, not top 15, but still shows you need to be solid everywhere to find success here.
Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green – Ranking 22nd, which ties in accuracy and strokes gained total. A player who can excel at finding the fairways and hitting the greens with proximity will contend.
Par 4 Scoring – Since the course has 12 par 4s, excelling here separates contenders from the pack.
Approaches from 125-150 — Ranks 9th on tour as one of the highest rated secondary stats that could make or break a top finish. Players could have many keys shots from these distances into the greens.
Scottie Scheffler (+310): The world’s No. 1 is the clear favorite. He has 8 straight top 10s, and back-to-back top 5s here. His iron game and consistency make him nearly automatic for a top 10.
Rory McIlroy (+1500): Coming off a top 20 at the U.S. Open, Rory looks for his 4th win this season and 1st since winning the career grand slam. Rory has a T7, T19, and T11 in his L3 trips here. I don’t think he wins another one this year; the achievement of the career grand slam will keep that from happening.
Xander Schauffele (+1700) and Collin Morikawa (+1800): Both are reliable, well-rounded players perfectly suited for this layout that have consistent finishes here. Both are itching for a win in 2025, and there is no better course for one of them to make their mark.
Justin Thomas (+3000): He has back-to-back top 10 finishes here, following back2back missed cuts at the U.S. Open. He’s been one of the strongest players in the field this season, with a win at Harbor Town, and three second place finishes. He is one of the top par 4 scoring average and approach players from 125-150, he could finally win this event.
Sepp Straka (+3500): Another player who will be on the short list for top players this season. Also has been elite bouncing back off of missed cuts. 3 missed cuts this season, prior to the U.S. Open, all 3 events following those missed cuts finished with T11, T13 and 3. He has had elite iron play all season and I don’t see that changing.
Russell Henley (+4000): Has five career wins and is putting in one of the top seasons so far. He has a win at the Arnold Palmer, seven top 10s, and four top 6s this season. He's finished inside the top 20 here 4 times, top 11 twice.
Scheffler has been automatic this season with 8 straight top 10 finishes, and he bids for his third straight here at River Highland. He leads the PGA Tour in many categories including SG: Approach, SG: Total, Proximity, Scoring Average and Par 4 scoring. Even when his putter goes cold, his elite iron play carries him into contention.
Schauffele is a staple on almost every article we write. I just believe in his game at most venues. He won this event in 2022 and hasn’t finished worse than T25 in his last four appearances here, finishing T13, T19, 1, T20.
He is also looking for his first win this season and has been in terrific form gaining steam each week. He has finished inside the top 20 in 5 of his last 7 events, finishing T25 and T28 in the two he missed.
Both players are excellent course fits for River Highlands. Morikawa’s game is built on elite control and precision, and he currently ranks 4th on tour in SG: Total and Approach and 3rd in Driving Accuracy.
He also ranks 8th in Proximity and 8th in Birdie Average. He has 8 top 20s this season and finished T13 here last year.
McIlroy has been an auto top 20 player this season. 9 top 20’s and he ranks 1st in SG: Off The Tee, 2nd in SG: Total, 12th in SG: Putting, and 11th in Scoring Average this season.
Straka has been quietly one of the most effective players on tour this year, and one of my favorites to watch. He ranks 3rd in SG: Total and Approach-to-Green, 9th in Driving Accuracy, 2nd in GIR%, 5th in Proximity, 6th in Putting Average, 5th in Scoring Average, and 2nd in Birdie Average.
Outside of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, Sepp has been the 3rd best player on tour this season.
Lowry continues to get backed in these articles and at these odds, even coming off a very poor performance at a place he previously found success, I think he bounces back.
In two missed cuts this season his following event he has a 3rd and a T23. Here he has back2back top 20 finishes, looking to go three in a row. He ranks 10th in SG: Total, 2nd SG: Approach and 3rd Proximity.
Fleetwood is another one; if you read my articles, his name will pop up a lot. He has 8 top 20 finishes this season and is coming off a 15th place finish last season here.
He also has a T13 finish here and will be looking to bounce back from a missed cut. He ranks 7th in SG: Total, 11th in SG: Approach, 33rd in SG: Putting, and 12th in Par 4 Scoring.