'Starting 5' For 2023 Travelers Championship Includes Hovland, Homa, Tom Kim
The 2023 Travelers Championship aka the People's Championship is one of the best events on the PGA Tour and has been for years. Despite being a non-major played a week after the U.S. Open, the Travelers is the 2nd-most attended tournament of the season.
This year's Travelers has the best field in its history. The 2023 Travelers is an "elevated event" with a $20 million prize pool. Most of the world's best will be at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut this week including defending champion, and World No. 6, Xander Schauffele.
My horrible stretch of golf gambling continued with the 2022 U.S. Open. Tom Kim was the only one of my Starting 5 at the Los Angeles Country Club that came through for me last week. My PGA Tour 2022-23 season balance fell to -15.08 units (u) after a -6.43u showing in the U.S. Open.
Before we get into who I’m backing at the 2023 Travelers Championship, let’s discuss gambling strategy. When making placement bets, look for sportsbooks that don’t apply “dead-heat” grading. And always shop around for the best odds.
Travelers Championship 2023 Betting Odds, Course And Power Rankings
2023 Travelers Championship ‘Starting 5’
Viktor Hovland
As I mentioned earlier in my preview for this elevated event this week, Hovland is second on my 2023 Travelers Championship power rankings. Hovland is top-10 in several key metrics over the last 36 rounds.
He is Proximity (PROX) from 125-175 yards out, Par 4 Efficiency (EFF): 400-450 yards, Birdies-or-Better (BoB) Gained, and fifth in Strokes Gained (SG): Ball striking (BS). The Par 4 EFF: 400-450 yards is significant because there are eight Par 4s at TPC River Highlands within that range.
In 17 starts this season, Hovland has seven top-10 finishes and won the 2023 Memorial Tournament, which is an “elevated event” and one of the most important tourneys on Tour. Hovland was T7 at the Masters in April and a T2 at the 2023 PGA Championship.
Viktor Hovland plays a shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2020 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Per DataGolf.com, Hovland is fifth in this field for total SG over his last five events. Hovland's biggest criticism is his weak short game. That’s mostly based on Hovland’s terrible chipping and around-the-green play.
But, Hovland is 7th in this field for SG: Putting on Bentgrass greens over the last 24 rounds. Hovland has picked up strokes on the greens in four straight events, three of which were on Bentgrass.
TPC River Highlands is a pitch-and-putt course. Well, Hovland is one of the best golfers in the world hitting wedges and is red-hot with the putter recently.
1st Travelers roster spot: Viktor Hovland
Tom Kim
Of all guys I’m backing at the Travelers, this Kim bet is the riskiest. He opened up at +5500 and is down to +3500. So we are getting the “worst of the number” and the sportsbooks will be rooting against Kim.
But, he made me money last week at the U.S. Open with a T8 finish. In my U.S. Open handicap, I remarked how sportsbooks referred to Kim by his nickname “Tom” when he was winning.
Kim missed back-to-back cuts at the PGA Championship and Memorial Tournament so DraftKings was calling him by his birth name “Joohyung”. Well, it’s back to “Tom,” which shows how good Kim looked last week.
The reasons I’m backing Kim for a 2nd straight week are TPC River Highlands fits his game and this event fits his personality.
Tom Kim celebrates his hole-winning putt with teammate Si Woo Kim vs. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele at the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
He is 8th in SG: Approach (APP) on Tour this season, 2nd in PROX: 125-150, and 15th in PROX: 150-175 yards. Kim’s 1st win on Tour was the 2022 Wyndham Championship, which is played on another birdie-fest, short course.
Finally, Kim played to the crowd after hitting big putts at the President’s Cup in September 2022. The Travelers is a shot maker’s event and Kim is a shot maker who will feed off the fired-up Connecticut crowd.
2nd Travelers roster spot: Tom Kim
Si Woo Kim
This is a simple value-play and I hit Kim when he won the 2023 Sony Open at +4500. Si Woo is 9th in my Travelers power rankings but he's in a four-way tie for the 12th-best odds at DraftKings.
Kim is 18th in my key stat model over the last 36 rounds. Si Woo ranks 4th in PROX from 150-175 yards out, 15th in both BoB Gained and SG: BS and 11th in Good Drives Gained.
Si Woo Kim plays his shot from the 7th tee during the 1st round of the 2020 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
He is tied for 1st in this field for SG: Tee-to-Green at easy, short courses and 7th at comp courses to TPC River Highlands. Kim is picking up strokes in the five major golf stats over his last five events with a T2 at the Byron Nelson in May and T4 at the Memorial this month.
3rd Travelers roster spot: Si Woo Kim
Max Homa
We’ve hit a buy-low point for Homa. He hit 40-to-1 for the 2023 PGA Championship and 40-to-1 at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Last week, Homa was 25-to-1 to win the 2023 U.S. freaking Open. Everyone bet him. Seriously. Here’s Jeff Sherman from SuperBook Sports in Las Vegas making my point.
Because Homa missed the cut at the U.S. Open, his odds have plummeted for the Travelers. Granted, the U.S. Open was at the Los Angeles Country Club and Homa is a Southern Californian native.
Plus, most of Homa’s wins have come on the West Coast. Both of his wins on Tour this season have been in California and he's missed the cut in all four Travelers starts.
However, I’d argue the pendulum has swung too far on Homa. There seems to be a narrative that “Homa is playing badly lately”. Homa has two wins this season at the Fortinet in September 2022 and the Farmers, which I cashed on.
Homa also has three top-10 finishes in his seven starts at THE PLAYERS in March, the Wells Fargo in May, and the Charles Schwab later that month.
Max Homa plays a shot on the 15th hole during the 1st round of the 2020 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Sure, Homa missed the cut at the U.S. Open, finished T55 at the PGA Championship, and T43 at the Masters. But, Homa struggles and majors and apparently isn’t ready to get the monkey off his back. Especially on those difficult, huge courses.
The Travelers ain’t a major though and TPC River Highlands fits Homa’s game. He is 14th in this field for SG: APP and BoB Gained over the last 36 rounds, 6th in PROX: 125-150 yards, and 16th in Par 4 EFF: 400-450 yards.
You need to make putts in a birdie-fest and Homa is 6th this season on Tour in SG: Putting. Four of his six career PGA Tour wins have been on Bentgrass greens.
4th Travelers roster spot: Max Homa
Sepp Straka
This is more of a gut-feeling bet. Straka is only 21st in my Travelers power rankings and 15th in my key stat model over the last 36 rounds.
But, Straka is 5th in this field for PROX from 150-175 yards out and 18th or better in Greens-in-Regulation Gained, Good Drives Gained, and SG: APP.
Sepp Straka drives from the 18th tee during the 2nd Round of the 2019 Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Straka placed T16 at the Memorial earlier this month and T7 at the PGA Championship in May. He was 5th at The Honda in February while defending his 2022 title and 2nd in the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
The bottom line is Straka randomly plays well in tough tournaments and TPC River Highlands is an easy course that fits his game well. I.e. I have a hunch.
5th Travelers roster spot: Sepp Straka
U.S. Open 2023 Recap: -6.43u
“Starting 5” (-2.73u)
Tournament Matchups & 3-Ball (-3.2u)
End of Round 1 Leaders (-0.5u)
Mid-U.S. Open add-ons (even)
Round 2 Head-to-Head Bets (even)
Round 3 Head-to-Head Bets (even)
Check out the Hot Links golf gambling show hosted by Geoff Clark on the OutKick Bets podcast feed. New episodes drop Tuesdays for most full-field PGA Tour events in the 2022-23 season.