Travelers Championship: McCarthy the man to cash in at Cromwell
The PGA Tour moves to Connecticut for an exciting birdie-fest around TPC River Highlands so read Steve Rawlings' comprehensive preview and find out who he's backing...
Steve says: "Taking on the fancied ones from the start and building a book from there used to be a great way to trade this tournament but the fields have been getting stronger of late and we haven't seen a triple-figure priced winner in seven years now - although 1000.0999/1 chance, Hickock, came very close 12 months ago. He was matched at a low of 1.11/10 in the playoff!
"Historically, outsiders, PGA Tour maidens, and old-timers all have a good record at TPC River Highlands. Despite his strong showing at Pebble Beach the week before, Reavie was an 80.079/1 chance three years ago, Russell Knox went off at around 60.059/1 in 2016 and we've seen a number of really big-priced winners fairly recently...
"For now my only pick is the man often referred to as the PGA Tour's number one putter - Denny McCarthy. His course form figures, reading 47-MC-W-73, aren't especially encouraging but he's never arrived at River Highlands in the sort of form he's in now.
"Having finished fifth at the Memorial Tournament in his penultimate start, McCarthy shot a pair of 68s around Brookline over the weekend to move up from 55th to seventh and I thought he was great price to emulate Reavie and English and back up a high finish in the US Open with a win here."
Steve's bet: Back Denny McCarthy @ 80.079/1
Travelers Championship Each-Way Tips: Im can make Brookline amends
After landing some each-way profits with 100/1 Seamus Power in the US Open, Dave Tindall has three each-way picks for TPC River Highlands...
Dave says: "Sungjae Im missed the cut by a shot at the US Open. But patterns spring up in golf and history says a leading name who only played 36 holes of the major just gone can pop up and thrive the very next week.
"Perhaps there's some psychology too. They're determined to make up for it and treat the following event not as a wind down but a chance to show that they're still to be feared. There's very recent evidence. It was a huge shock to see Jordan Spieth miss the cut at Augusta National this year given his superb Masters record but the American responded by winning the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head a week later.
"Im could be on a similar path given that recent form and course fit suggested The Country Club would be an obvious place for him to shine. Many punters backed the Korean and may now have placed him on the naughty step. But that could be a mistake."
Dave's bet: Back Sungjae Im each-way @ 29.028/1
Find Me a 100 Winner: Can Kevin find his mojo again?
Steve Rawlings has outsiders to back at long odds at both of this week's events, beginning with Kevin Kisner at TPC River Highlands...
Steve says: "Although he only missed the cut at the US Open by a stroke, given he hasn't made the weekend in any of his last four starts, I can't begin to pretend that Kevin Kisner is in tip-top form but that didn't make an awful lot of difference 12 months ago when he rocked up to TPC River Highlands and finished fifth.
"It was a great effort given his current form figures read MC-MC-MC-MC-MC-40-MC-55 but he'll feel he should have finished higher given he shot 63 in rounds two and four. Kisner had sat second at halfway but a 74 on Saturday saw him slip to 45th and seven off the lead before Sunday's rally.
"Kisner, who's already won four times on the PGA Tour, began 2022 nicely, with some strong results. Having begun the year with an eighth-place finish in the Tournament of Champions, around a course that's far too long for him, Kisner was third at the Sony Open, fourth at the Players Championship and he also got to the final of the WGC Match Play final (an event he won in 2019), where he lost to the world number one, Scottie Scheffler."
Steve's bet: Back Kevin Kisner @ 200.00199/1
Travelers Championship First-Round Leader Tips: Theegala can go low
Dave Tindall has three picks to be First-Round leader at TPC River Highlands...
Dave says: "We've seen plenty of ultra-low scores recorded at TPC River Highlands so I want players who can make a bunch of birdies and then keep going. Sahith Theegala first did just that during those weird days when players teed it up on the Outlaw Tour to get some golf in when everything else was shut down.
"In his very first round after turning pro, the American blasted a 62 in the Lone Tree Classic - a 54-hole event (an idea that will never catch on, surely) in Arizona. Since then we've seen him shoot another 62 at The American Express in California earlier this year.
"Other low ones: Theegala was the first-round leader at the Sanderson Farms Championship after a 64 while an opening 66 put him second following the first lap in Phoenix."
Dave's bet: Back Sahith Theegala each-way @ 81.080/1
Travelers Championship 2022: Course and current form stats
Andy Swales provides the course and form stats for this week's event in New England and picks his four players to watch...
Andy says: "TPC River Highlands is a gently undulating parkland course which was given a facelift seven years ago.
"This well-wooded layout with lush fairways has plenty of subtle changes in direction, while water comes into play on just four holes - most of these towards the end of the round.
"A number of modifications have been made to the course over the past decade. This includes the removal of 50 bunkers ahead of the 2016 edition, while the remaining ones were brought more into play. Greens have undergone a facelift too...
"Keegan Bradley has performed pretty well of late, posting four top-10s in his most recent eight starts. This includes last Sunday's US Open and the Players Championship in March. Was runner-up at River Highlands three years ago."
Andy's Player to Watch bet: Back Keegan Bradley @ 34.033/1
BMW International Open: Hot Horschel a worthy favourite in Germany
The DP World Tour returns to Germany this week for the BMW International Open and our man has the lowdown ahead of Thursday's start here...
Steve Rawlings says: "This is a tricky event to evaluate but course form tends to stand up well here. Thomas Bjorn and Pablo Larrazabal have both won here twice and also finished placed and a number of others have multiple top-tens so anyone with previous is worthy of close inspection. Sergio Garcia has twice traded odds-on before eventually finishing second in both 2011 and 2017. Can he make it third time lucky this year?
"Hovland went off favourite 12 months ago but he hadn't won in 2021 and the seven previous course winners were winning for the first time that season so being out of form hasn't been a barrier to success. And the two course winners before Hovland were woefully out of form...
"I'm happy to back Billy Horschel at 14.527/2 and I'm also happy to take a chance on course specialist and two-time winner, Pablo Larrazabal, even though he's signed up with LIV.
"Pablo's looking to win his third event on the DP World Tour since March and 42.041/1 looks slightly generous given his course form that reads 61-MC-3-1-MC-1-14-67-17."
Steve's bet: Back Pablo Larrazabal @ 42.041/1
BMW International Open Each-Way Tips: Perez can return to cruise speed
Matt Cooper, fresh from a 33/1 winner las time out, has three each-way picks for the BMW International...
Matt says: "Who might catch fire this Sunday? Well, I wonder if Frenchman Victor Perez has been a little overlooked. A semi-finalist at last year's WGC Dell Technologies Match Play he struggled through the rest of the year.
"He made more cuts early this year, started to appear on the front page of leaderboards and then won the Dutch Open last month at Bernardus. A week later he led the European Open by one after 54 holes before finishing third.
He missed the cut last week in the US Open but he can bound back to the form that preceded it on his course debut.
It's a layout that should suit his excellent long game (11th for Strokes Gained Tee to Green this season and eighth for Approach) and I think there's a good chance he isn't done with the success this summer. There is more to come and it could easily start this week.
Matt's bet: Back Victor Perez each-way @ 29.028/1
BMW International Open 2022: Course and current form stats
Andy Swales provides the course info, players' form stats and picks his players to watch in Germany this week...
Andy says: "Following the 2017 edition, the course underwent some major modifications, which included lengthening it by around 50 yards. The biggest changes were reserved for the greens. All 18 were renovated, with many of the putting surfaces re-contoured which made them a lot more undulating than before.
"New trees are now planted each year and, to provide a better viewing experience for spectators, numerous mounds were built on what is largely a flat venue. Many of these mounds are close to greens, while others run alongside the generously spacious fairways.
"Eichenried is a tree-lined course where water comes into play on 10 holes, much of it on the back nine. However, it remains a relatively straightforward parkland layout where having a hot putter is usually the greatest weapon needed for conquering Eichenried...
"Ryan Fox is a two-time runner-up on the DP World Tour this year and currently enjoying the best extended run of form of his career, despite missing the cut at the US Open."
Andy's Player to Watch bet: Back Ryan Fox @ 27.026/1