The PGA Tour rolls into Cromwell, Connecticut this week for the eighth and final Signature Event of the season — the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. This no-cut event features just 72 players, creating a DFS format where scoring upside is everything. Let’s dive into my PGA DFS picks and core plays for the Travelers Championship.
Course Preview
The course plays to a Par 70 at just 6,844 yards, with only two Par 5s, 12 Par 4s, and four Par 3s on the card. Scottie Scheffler took home the trophy last year after outlasting Tom Kim in a playoff, and another low-scoring shootout is expected.
While the fairways at TPC River Highlands are generous, the rough is thick and unforgiving, meaning wayward tee shots can still carry a price. The greens are smaller than average and feature a Bentgrass-Poa Annua mix, presenting a very different surface from what players faced at Oakmont last week. With winning scores averaging 21-under over the past three years, this track sets up as a birdie-fest, and DFS success will hinge on players who can them up in bunches.
I’m keying in on stats like Birdies or Better Percentage, SG: Approach, SG: Off-the-Tee, SG: Around-the-Green, Par 4 Scoring, and SG: Putting.
I ran the numbers through Stokastic’s PGA Sims Tool, which simulates each hole and builds thousands of lineups based on our custom projections. The tool identifies which golfers appear most frequently in top-performing builds, helping surface both reliable core options and under-the-radar value. If you’re looking to create sharp, +EV DFS lineups, this is one of the most powerful edges available.
Let’s dive into my Travelers Championship picks that I’ll be building lineups around this week on DraftKings.
PGA DFS Picks: Travelers Championship DFS Picks & Core Plays
PGA DFS Picks: Travelers Championship DFS Picks & Core Plays: Scottie Scheffler – $13,300
Sorry – I had to do it. No one loves seeing the most obvious play highlighted right away, but how can you ignore Scottie Scheffler this week?
He’s the defending champ at the Travelers, with a T-4 finish here in 2023 and T-13 in 2022. What makes him even more appealing is the added motivation after a (relatively) disappointing showing at the U.S. Open. You could see the frustration, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him come out locked in from the jump.
Even without that potential narrative, his stats speak for themselves. Scheffler ranks 1st on Tour in Par 4 Scoring Average (3.92) and 3rd in Birdie or Better Percentage (25.5%).
I don’t need to run through all the Strokes Gained data to convince you—just look at our PGA Sims Tool. He’s showing up in 35.3% of our Top-300 simulated lineups, the highest mark of any golfer. And despite the heavy expected ownership, we’re still getting to him 2.6% more than the field. That tells you everything you need to know.
Si Woo Kim – $7,800
Kim has a strong track record on Pete Dye-designed courses and comes into this week in solid form.
Over his last 40 rounds, he ranks 5th in SG: Around-the-Green, 11th in SG: Tee-to-Green, and 35th in SG: Approach. He’s also been sharp off the tee, ranking 7th in Driving Accuracy – an important trait that should set him up for consistent birdie looks.
That lines up well with his season-long ranks of 31st in Birdie or Better Percentage (23%) and 29th in Par 4 Scoring.
Our PGA Sims Tool is slightly underweight on Kim compared to the field (-1.2%), but given his price and course fit, I think he’s still a strong play.
PGA DFS Picks; Travelers Championship DFS Picks & Core Plays: Aaron Rai – $7,500
Believe it or not, Aaron Rai holds our second-highest exposure at 32.7%, with our Sims getting to him 18.5% more than the field.
Why is that? Well, over his last 40 rounds, Rai leads the Tour in Driving Accuracy, ranks 10th in SG: Tee-to-Green, and 20th in SG: Approach. He’s also 12th in Par 4 Scoring this season.
He’s only logged eight rounds here (2022 and 2023), but has a solid +1.28 True Strokes Gained average to show for it.
Rai can be a volatile player, but with his ball-striking and the way our tools are backing him, this could be the week he contends.
GPP Flier: Daniel Berger – $7,500
I had Daniel Berger in this exact slot last week, though he was $700 cheaper. While I’m not thrilled about the price hike, I’m fully on board with how our tools are viewing him.
His price felt absurdly low last week given his metrics. And although he faded to a T-46 finish, Berger hovered near the top of the leaderboard for a good stretch. His skillset still lines up well for TPC River Highlands.
He ranks 8th in SG: Tee-to-Green, 11th in SG: Approach, and 13th in SG: Total over his last 40 rounds. He’s also extremely accurate off the tee and sits 17th in Par 4 Scoring this season.
Talk about a potential value play – our Sims are giving him 24.7% exposure, which is 10.5% higher than the field.
Bonus GPP Flier: Bud Cauley – $6,800
Cauley is coming across in 15% of our lineups, which is 7.3% more than the field. He ranks 17th in both SG: PUTT and SG: APP – two key areas that can help him stay in contention. On top of that, he’s 44th in Par 4 Scoring and 67th in Birdie or Better Percentage this season.
If you’re looking for a cheaper option than the names listed above – one our Sims like and who’s showing some real promise – Cauley could very well be your guy.
