RotoBaller PGA: One And Done Staff Picks - Travelers Championship

June 19, 2019

The PGA RotoBaller staff digs into their One and Done selections for the Travelers Championship. Here are some under the radar plays and picks for this week's event.

Here at RotoBaller, we are always searching for ways to give our readers the best fantasy sports content possible. With that goal in mind, we are very proud to announce the addition of a weekly PGA “One and Done” column. In this feature, our golf staff of Joe Nicely, Spencer Aguiar and Gianni Magliocco will provide their weekly golf picks every Wednesday. The purpose of this article is to present you with alternative options to consider and hopefully make your selection a much easier process weekly. With that plan in mind, let's get started!

The U.S. Open turned into a bloodbath last weekend. We all survived to scrape together a payday but to combine for slightly under $200,000 with Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Tommy Fleetwood definitely is a massive gut punch for what has otherwise been an outstanding contest.

Gianni led the way with $117,598 from his Tiger selection, increasing his lead ever so slightly over Joe, who managed to bring in $57,853 from DJ. At this point, it appears to be a two-man race between Gianni and Joe, with each already over $8,000,000 in earnings through 22 contests. The U.S. Open felt like the final dagger to my chances, and I continue to trail both by over three million dollars. With the Travelers Championship on tap, let's see what direction the guys will be going this weekend.

2019 Travelers Championship

For an in-depth breakdown of the top DraftKings and Fanduel plays, check out Joe Nicely's weekly Horse For The Course that highlights the best fits for the week's course.

And you can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week.

TPC River Highlands

6,841 Yards - Par 70 - Greens Poa Annua (With Bentgrass)

The Travelers Championship provides with us a surprisingly star-studded field following the third major of the year. Thirteen of the top-25 players in the world will be making their way to Cromwell, Connecticut - including the number one player in the world Brooks Koepka.

TPC River Highlands was originally built in 1928 by Robert Ross but was re-designed twice in the 1980s by Pete Dye and Bobby Weed. There have been some discussions inside the industry of what kind of game will benefit the most from the layout, but it appears as if I will be in the minority with the mindset I will be taking this weekend. Strokes gained approach will always be a vital statistic for any event, and although TPC River Highlands measures in as one of the shortest tracks on the PGA Tour and is often lauded as a second shot course, I will be putting extra emphasis on strokes gained off the tee. That is not to say that approach statistics won't be crucial, but I would prefer to put my focus on ball striking and proximity from 125-175 yards if i were to attach a weight pertaining to second shots. If we start to add in strokes gained approach on top of those other categories, it seems like we will be too heavily weighting a statistic that might not be as important as it looks on paper.

Driving distance isn't the only thing that matters, but the ability to bomb and gouge might provide a small advantage for specific players. However, there will be another group that will be able to excel because of their ball striking abilities, so it is difficult to pinpoint any particular style in Connecticut. The event is usually played as a shootout, which means we will need to locate birdie makers, and the small greens should have us attaching a little weight onto scrambling. I wouldn't look too much into it because if you are continuously missing greens, you won't be competing for the title, but players will need to be able to save par with some of the tricky situations that can arise.

One and Done Selections

Joe Nicely - Paul Casey

Alternate -  Tommy Fleetwood

The U.S. Open was a big disappointment for me, as Dustin Johnson wasn’t anywhere close with his putter at Pebble Beach and logged an uninspiring finish that allowed Gianni (and his choice of Tiger Woods) to sneak past me. It does give me confidence knowing that I have battled through bigger setbacks in this contest this season.

As we head to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship, I find myself surprised by just how strong and deep this field is. I feel pretty fortunate to have several of the field’s top players still available to me - and while names like Jason Day, Francesco Molinari, and Bryson DeChambeau are certainly tempting - I’ve decided to go with Paul Casey this week.

The Englishman has been rock solid at TPC River Highlands in his recent appearances, with two runner-up finishes, a T5, and a T17 on the short Connecticut track since 2015. He lines up well statistically, standing second in the field in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and third in SG: Tee to Green over his last 24 measured rounds. Casey had this tournament in hand last year, but sputtered in the final round. That lack of killer instinct is a slight concern, but he did grab a win at the Valspar earlier this year, which makes me feel better about his chances of actually hoisting a trophy this week. - Joe Nicely

Yearly Earnings - $8,176,060

Yearly Cuts Made - 19/22

Spencer Aguiar - Jason Day

Alternate - Jordan Spieth

There are a ton of players who are going to be popular in Connecticut, but I believe Jason Day is the best option on the board if you still have him available. The Aussie has been solid with two top-20 appearances in his three attempts at TPC River Highlands, but when it comes to his chances this weekend, there are two factors that are sticking out to me.

TPC River Highlands is one of the shortest venues on tour but quietly rewards bombers because of the lack of peril that can be found off the tee. When Day struggles, it tends to arise from wayward tee shots and faulty irons entering the green, but that recipe for disaster isn't what it would be for your ordinary course. The 31-year-old should be able to bomb and gouge for four rounds, and that strategy could be good enough to find the winner's circle if his putter cooperates the way it typically does.

Perhaps even more importantly, Day has gained added confidence since adding Steve Williams to caddie for him. Williams rose to fame on Tiger Woods' bag during 13 of his major championships, and Day has been beyond exuberant when discussing his new caddie and what the partnership will mean for his future. Day described himself as an "underachiever" throughout his career but was also quoted saying "I'm hoping to get myself into contention (at the Travelers) and see what it is like with him standing next to you. He reinforces your good shots and even on missed putts reminds you that it was a good putt and to stay patient. I could feel that within four days at Pebble Beach, so it's up to me to try to listen, stay disciplined and hit it where he wants me to." Day has proven that he is capable of striking out of nowhere throughout his career, and I'd rather be a week too early on him than miss the victory that seems to be right around the corner. I believe he is mispriced in the betting market, mispriced on DFS sites and most importantly for this contest, undervalued and under-owned. - Spencer Aguiar

Yearly Earnings - $5,156,964

Yearly Cuts Made - 21/22

Gianni Magliocco - Marc Leishman

Alternate - Jordan Spieth

Last week was a write off since I chose a player to win the U.S. Open and the USGA instead decided we were having a second PGA Championship.

For this week I'm taking Marc Leishman as I'm pretty restricted with my choices. The Australian has been playing decently as of late, finishing in the top-5 at Memorial before gaining strokes in every significant category at Pebble Beach. Leishman has strong course form at the Travelers, with four top-20 finishes in his last seven trips here. One of those was a victory, and despite missing the cut here last year, I'm confident the 35-year-old can put together a strong showing at this week's event. - Gianni Magliocco

Yearly Earnings - $8,603,643

Yearly Cuts Made - 18/22

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