TPC River Highlands<\/a>\u00a0is one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour schedule, but short does not mean simple or easy. The host venue asks players to control wedges, consistently play from the fairways and take advantage of a closing stretch that can create swings in a hurry. The drivable 15th is a perfect example of the architectural nuance of this golf course that creates chaos on the leaderboards.<\/p>\nThe field is naturally loaded for the final signature event of the season, even with Rory McIlroy electing to skip the week. Still, 18 of the top 20 players in the world are set to tee it up, joined by a deep group of proven contenders at a tournament that has often delivered drama all the way to the final hole.<\/p>\n
Read The Line’s Joe Idone and John Haslbauer break down whether Sam Burns can rebound from the U.S. Open to win the Travelers Championship:<\/p>\n
Here are my top 10 contenders to win the 2026 Travelers Championship.<\/p>\n
10. Brian Harman<\/p>\n
Brian Harman may not jump off the odds board, but few players have built a more reliable and strong course history profile at TPC River Highlands. This is the kind of golf course that keeps him relevant, where can lean into positional strategy, precise short irons and rely on a hot putter. Harman has finished inside the top 10 in each of his past five appearances at the Travelers.<\/p>\n
The outright ceiling is always the question with Harman, but the course fit is undeniable. He\u2019s been lingering around leader boards just enough to fly in under the radar to one of his favorite stops on tour. He\u2019s more dangerous here than the betting market wants to admit.<\/p>\n
9. Russell Henley<\/p>\n
The pendulum on distance vs. accuracy habitually favors more accurate players at TPC River Highlands, year in and year out, more so than any other golf course. In comes the player who leads the field in fairways hit in Russell Henley, who also finished in a tie for second place at this tournament in 2025.<\/p>\n
Henley\u2019s win came a few weeks ago on another positional track that requires positional precision, further cementing his potential with this course fit. One bad hole derailed his chances at Shinnecock Hills, and he\u2019ll face a drastically different challenge this week, one that better aligns with his skills.<\/p>\n
8. Cameron Young<\/p>\n
Cameron Young has shown this season that he is built for spike weeks, and TPC River Highlands has already shown it can unlock his incredible upside. His 59 here in 2024 showcases his ability to dismantle this course when the driver, wedges and putter all get scorching hot at once.<\/p>\n
The recent slippage in form trajectory was natural based on his hot start this season. The case for a strong rebound is built on scoring upside, and Young holds one of the highest birdie-making ceilings. If he starts fast out of the gates, Young possesses more than enough firepower to win this tournament.<\/p>\n
7. Justin Thomas<\/p>\n
On paper, the demanding nature off the tee at TPC River Highlands would not be an ideal fit for Justin Thomas, but history tells us that he\u2019s a natural fit. While it demands precision, I believe this course aligns with his creativity, shot-making and an aggressive mentality. Thomas has played this tournament three times since 2023 and never finished worse than T-9.<\/p>\n
His strokes gained profile has been steadier, but his short game has been exceptional, and that\u2019s where you score on this golf course. I trust his upside to produce results given his current confidence on the greens and historic ball-striking dominance at the Travelers.<\/p>\n
6. Ludvig Aberg<\/p>\n
The world-class combination of elite driving and approach play has to produce a win soon for Ludvig Aberg. It\u2019s not all bomb and gauge for Aberg either. He has won on a short course at the RSM Classic and finished second at Pebble, demonstrating his ability to separate on courses with less yardage on the scorecard.<\/p>\n
2026 has been one of the most consistent for Aberg, but it feels incomplete without a signature victory. The stars can align at any time, on any course, and when they do, Aberg will prove to himself and fans that he remains one of the brightest young talents in the game.<\/p>\n
5. Matt Fitzpatrick<\/p>\n
Where Aberg has fallen shy of wins at the finish line, Fitzpatrick has sprinted through the ropes. His skill profile suggests a proper fit at TPC River Highlands, winning earlier this season at Innisbrook, which shares several similarities. He\u2019s a highly strategic player, a requirement on any Pete Dye design.<\/p>\n
Fitzpatrick also controls trajectory as well as any player on the PGA Tour, allowing his game to produce results in any conditions. His discipline and all-around efficiency has taken him to new levels this year, and the Travelers could be the final notch in the belt for the dream season. <\/p>\n
4. Xander Schauffele<\/p>\n
The PGA Tour pillar of consistency is Xander Schauffele. He\u2019s never going to beat himself, and his steady approach almost always throws his hat into the ring of contention. Schauffele has already won this tournament in 2022, and he doesn\u2019t have the weaknesses that often expose other players here.<\/p>\n
Schauffele again played well in the U.S. Open last week, but it was never the taxing mental exam that others faced. He should feel refreshed and confident heading back to a place where he has great memories. He is easily one of the safest and most logical contenders to win in this field.<\/p>\n
3. Sam Burns<\/p>\n
The trends continue, as Sam Burns is coming off yet another impressive charge on Sunday at Shinnecock, and all roads are leading toward another victory for the 6-time PGA Tour winner. The putting prowess is well documented as elite, but Burns has made significant improvements off the tee and with wedge proximity that has made him a regular on leaderboards this summer.<\/p>\n
The Ballstriking profile now gives him a more reliable winning profile, and few players on the planet can hoop in putts like Sam Burns. If he can recharge quickly and transition his confidence to Cromwell, Burns deserves to be a top pick to win the Travelers. <\/p>\n
2. Scottie Scheffler<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll admit, it feels a bit disingenuous to rank the No. 1 player in the world anywhere but the top, but a combination of deteriorating distance control and a growing monkey on the back lands Scheffler in my No. 2 spot in the rankings.<\/p>\n
Clearly we all know the upside is there, and Scheffler is a past winner here in 2024 when he outdueled his friend Tom Kim at the finish line. The only thing deciding whether he wins or merely contends at this point is the putter, the most volatile element in the bag. If he has an average week on the greens, then doors will continue to open for other players who bring their A-game.<\/p>\n
1. Tommy Fleetwood<\/p>\n
This is all about unfinished business. After suffering one of the most gut-wrenching losses that I can remember in 2025, Tommy Fleetwood returns to TPC River Highlands. This time he is going to leave with the trophy.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s one of the best course fits in the field with his reliability off the tee and excellence with short irons. On paper, he\u2019s perfect for this course. The question remains: Can he close the deal? His incoming form breeds confidence, and I firmly believe that this is the week that Tommy Fleetwood gets his signature win.<\/p>\n
Joe Idone is a Read The Line contributor and host of the Preferred Lines podcast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After an exhausting grind at Shinnecock Hills and the U.S. Open, players now shift into a completely different…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":757264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,19215,622,1332,270151,82,1320,33110,270148,270150,270149,270152],"class_list":["post-757263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-gambling","tag-golf","tag-plus","tag-readtheline2026","tag-sports","tag-story","tag-tommy-fleetwood","tag-travelers-championship-2026","tag-travelers-championship-2026-odds","tag-travelers-championship-2026-power-rankings","tag-travelers-championship-2026-why-im-so-confident-in-tommy-fleetwood"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=757263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/757264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=757263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=757263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=757263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}