By Walker Polivka
The PGA Tour continues on this week as it visits TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship. Read on below to see our prediction for who will win the tournament, as well as our top 10, dark horse, and player to fade predictions.
Player to Fade: Adam D’Amario- Making his second career start at the Travelers Championship, D’Amario qualified for this year’s tournament thanks to his runner-up performance at the Connecticut PGA Championship. D’Amario will most certainly be a fan favorite this week due to his local ties, but the odds are stacked against any sort of inspiring underdog performance. D’Amario missed the cut here in his lone PGA Tour start in 2018 and this year’s field is quite strong, with 4 of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Rankings set to tee it up this week. D’Amario is a feel good story, but his story will come to an end on Friday with a missed cut.
Dark Horse: Adam Long- With just 7 more weeks of tournaments left until the FedEx Cup Playoffs start, Long is starting to find a late season groove, with 5 top 35 finishes in his last 8 starts, including top 15 finishes at both the RBC Heritage and the Mexico Open at Vidanta. Long’s recent success can be contributed to his work on the greens, as he is currently ranked 26th in Strokes Gained: Putting. TPC River Highlands is a course that has played to Long’s strengths in his brief career, with 2 top 25 finishes in 3 tournament starts. A win would be improbable, but another top 25 finish is certainly within reach for Long.
Top 10: Brian Harman- The 53rd ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings, Harman has had a quiet season so far, with 3 top 10’s, 5 top 25’s, and just 5 missed cuts in 20 starts. A perennial contender at TPC River Highlands, Harman has been quite strong here of late, with 2 top 5’s and 4 top 10 finishes in his last 7 starts. Harman’s main Achilles at this moment is his iron play, as he is ranked 120th in Strokes Gained: Approach, currently losing -0.26 strokes versus the field. Some players are horses for courses and this is by far one of Harman’s best events on tour. He might not light up the leaderboard every week, but a top 10 is certainly on tap for Harman this week.
Winner: Patrick Cantlay- The defending FedEx Cup Champion, Cantlay is having a solid title defense this season, with 1 win, 7 top 10’s, and just 2 missed cuts in 13 starts on the campaign. Cantlay has had solid results at TPC River Highlands in his career, with 4 straight top 15 finishes here and 5 top 25’s in 7 tournament starts. There aren’t many holes in Cantlay’s game right now either, as he is ranked 25th in Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green and 14th in Strokes Gained: Total. With 3 top 5 finishes in his last 5 tour starts, including a win alongside Xander Schauffele at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Cantlay is geared up for a late summer run while trying to defend his FedEx Cup crown. All of this leads to Patrick Cantlay hoisting the trophy on Sunday at the Travelers Championship!