It isn’t normal to see Scottie Scheffler come up short as much as he has this season. Despite claiming over $15 million dollars in earnings with only one victory in 2026 is impressive, but the dominance Scheffler displayed since 2023 has waned a bit. This was evident at the eighth, and final, signature tournament of the year, the Travelers Championship.
Throughout the weekend Scheffler looked to be in complete control, and at one point on Sunday held a two-stroke lead heading into the final holes of the tournament. What happened was a combination of the player Scheffler was partnered with the entire weekend, Viktor Hovland, getting red hot and have three straight birdies to get back to even with Scheffler, and a weather delay forced the tournament finish to be moved to Monday after the playing partners ended tied.
Monday morning the golf world was focused on this sudden death playoff between Hovland and Scheffler, and it was quite the scene. After both players hit the fairway and green in regulation, it was Hovland who was away and to putt first. Hovland’s putt snuck inside the left edge of the cup for birdie, and Scheffler didn’t have the answer, powering his putt through the break line.
Before you knew it, the highly anticipated playoff was over, and Hovland claimed victory over Scheffler. The win earned Hovland $3.6 million dollars, and left Scheffler wondering what it’s going to take for him to get back in the winners circle.
The vast majority of the PGA Tour big-name players will be taking this week off after the U.S. Open and the signature event, but it’s time to take a look back at our picks from the Travelers Championship.
Let’s take a look at who was projected to be contending, based on pre-tournament odds.
2026 Travelers Championship Odds
- Scottie Scheffler (+440)
- Xander Schauffele (+1450)
- Ludvig Aberg (+1700)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+1750)
- Cameron Young (+2000)
When it came to picks for this event, I like to start with my favorite and long shot picks for the tournament. The favorite pick is the winner pick I like the most. For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. It is a long shot pick for a reason, and finding those can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Here are my favorite and long shot picks for the 2026 Travelers Championship:
Favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+440) – MISS
There were times when it felt like Scheffler was going to be able to hold off Hovland and the rest of the field, but it wasn’t meant to be. Unfortunately, Scheffler not holding on for the win didn’t just cause us to miss the outright winner, but also from us having a huge day in other areas of our picks too. His 2nd place finish continues a strong 2026, but still with only one victory.
Long Shot: Collin Morikawa (+3000) – MISS
Morikawa’s game set up perfectly for the TPC River Highlands course, and his tremendous Sunday almost had his name in the mix for the playoff. Nonetheless, Morikawa finished solo 3rd for the Travelers, and our streak of not hitting on a long shot play continues.
Top 5 Bets For The Travelers Championship 2026
- Xander Schauffele (+126) – MISS
Schauffele’s game had been trending in the right direction after the 2026 U.S. Open, but that took a turn south this past week. Schauffele finished T51 at this no-cut event, and whether he’ll ever return to his major championship ways is anyone’s guess at this juncture.
- Matt Fitzpatrick (+370) – HIT
Unlike Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick as seemed to have found his game over the last few weeks. Fitzpatrick was never truly in the hunt on Sunday, but played well enough to finish 4th. It was a nice victory for us at +370 odds.
Top 10 Picks For The Travelers Championship 2026
- Justin Thomas (+220) – MISS
I had a feeling Thomas would play well at the Travelers Championship, and he did play well. Just not well enough. Thomas finished T14, and was on the cusp of us cashing out the Top 10 pick.
- Ludvig Aberg (+150) – MISS
Aberg continues to confound as his game remains as inconsistent as ever. Aberg will contend some weeks, and others be on the cusp of missing the cut. There was no cut line in this event, but Aberg finishing T55 was an absolute stunner.
Top 20 Value Picks For The Travelers Championship 2026
- Keegan Bradley (+132) – HIT
Bradley won this event last season, and had won two of the last three Travelers Championship tournaments, and having him as a Top 20 pick seemed like a solid pick. It came to fruition with a T14 finish at a course he plays extremely well.
- Sepp Straka (+192) – MISS
My “gut pick” of the week couldn’t have been more wrong. Straka, who usually plays courses like TPC River Highlands well, finished dead last in the field of 72 players. It doesn’t get worse than that.
Best Prop Bets, Parlays And Bonus Plays For The 2026 Travelers Championship
For bonus plays, these are picks which I don’t necessarily hang my hat on, but still provide value for some who want more exotic plays outside of the aforementioned picks. Sometimes bonus plays are parlays, double chances, triple chances, and even some fun plays for that particular event.
Here were the bonus plays for the 2026 Travelers Championship:
Double Chance: Scottie Scheffler or Min Woo Lee (+400) – MISS
Triple Chance: Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood (+265) – MISS
Margin of Victory: two shots (+350) – MISS
Tournament Review:
Outright Plays: 2/8
Bonus Plays: 0/3
