Running with Rick: Three course horses for the Travelers Championship
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Written by Staff
With a new season comes a new evolution for Expert Picks. Below are picks and analysis for both betting and fantasy, as fans have new updates to the PGA TOUR Fantasy Game, including in-tournament rostering features, in 2026. Each week our panel of experts will offer picks and analysis for the fantasy game, including insight on who will captain their roster for extra points. Users can submit their rosters via PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf.
Our Golfbet experts will also share betting picks that have caught their eye.
How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters, including a captain, and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of the three segments.
Aside from the expert insight below, Golfbet’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field in this week’s edition of the Power Rankings.
Prop bets
WILL GRAY (Senior Manager, TOUR & Golfbet Editorial & Distribution)
- Ben James (-110) over Tony Finau (Round 1): Finau’s slide in recent months has been well-documented, while James is on the rise. The Connecticut product made waves with his pro debut in Canada, then finished T23 at the U.S. Open. I’m in.
- Aaron Rai, Top 10 Finish (+430): I’ve been impressed by Rai’s post-Aronimink performance, which features two top-20s in three starts including a solid week at Shinnecock Hills. He has gotten better every trip to Cromwell and should improve upon last year’s T17 result.
CHRIS BREECE (Senior Content Manager, Golfbet)
- Brian Harman, Top 20 with ties (+125): There’s no such thing as a safe bet. However, getting plus money for someone who’s last five results here have been 8th, 9th, 2nd, 8th and 5th should make you feel pretty good.
- Brian Harman (-110) over Justin Rose, 72-hole matchup: Why not make it a two-for-one? Rose has only played here three times, with two missed cuts and a T36. For a course on TOUR that is quite predictive, this seems like it favors the underdog.
JIMMY REINMAN (Digital Content Manager)
- Brian Harman, Top 20 (+162): Showed his mettle on the difficult setup last week at Shinnecock and should thrive on this shorter layout in a limited field.
- Justin Thomas (-105) over Patrick Cantlay, 72-hole matchup: Thomas has notched three straight top 10s in Cromwell, and had a decent showing on Long Island while Cantlay continues to search for his old form.
THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN OUR EXPERTS? The PGA TOUR Experts league is once again open to the public. You can play our free fantasy game and see how you measure up against our experts below.
Joining the league is simple. Just click here to sign up or log in. Once you create a team, click the “LEAGUES” tab. Then click on “JOIN A LEAGUE,” and then search the “PGA TOUR Experts league.”
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