Travelers Championship 2024 Each-Way Tips: Picks from 33/1 to 50/1

• 33/134.00 Tony Finau was 3rd in the US Open and in fine form

• 33/134.00 Sahith Theegala is a past runner-up here

• 50/151.00 Tom Kim is showing plenty of positive signs again

Signature Events were meant to induce excitement but cramming one each either side of a major rather leads to a feeling of 'not another of the damn things'.

There are likely plenty in the field here who would happily take the week off rather than see it as a wonderful opportunity to challenge themselves against their peers again.

One man has decided to swerve it though and no prizes for guessing who.

Rory McIlroy cut a devastated figure after somehow letting the US Open slip from his grasp and on Monday night he released a statement saying he was going to "take a few weeks away from the game".

Who can blame him? He's given his heart and soul to that tour and not always had it reciprocated. I'd do the same. Others will take a different opinion.

So, after Rory's WD we're left with a field of 71.

At least the challenge at TPC River Highlands this week is a lot easier than it was at Muirfield Village and Pinehurst No.2

Those two events were won with -8 (Scottie Scheffler) and -6 (Bryson DeChambeau) whereas local hero Keegan Bradley fired -23 to win last year's Travelers on the very short 6,835-yard par 70 in Connecticut.

Bradley was 1st for Strokes Gained: Putting 12 months ago while the previous four winners, also all American, ranked 4th (Xander Schauffele), 18th (Harris English), 4th (Dustin Johnson) and 10th (Chez Reavie) in that category.

SG: Approach is the other best pointer with Bradley and Reavie both ranking 1st, Schauffele 5th and DJ 6th.

The course was reworked by Pete Dye in the early 80s and features poa annua putting surfaces.

Back Tony Finau @ 33/134.00

The evidence is mixed over whether a big performance in the gruelling conditions of a US Open is a help or a hindrance the following week.

It certainly provided a boost to English and Reavie, who both won here after finishing third in their respective US Opens.

It's also true that previous course form isn't an absolute must.

Dustin Johnson, for example, won the 2021 Travelers despite form of 31-WD-34 on three previous visits.

With those two pieces of info in mind, I'm more than happy to play in-form Tony Finau at 33s.

Finau's game is in strong shape again. He was 18th at the US PGA, 17th at Colonial, eighth at Memorial and third at Pinehurst. He's getting better by the week.

Reavie and English have shown that 'three' is the magic number when it comes to turning a big US Open finsh into a win here so hopefully that applies to Finau too.

At Pinehurst he ranked 1st for SG: Approach and 32nd for Putting, his best two displays with the flatstick coming on the weekend.

In short, he's performing well in the areas we need him to.

Finau's course form isn't head turning but there are four top 25s in there and he was 13th two years ago. In his last six rounds on this course he has a 65 and two 66s.

Sitting 8th in Birdie Average and 9th for Birdie or Better Percentage are further good pointers that he'll enjoy this post-US Open exhale and poa annua surfaces will suit him too.

Let's back Finau to continue the impressive form he's been showing over the last couple of months.

Back Sahith Theegala @ 33/134.00

Before he won the 2023 Fortinet Championship last September, there were two events Sahith Theegala had a golden chance to win: the 2022 Waste Management Phoenix Open and this one a few months later.

In Phoenix he bogeyed the short par-4 17th after finding water, missing the play-off by a shot.

And here at TPC River Highlands his drive at the final hole ended up against the front lip of the left fairway bunker from where he made double and lost by two after Schauffele birdied.

It was always going to be tough for him when he returned to those two courses a year later and so it proved.

Theegala could only manage 39th in Phoenix and 52nd here.

But clearly there was something he liked about the two venues and this year in Phoenix, with the difficult memories dimmed, he played some great stuff again to finish runner-up for a second time.

With that as a precedent, I'm hoping he'll flourish again at TPC River Highlands and, hopefully, go one better.

Theegala comes in off what looks a decentish but no more than that 32nd at the US Open.

But, adding detail, he actually played the vast majority of that event the same as those who finished tied ninth on even par.

Theegala made a terrible start when falling to +7 early on day one but finished on that same mark after following his 77 with rounds of 68-72-70.

Also 12th at both May's US PGA and last fortnight's Memorial, his game is clearly in fine shape and he'll be a real fan favourite in Connecticut after his exploits two years ago when still relatively new on the scene.

As well as second place here in 2022, Theegala has also finished runner-up (Heritage) and ninth (Players Championship) in his last two individual strokeplay events on Pete Dye tracks.

He's in the top 20 for both Birdie Average and Par Breakers this season so there's plenty to like about his chances.

Back Tom Kim @ 50/151.00

The route in to Tom Kim at 50s is a fairly straightforward one this week: he's back in form and often prospers in birdie-fests.

Still just 21, the Korean has won his three PGA Tour events with scores of -20 (2022 Wyndham), -24 (2022 Shriners) and -20 (2023 Shriners).

Only four players have made more birdies than Kim this season and this looks a good spot for him to continue what could be a big second half of the campaign.

Kim couldn't quite get out going for a long while but he posted fourth in Canada earlier this month and overall he has four finishes of 26th or better - two of those in majors - in his last five starts.

He threatened something much better than that at Pinehurst but had his finish compromised by three bogeys in his final five holes and a closing half of 4-over 39.

Kim ranked 10th for Approach in the US Open and that's further evidence that he's hitting his irons well again after being 20th in that category at Memorial and 8th in Canada.

He's had just one previous crack at TPC River Highlands but again we need to look beyond the bare finish of 38th.

Kim fired a 6-under 64 (round two) and a 5-under 65 (round three) that week so can go low here.

And it's encouraging that he has plenty of good form on Pete Dye tracks: three top sevens and a ninth in his last nine visits to the great man's layouts.

Now read Steve Rawlings' Travelers Championship preview here