Fantasy Golf: Travelers Championship Preview

Unlike last week’s test for the US. Open, TPC River Highlands is anything but a grind.

The host of the Travelers Championship is a pa- 70 like Merion Golf Club, but that’s where the similarities end. While Justin Rose won with a one-over-par total last week, that score wouldn’t have even made the weekend at TPC River Highlands in 2012.

At 6,841-yards, it’s one the shortest tracks remaining on the 2013 schedule. Greens are conditioned to run at just 10.5 on the Stimpmeter, which fuels a mindset to be aggressive with the putter. However, there are no gimmes as the course annually ranks among the most stringent in putting from three feet and in, so look for a good putter and players capabale of going very low.

Here is the six-man Today’s Golfer team for the Travelers Championship:
 
Justin Rose, £4.2m
While the Englishman has had to fulfill a lot of media duties since his major breakthrough, he’s been around long enough that it could come in his stride. Four top-20s at TPC River Highlands – including three top-10s – means only a brave manager would leave him out.

Jason Dufner, £2.8m
It’s Dufner’s first appearance since missing the cut in 2008, but he’s coming off a season-best T4 at Merion where he closed with 67. He currently ranks 28th in greens in regulation, 30th in adjusted scoring and T8 in par-4 scoring.

Hunter Mahan, £2.6m
The all-time money leader at the Travelers Championship, Mahan has a win, two T2s and a T4 among eight cuts made in 11 starts. His T4 finish at last week’s US Open, his best finish in a stroke-play event since winning in Houston last year.

Rickie Fowler, £2.0m
The American shared 10th place at the US Open where he was buoyed by a 67 in the third round, the best of the field. Fowler also finished T13 in his last appearance at TPC River Highlands in 2010. Sits T45 in par breakers and 34th in adjusted scoring.

Freddie Jacobson, £1.7m
The Swede backed up his lone PGA Tour victory here in 2011 with a T8 last year, while he is also perfect on 369 attempts from three feet and in and sits T8 in adjusted scoring.

Charley Hoffman, £0.8m
Hoffman narrowly missed out on the win at TPC River Highlands last year due to a double bogey-bogey finish. He is enjoying a solid 2013 with four top-10s and another two top-25s.

> The deadline to pick your team for the Travelers Championship is 12 BST on Thursday 20th June. See a full list of the field here.