Golf Tips: Best bets for this week's PGA Travelers Championship

• Steve Rawlings backs the defending champ at 10/34.33

• Dave Tindall says Matsuyama for an each-way bet at 50/151.00

• Course info, first round leader, outsiders to back at over 100/1101.00

PGA Travelers Championship tips and prediction

The Punter's Preview: Defending champ is value again

Steve Rawlings: "Since finishing 20^th when attempting to win the Players Championship for a third time back in March, the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, has finished no worse than eighth in eight starts on the PGA Tour and he's won three of the last five events he's played in.

"A slow start at Oakmont left him too much to do last week but back-to-back 70s over the weekend saw him end the week in a tie for seventh and he's impossible to ignore at over 3/1 as he attempts to defend yet another title here.

"Following his impressive victory at the Memorial Tournament three weeks ago, Scheffler has now won six different events twice - the US Masters, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players Championship, the Phoenix Open, the Hero World Challenge and the Memorial - and he's successfully defended the title at the last four named.

"Last week was undoubtedly a real grind and there's obviously a chance that he's fatigued, both physically and mentally, but having backed him when he won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May and the Memorial Tournament three weeks ago at 3/1, I'm more than happy to go in again here at a slightly bigger price."

Dave Tindall's Each-way picks: 50/1 Hideki will hit heights soon

Dave Tindall: "Without doubt Hideki Matsuyama will have another big week very soon and it's just a case of trying to anticipate it if we want to land the big odds. So why here? Well, it's not like he's completely out of form, a run of 21-17-MC-36-38 being added to with 42nd at Oakmont.

"If that US Open performance seems a tad underwhelming the key is that he signed off with a 68, ranking 1st for Tee To Green and 2nd for Approach in that Sunday performance. Only two players shot lower. The Japanese star is relatively new to TPC River Highlands but he's shot every round in the 60s in his two appearances which resulted in 13th on debut and 23rd last year.

"Looking at round scores, he fired a Friday 64 in 2023 and closed with another 6-under round last year. Matsuyama might need to get the putter going a little better (although he's gained strokes in four of his last five events) but ranking 6th overall for Approach at Oakmont suggests the irons are on point.

"Two top sixes in his last three starts at Sawgrass bodes well in terms of playing well on Pete Dye tracks so let's give him a whirl at 50s."

Dave Tindall's First Round Leader picks:  Big shout to Rickie

Dave Tindall:  "Rickie Fowler missed the brutal test at Oakmont which may be no bad thing.

"So his last memories of competitive golf were an encouraging seventh place at Memorial following a 16th at Colonial where he posted a Friday 64.

"Two starts earlier, Fowler opened with a 63 in the Truist Championship so he's been putting together some low rounds of late.

"And talking of shooting the lights out, two years ago the Californian carded a stunning 10-under 60 in round three here on the way to a 13th place finish.

"Last year he opened with a 64 and closed with a 65 to again make the top 20.

"Given his recent uptick in form and course history, Fowler looks a bet at 60/161.00 (1/4, 5 Places) from his 11.30am tee-time."

Course and current form stats

Andy Swales: "TPC River Highlands is a low-scoring venue where, over the past 20 instalments since 2005, the average-winning 72-hole total is 263.5. In 2016, Jim Furyk fired a closing 58 to set a new PGA Tour scoring record for a single round of golf. Five years earlier, aged just 19 and still an amateur, Patrick Cantlay carded 60 in this event. Americans have usually dominated here, winning 26 of the last 29 editions.

"A hot putter is usually necessary at TPC River Highlands where the Bentgrass greens are smaller than the Tour average. Prior to the 2016 event, 50 bunkers were removed, while the remaining ones were brought more into play...

"Finishing ninth last year was former Open champion Brian Harman 80/1 who has posted seven top-10s in this event. Earlier this season he won the Valero Texas Open and, a few weeks later, stood on the podium at the RBC Heritage.

"Harman is not the longest of drivers, so this week's layout should suit him perfectly. And, at this generous price, he definitly becomes a great top-five candidate."

Find Me a 100 Winner: Three longshots chanced

Steve Rawlings: "The in-form Kiwi, Ryan Fox, who's in search of his third victory in six starts, looks to have been badly overlooked in the market given he's been matched at as high as 180.0. This is Fox's first appearance at TPC River Highlands, but he certainly fits the bill very nicely given he's the same age as Harman and that he's putting so well.

"Since winning the Myrtle Beach Classic in a playoff in early May, his first PGA Tour victory, Fox has finished 28^th at the US PGA Championship, 20^th at the Memorial Tournament and after winning his second title just two weeks ago in extra time in Canada, he finished 19^th at Oakmont last week, signing off with one-under-par 69 on Sunday.

"Fox ranked first for Putting Average when winning at Myrtle Beach, fourth in Canada, and the man he beat in the playoff there, Sam Burns, who traded at odds-on to win the US Open Sunday, was the only man to finish ahead of him for putting at Oakmont. He fits the profile of previous winners here nicely and he's impossible to ignore at such a big price."

Place order to lay 8 Us @ 10.09/1 and 12 Us @ 2.01/1

Now read Open Championship 2025: Two picks from Dave Tindall in his early look at Royal Portrush