Travelers Championship betting preview: Who can handle jet lag, U.S. Open hangover?

Even for those of us watching hours and hours of golf sprinkled between the commercial breaks during the U.S. Open, getting fired up for the next designated event on the PGA TOUR is somewhat daunting. Having players fly out of Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday for a newly minted big-money event could have an impact on who we should expect to outperform expectations in Connecticut.

Xander Schauffele won last year at TPC River Highlands, combining solid approach play with the best putting round of his career (+3.4 strokes gained: putting in Round 2). He's at +1400, the fifth choice behind Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and the favorite at +650 Scottie Scheffler.

Three draws (odds to win/top 20)

Golfers more valuable than their odds suggest this week

Hideki Matsuyama (+3500 / +210)

Ideally, we'd like some course experience for those who we're backing each week, especially coming off a U.S. Open where we weren't privy to that. However, Matsuyama's game is suited for any course, and his success entirely depends on how he handles the greens with the flat stick, anyway. Maybe he'll putt well this week and win, or maybe he won't and linger just outside of contention.

Matsuyama finished first at Los Angeles Country Club in strokes gained: approach but, as usual, the putter let him down. Considering Wyndham Clark won thanks to gaining strokes off the tee and on the green, gaining shots in between might have been less valuable last week. At better than +200 to grab a top-20 in Connecticut, we'll take our chances that Matsuyama's ball-striking travels well enough, as he's finished between T16 and T32 in every tournament he's played since the end of March.

Sahith Theegala (+5000 / +225)

Outside of Schauffele, no one has better short-term experience at the Travelers than Theegala ... unless you count the 72nd hole. Theegala looked like he was headed for his first career win last year before a bunker-botching double-bogey on 18 handed Schauffele the win.

Theegala was fourth in strokes gained: tee-to-green in 2022 and played better than his T27 last week, with a +4.14 strokes gained: tee-to-green in the final round. Coming off the arduous U.S. Open experience, we're looking for players with extra focus this week, and Theegala should have that, eyeing to get back into contention at TPC River Highlands.

Austin Eckroat (+10000 / +375)

We caught wind of Eckroat's good ball-striking in the first two rounds at LACC and were able to grab him in-tournament to get into the top 20. A big Sunday helped cash that ticket, and Eckroat gained over three strokes: tee-to-green for the week. That was good for fourth overall and better than a T10 finish suggests.

The 24-year old has played the Travelers before and has seemed to find something this season, as his last four events have been: T2, T16, T30, and T10. So +375 for another top-20 - before the tournament starts - seems like a worthwhile long shot.

The scary fade

A golfer with high expectations who's worth betting to miss the cut at a big price

Wyndham Clark (+175 to miss cut)

A life-changing win and a long flight doesn't lend itself to a solid couple rounds in Cromwell. For his stellar play, particularly in saving par around the green, Clark won despite finishing as a negative in strokes gained: approach. Unlike at LACC, birdies will be plentiful, so if Clark's irons aren't tight - why would they be? - he could shoot even par and still miss the cut.

The favorite club in the bag

We've picked two golfers to bet to win each week: Max Homa and Tom Kim. Assuming they play 20-to-25 events, we expect our second-tier oddsboard duo to win more than once and be profitable. It took one week for that approach to pay dividends: Homa won at Torrey Pines at 20-1 and almost added a second win at Riviera.

Are Max and Tom playing this week?

Homa's in, and with the weekend off to drown the disappointment of a missed cut, maybe he'll put his recent struggles behind him. Kim had a big weekend, as he was one of two golfers (Collin Morikawa) with three straight rounds in the 60s Friday to Sunday. He gained his strokes entirely on approach shots, so if he's found something with his irons, the 20-year old can overcome some jet lag and be a big factor in a birdie-fest. He's worth going back to the well for a top-20 at better than +200.

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.