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DraftKings PGA Millionaire Course Breakdown: TPC River Highlands

by Matt Schmitto (schmitto) Last Updated 2020-06-24 21:14:38

DraftKings is back with its third consecutive PGA Millionaire Maker since the golf resumed play. So far, the PGA Tour’s return has delivered two exciting Sundays, which isn’t surprising considering the strong fields.

That trend should continue as Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, and Bryson DeChambeau (to name a few) make their way to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.

Follow along as we breakdown the course and look at strategies for this week’s DraftKings PGA Millionaire Maker for the Travelers Championship. For more DFS tips from RotoGrinders’ team of PGA DFS experts, sign up for RotoGrinders Premium.

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As a Premium subscriber, you get in-depth analyses from Derek Farnsworth (Notorious), Justin van Zuiden (stlcardinals84), Drew Mathews (Redkacheek), and Tyler Tamboline (ToeTagginTambo). The PGA team will bring you the following:

Now let’s start our free Travelers Championship course breakdown for TPC River Highlands.

Travelers Championship Course Breakdown: TPC River Highlands

TPC River Highlands is a Par 70 course designed by Pete Dye. Coming out at just over 6,800 yards, the venue is one of the shortest courses on Tour. With only two par 5s, TPC River Highlands is manageable for shorter hitters, as saw last year when Chez Reavie won as a 66-1 underdog. Since returning, this is the third consecutive stop on Tour where short hitters have been in play.

However, as we’ve found out at both the Colonial and Harbour Town in recent weeks, just because short hitters have historically had success at these courses doesn’t necessarily mean they have in advantage.

So far, the field for each tournament has been astounding. This week is no different. More than 150 golfers are teeing it up at TPC River Highlands, including nine of the top 10 players in the world.

TPC River Highlands tries to challenge golfers with, at times, narrow fairways and 119 bunkers scattered throughout, but its rarely enough to keep scores low. Though its home to only two par 5s, the course plays well under par. The last two winners have each shot 17-under, and winners have made it to 20-under three times since 2000. Kenny Perry owns TPC River Highland’s 72-hole record after shooting -22 in 2009. Hosting its strongest field yet, don’t be surprised if a golfer challenges that record this week.

Past Winners at TPC River Highlands

Holes to Watch at TPC River Highlands

Hole No. 4 – Par 4, 481 Yards

Birdies: 8.7%
Pars: 64.7%
Bogeys: 24.8%

The longest par 4 at River Highlands also happens to be the most challenging hole on the course. Golfers will be more than happy with a 4 on this dog-leg right.

Hole No. 15 – Par 4, 296 Yards

Eagles: 2%
Birdies: 34%
Pars: 47.7%
Bogeys: 14.2%

At only 289 yards, the par 4 is reachable from the tee box. Most golfers try to capitalize on the short hole by going for the green so long as winds aren’t too strong. With water to the left and two smaller bunkers on the right, this hole can stir some trouble.

Hole No. 17 – Par 4, 420 Yards

Birdies: 14.4%
Pars: 61.3%
Bogeys: 18.6%
Double Bogeys: 5.7%

Golfers need to avoid water on the tee shot and on their approach to walk away with anything less than a bogey.

TPC River Highlands Conclusion

To reiterate what has already been said, both bombers and shorts hitters have a chance at TPC River Highlands. But ultimately, bombers will have more of an advantage than we saw last week. Additionally, it’s worth noting that Bubba Watson was able to win in 2018 by hitting only 52% of fairways. Despite playing from the rough nearly half the time, Watson still hit 78% of greens. In 2015, Watson won by finding 70% of greens despite his 54% driving accuracy. All of that to say, the first cut of rough isn’t too penal. Ultimately you’ll want to target par 4 scorers and golfers excelling in terms of GIR%. For approach shots, proximity from between 125-150 yards is especially important.

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That’s it for our Harbour Town Course Breakdown. Remember, our Consensus Value Rankings, Expert Survey, Ownership Projections, videos, and lineup-building tools are all available exclusively to RG Premium subscribers. Become a Premium member now by clicking the link below as you try to become a DraftKings millionaire.

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About the Author

schmitto
Matt Schmitto (schmitto)

Matt Schmitto is a sports betting editor for RotoGrinders. He grew up in Texas, graduating from Texas Tech University. After a short stint in law school, Schmitto joined RotoGrinders as a staff writer in 2019 and has contributed to various sites in the USBets network. His expertise is daily fantasy sports, though he also specializes in content related to sports betting, social casinos, prediction markets, etc.