Last week at the U.S. Open, we found the top 2 players in the field in one of the hardest events of the season. This week, we don't necessarily have the same level of difficulty, but we get a unique event to handicap with the 2026 Travelers Championship. In it's 3rd season as a signature event, we see a stronger field than ever before, in an event that is one of the players favorites. Let's take a look at what it takes to find those players at this event.

Don't forget, when looking to build your lineups, make sure to take advantage of our PGA DFS Projections, PGA DFS Ownership, and PGA DFS Lineup Optimizer to get every advantage you can. 

 

Travelers Championship 2026: Daily Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections

The People’s Championship, as it is lovingly referred to, is upon us. The 2nd most attended event of the PGA Tour, behind only the WM Phoenix Open, this event has been a mainstay on tour for over 70 years, and this iteration will be the 42nd at TPC River Highlands. This event has become a bit of a birdie fest in recent years, but it is also known for it’s high number of playoff finishes, where the winner has had to be determined past 72 holes in 6 of the last 14 playing's. This event also features a unique stat profile, but what causes that?

 

TPC River Highlands: Course Breakdown This Week

TPC River Highlands has all the makings of your typical Pete Dye course. Playing just over 6,800 yards at a par 70, the Pete Dye archetype is felt throughout. It’s a short, positional course that places an emphasis on accuracy, game around the green, and with the flat stick. With hazards aplenty and thick, penal rough we can understand why this course can be difficult for some. Additionally, water protects multiple greens, turning many seemingly “easy” shots in to risk-reward plays.

TPC River Highlands compares heavily to a few courses we see on tour. Notable, we see similarities with Colonial Country Club where the average green size and rough length are identical, and TPC Deere Run where the length, positional play, and bent grass greens offer very similar results. Comp Course History will take a much heavier weight in the model this week, as this style of play often carries high levels of correlation between events.

When looking at the breakdown of the course, a few things stand out. Perhaps most notably is the concentration of holes that we see in the 400-450 yard bucket for the Par 4’s. With 7 of the Par 4s falling in that range, it should be no surprise that the longest only plays 481 yards and the shortest is a sub 300 yard hole. With this in mind, and given that the PGA Tour average drive is right around 300 yards, it should be no surprise that we see an increased number of shots in the 50-175 yard ranges and a well below average number from 175+. Additionally, given the positional play of the course and the overall landscape of recent events on tour, we will put a larger emphasis on SG:Off-The-Tee as opposed to Total Driving or Good Drives Gained. 

With this type of event as well as the birdie-fest nature of this course, we’re going to focus more heavily on double bogey or worse avoidance more than our standard bogey avoidance. There are plenty of holes where one dropped shot won’t kill a players chances, because there are so many chances to make this up. Birdie or Better Percentage will take a front and center stage as a result, given the need to be able to score.

Some top players in key stats this week:

Approach 100-150: Ryan Gerard, Tom Hoge, Corey Conners, Brandt Snedeker, Jackson Suber, Aaron Rai, Si Woo Kim, Jacob Bridgeman, Mark Hubbard, Shane Lowry

Birdie or Better Gained: Scottie Scheffler, Si Woo Kim, Wyndham Clark, Jake Knapp, Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa, Eric Cole, Jacob Bridgeman, Ryan Gerard

SG: OTT: Scottie Scheffler, Gary Woodland, Keith Mitchell, Cameron Young, Robert MacIntyre, Xander Schauffele, Min Woo Lee, Chris Gotterup, Si Woo Kim

 

Travelers Championship 2026 Field: Golf DFS

As a signature event, it's no surprise to see the strength of this field. Rory McIlroy is sitting this one out, but the remainder of the top 10 on the PGA Tour are in attendance this week, including the U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark. Keegan Bradley is back to defend his title, and is attempting to win this event for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. He is joined by Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Harris English, and Jordan Spieth as previous champions in this field this week. Due to the Signature Event status of this event, we also only see 10 players outside the top 100 in the OWGR.

 

 

This Week’s PGA DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator

To enhance your daily fantasy golf selections and secure optimal PGA DFS values, it's advisable to utilize our PGA DFS optimizer and lineup generator. This optimizer serves as a valuable resource for daily fantasy golf enthusiasts aiming to develop effective lineups!

It provides projections, updates on player injuries, and a range of analytical insights to facilitate the lineup-building process. Essentially, it functions as a strategic advantage for participants in daily fantasy golf and makes their own PGA DFS picks!

PGA Best Bets & Predictions: 2026 Travelers Championship (16-27 Overall, +.60 Units)

  • Patrick Cantley: Top 20 (+115)
  • Aaron Rai: Top 20 (+162) 
  • Travelers Championship One and Done Picks: 
    • Aaron Rai (High End)
    • Jackson Suber (Low End)
 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: Top Tier

Xander Schauffele ($10,200 DraftKings/$12,100 FanDuel)

Xander has had a weird season. He's had mostly strong finishes, but he's never truly been in contention to win an event this year. This is the week that could change. Xander has played this event 7 times, and outside of a missed cut in 2018 and a T61 here last year, he has never finished outside the top 20, including his win in 2022. His wedge/short iron approach numbers are not what they have been in the past, but he's consistently played this event well, and that's a risk I'm willing to take given the strength of the rest of his profile (he's 2nd in my model). 

Wyndham Clark ($9,400 DraftKings/$10,900 FanDuel)

He just won at Shinnecock, why not at TPC River Highlands? Clark has one hole in his profile, which is his distance from edge of fairway where he ranks 2nd to last in the field. He's otherwise field average or better in each stat I'm looking for this week. This is highlighted by top 10 scoring in the 400-450 yard par 4 holes, scoring overall, and his play around the green. The ownership numbers will probably be high, but he's likely worth it this week.

Justin Thomas ($9,100 DraftKings/$10,600 FanDuel)

Say what you want about Justin Thomas, but he's built for this venue. Only him and Scottie are field average or above in every single statistic this week, and Thomas is coming off 3 straight top 10 finishes at this event, and 5 straight top 20 finishes this season. He's so close to being back to the player we're used to seeing as he continues to work his way back from offseason surgery.

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: MID-TIER

J.J. Spaun ($7,900 DraftKings/$9,200 FanDuel)

Spaun is 2nd in the field on approach, top 10 in accuracy off the tee, and top 20 in basically everything else. His wedge approach play leaves something to be desired, but his overall profile makes him an ideal player for this type of venue. He finished T14 here last year, and outside of a missed cut at both majors this year, he's recorded 5 straight top 25 finishes on tour this season. That'll play.

Si Woo Kim ($8,800 DraftKings/$10,100 FanDuel)

I'm going to be honest here, I'm not sure if Si Woo Kim can win this year. He's not playing at the consistently high level that he was to start the season, but still have multiple top 5's and top 10's over his last 7 starts. His accuracy off the tee is elite, and he's flushing the irons right now. Additionally, he leads the field in Strokes Gained on Short Courses and is 2nd in scoring. If he can remain focused this week, he can absolutely compete.

Aaron Rai ($8,000 DraftKings/$9,000 FanDuel)

Rai is my personal one and done pick this week. He joins a few of my other picks in struggling with the wedges in his hand on approach, but the remainder of his profile is simply too accurate to ignore. He's a player where simply one part of his game need to cooperate, which is more than I can say for a lot of profiles in this range. I see no reason that Rai can't compete. This is a player who became a major champion this season after all (not to mention he just finished T11 at the U.S. Open).

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: VALUE TIER

Jackson Suber ($6,300 DraftKings/$7,200 FanDuel)

Suber shocked me in the model this week. He's 10th on approach and with the putter, top 25 around the green, and in recent weeks his driver accuracy has been well above average. At this price, you'll be hard pressed to find a similar profile.

Mark Hubbard ($6,100 DraftKings/$7,000 FanDuel)

Much like Suber, I was surprised to see Hubbard rank here, but it makes sense the more you look. He's 7th on approach, and 2nd from 100-150 yards. He's 20th in Putting and Par 4 Scoring from 400-450. He's avoiding double bogeys, and scoring at a high enough rate as well. You're going to have to take some swings at this price range, and Hubbard is one of those swings I'm willing to try. 

Alex Fitzpatrick ($7,700 DraftKings/$8,700 FanDuel)

I say this with a bit of jest, but we're getting to the point that it's a bit disrespectful for Fitzpatrick to be this cheap. Outside of the PGA Championship (where he still made the cut) he's consistently put in strong weeks since he earned his tour card. The profile is still incomplete, but Fitzpatrick has become an absolute flusher of the golf ball, and has no glaring weaknesses in his game. 

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