After Jon Rahm’s sensational U.S. Open triumph Sunday for his first career major title, the PGA Tour heads to Cromwell, Conn., for the always entertaining Travelers Championship.

Rahm entered the U.S. Open as the +900 favourite to emerge victorious, and he became not only the first Spaniard to win the storied championship, but the first betting favourite to win since Tiger Woods did it in 2008.

That also came at Torrey Pines Golf Course.

Dustin Johnson returns as defending champion, as his tee shot on the exciting risk-reward par-4, 15th hole narrowly avoided the water last year, propelling him to a one-shot victory.

DJ is joined by four of the world’s top-10 players, including Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay.

TPC River Highlands has been the venue for the last 38 years of this tournament which has seen an uptick in top players competing in recent years.

The Travelers Championship is considered by many players to be one of the most fun events to compete in every year.

This event has typically been won by Americans, with only three international winners in the last 25 iterations.

There are six Canadians competing, each considered unlikely to lift the trophy come Sunday evening.

Mackenzie Hughes has the shortest odds at +8000 following his flirtation with the U.S. Open title, as he co-led after 54 holes.

Adam Hadwin, who made the cut at Torrey Pines, is considered to have the next best chance to win his second PGA Tour event at +10000.

The other four players are facing an uphill battle in the eyes of oddsmakers, with Nick Taylor +15000, Roger Sloan +30000, David Hearn +40000 and Michael Gligic the longest of longshots at +75000.

Here's our first look at the field for the Travelers Championship.

Betting Odds To Win 2021 Travelers Championship – Top 15
Bryson DeChambeau            +1200
Dustin Johnson                      +1400
Brooks Koepka                       +1600
Patrick Cantlay                      +1800
Paul Casey                              +1800
Patrick Reed                           +2500
Scottie Scheffler                    +2800
Brian Harman                        +2800
Tony Finau                             +3000
Abraham Ancer                     +3000
Harris English                         +3500
Joaquin Niemann                  +3500
Kevin Streelman                    +3500
Matthew Wolff                      +5000
Charley Hoffman                   +5000

Harris English knocking on the door

In his last two tournaments, Harris English has performed very well and has been knocking on the door to win his second title of 2021.

The first one came back in January at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Two weeks ago, English entered the final round of the Palmetto Championship in second place, and was right in the thick of things on the back nine Sunday.

He had an uncharacteristic poor finish that saw him fall back to T-14, but he was much closer to winning than that final result would indicate.

Then last weekend, he posted a fantastic 3-under 68 in the final round to wind up in a solo third-place finish.

That was his best-ever start at a major championship.

For the week, he gained over four strokes on the field on the greens, and gained nearly four shots in both approaching and around-the-green.

English won twice in 2013 but struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness before breaking through again at the aforementioned Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua.

He’s a more complete player than he was earlier in his tour career, and at +3500 odds to win outright, still sports intriguing odds for a golfer trending upwards.

Past Five Winners of the Travelers Championship
2020 Dustin Johnson   -19   (1-shot win)
2019 Chez Reavie        -17   (4-shot win)
2018 Bubba Watson    -17 (3-shot win)
2017 Jordan Spieth     -12  (playoff over Daniel Berger)
2016 Russell Knox       -14   (1-shot win)

Fore Your Information

Horse for this Course

Bubba Watson             +5500

Bubba Watson has won 12 times in his illustrious career, including two Masters green jackets.

He’s also won this tournament three times, starting with his first-ever win in 2010 and, to date, his last victory on the circuit in 2018.

Watson also took home the 2015 version of the Travelers Championship.

He’s very much a horses for courses type of player, and TPC River Highlands is to his liking.

In the last 36 rounds at this venue, the enigmatic lefty is first in SG: off-the-tee, second in both total strokes gained and tee-to-green, and third in ball striking.

He’s also sixth in strokes gained off-the-tee on the campaign.

You just never know what kind of Bubba you’ll get week-to-week, as he’s made the cut at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, but didn’t finish particularly high, sandwiched between withdrawing at the Memorial Tournament.

Before that, he had posted five straight finishes of T-26 or better, including a pair of top-10’s.

He’s very unpredictable, but at +5500 odds, and considering he’s won here three times, Watson is worthy of consideration.

Diamond in the Rough

Mackenzie Hughes      +8000

Speaking of players that are difficult to predict, enter Canadian Mackenzie Hughes.

Before making the cut at the U.S. Open, he’d missed five straight cuts.

Then all he did was co-lead the major after three rounds.

He suffered a brutal break at the par-3, 11th hole on Sunday, where his tee shot became lodged in a tree, leading to a dreadful double bogey to dash his chances.

The end result was a solid T-15.

He’s made the cut in all four instances at the Travelers Championship, with a tie for third-best result.

That came last year, where he was just two strokes out of finding himself in a playoff with Dustin Johnson.

He’s second in SG: putting at this track in those four tournaments at this venue.

Hughes is very up and down, and winning might be too tall a task, but wagering on him in top 5/10/20 markets potentially could be lucrative.