The third major is in the books for 2023, but there is no rest for the PGA Tour. It packs its bags and heads back to the East Coast with the Travelers Championship on deck. Coming off the U.S. Open in Los Angeles, there is no telling how much players have left, but most of the big names are ready to go. This provides a deep betting board filled with elite names at the top, with plenty of nearly triple-digit numbers for the guys who maybe were not able to even get into the U.S. Open. A lot can change leading up to Thursday, but here are the first clicks for outright markets based on early 2023 Travelers Championship odds.
2023 Travelers Championship Odds & Bets
2023 Travelers Championship Outright Bet: Collin Morikawa (25-1, DraftKings)
I backed Collin Morikawa just a few weeks ago at Memorial, and through 54 holes it felt like he had a chance to cash the outright ticket. A Sunday withdrawal with back issues put everything in jeopardy, and coming into the U.S. Open, I did not have much interest. Morikawa seemed to return without issues, posting a respectable 14th-place finish, mostly due to his reliable iron play.
Trying to build off what he did last week starts with the greens, where Morikawa actually gained a few strokes for a change. This is a welcome improvement, one he will need this week at River Highlands if he hopes to take this down. With guys like Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm in the field, this is a reasonable price at 25-1, which is around where Morikawa is at majors. With the iron play traveling and the short game maybe rounding into form, Morikawa has a good setup and spot for a play in the betting markets.
2023 Travelers Championship Outright Bet: Sahith Theegala (55-1, FanDuel)
I have resisted adding Theegala to outright cards for almost all the of the 2023 season, and I feel fortunate to not have gotten punished for it. He is still looking for his first career win, and it is hard to imagine it not happening in the near future. Already Theegala has eight top-5 finishes and a pair of runner-ups, including last year’s Travelers. This is a talented player who has not missed a cut since 2022 and has a bunch of positives heading to a familiar track.
The biggest concern with Theegala is the schedule, with this being his fourth straight start, spanning Ohio, Canada, California and now Connecticut. He is a young player, so maybe it has no effect, and if it doesn’t, then everything else sets up well. Theegala has elite short game, with strokes gained putting in six straight events, and he seemingly likes these greens given his success last year. He gained strokes across the board last week at the U.S. Open, and his game is quickly getting stronger and stronger. I waited as long as I could on these Theegala outrights, but at 55-1, this is the time to add him and hope he finally breaks through.
2023 Travelers Championship Outright Bet: Sungjae Im (60-1, FanDuel)
Those who are not willing to look back and say “Wow, that was a mistake” should probably just skip this entire section talking about Sungjae Im. This is a major risk given the absolutely dreadful form Im is in heading into this event. He missed the cut again last week, making it three of his last four starts, which is incredibly concerning. The 60-1 number reflects this risk, though, and those odds make it worth blindly betting on a talent like this.
There is not a ton of data for stretches like this with Im, but in mid-2022 he went missed cut, missed cut, 81st before finishing second in the next two starts. It is that kind of quick turnaround he needs here, and this is actually a good setup for Im. The course does not demand distance, allows different styles to thrive and rewards all-around games like Im’s. If he continues the erratic iron play, there is no way he will contend, but this is a world-class player at a number where he will not be again for a very long time.
