Travelers Championship: golf betting tips

The PGA Tour heads to Connecticut this week for the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.

A number of participants in last week's US Open have made the short trip from Merion Golf Club to compete.

They include new US Open champion Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson and Jason Dufner.

The TPC River Highlands is one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour roster. At just 6,841 yards, it should offer up a significant number of birdies.

Indeed, the winning scores from the last three Travelers Championships have been 14-, 22- and 18-under-par.

Unsurprisingly, Rose has been installed as the 12/1 favourite with Ladbrokes, but it's always risky backing a player the week after major success.

Jason Dufner, at 20/1 with Ladbrokes, is someone I'm expecting to feature prominently this week. The American shot a brilliant final-round 67 - which included a triple-bogey at the 15th - to finish inside the top five at the US Open. Dufner also ranked first in the All-Around statistics last week, and I think that will be the catalyst for a set of strong summer performances. Charley Hoffman, at 40/1 with Ladbrokes, is generously priced this week. The 36-year-old finished runner-up last year, despite a bogey, double-bogey finish. He ranks 28th on the PGA Tour in Scoring Average and 11th in Birdie Average, statistics that should stand him in good stead this week. He's also shot 68 or better in seven of his last eight rounds at the Travelers Championship.

Nicolas Colsaerts, at 40/1 with Ladbrokes, is due a big week, and his performance at the US Open is enough to convince me it'll happen soon. Colsaerts has been poor on the greens this season, but he showed some positive signs in this area at Merion. If he takes that newfound putting confidence into this week, and combines it with his enormous length off the tee, he could shoot some very low numbers and put himself right in the mix come Sunday evening. Jonas Blixt, at 80/1 with Ladbrokes, endured a poor start to the season, but he seems to be rediscovering the form that saw him win his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2012 Frys.com Open. He posted four rounds in the 60s en route to an 11th place at Colonial - his last PGA Tour outing - and finished outright second the following week at the Nordea Masters. If he finds his putting shoes, he could well be in the hunt to win his second PGA Tour title.

Chez Reavie, at 100/1 with Ladbrokes, is a good outside bet this week. Like Blixt, the American started the season in poor form, but his recent performances have been encouraging. In his last three starts, he's finished 21st, 11th and 27th, and he tied for 11th in the Travelers Championship last year. Travelers Championship advised bets:

3pts each way on Jason Dufner at 20/1 with Ladbrokes 2pts each way on Charley Hoffman at 40/1 with Ladbrokes 2pts each way on Nicolas Colsaerts at 40/1 with Ladbrokes 2pts each way on Jonas Blixt at 80/1 with Ladbrokes 1pts each way on Chez Reavie at 100/1 with Ladbrokes