Course: TPC River Highlands, a 6,800 yard course along the Connecticut River. It's one of the increasingly fewer sub-7,000 yard courses played on Tour, and can yield a lot of birdies depending on the weather. It is a stark comparison to Pinehurst - the two courses could not be any more different.
Strength Of Field: C+. There are more bigger name players in this field than I originally thought. Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar, and Jason Day are among the top players in the field. Still, none of the foreign based players stuck around after the US Open to play, and it's not really deep as several players playing on Past Champions status got into the field.
Other Tidbits: Ken Duke became the oldest first time winner on the PGA in over a decade last year when he beat Chris Stroud in a playoff. Duke needed two great weekend rounds and a lucky bounce on the 10th hole in order to do it...If you're looking for your first victory on Tour, this is a great place to get it done. The last four winners of this event have notched their maiden victory at the Travelers Championship...Four players are making their professional debut this week after great amateur careers - Patrick Rodgers, Bobby Wyatt, Cameron Wilson, and Oliver Goss.
Fantasy Four:
Bubba Watson - A missed cut at the US Open typically doesn't hurt anyone going into Connecticut, especially not Bubba, who has played well here. Owns a win along with three other top 10 finishes. Has typically not played well in US Open competition, so that result aside, he has played really well all season.
Erik Compton - Travelers has been great to people looking for their first win. Compton is coming in on the emotional high of his top finish at the US Open, and as long as he can avoid the distractions around him and keep his emotions in check, he should perform well here.
Ryo Ishikawa - Alright, follow me on this one. Not only can you not ignore the stats about first time winners in Cromwell, but it's also the first event Ishikawa has played since his countryman, Hideki Matsuyama, won at the Memorial. Seeing his victory should give Ishikawa a kick in the pants to start performing at a higher level.
Aaron Baddeley - Had an up and down US Open, but showed flashes of the player we thought he would become early in his career. Has actually had a decent season, quietly making it to 104 on the FedEx Cup standings.
Results From Two Weeks Ago:
Ryan Palmer: T32
David Toms: MC
Ryuji Imada: T50
Lee Westwood: MC
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