Travelers Championship 2023: First-Round Leader (FRL) Bets

The Travelers Championship will begin Thursday, June 22, from TPC River Highlands, and since it’s a designated event, plenty of big names are in the field.

With the event being around for so long, there’s plenty of course history to go off of. At just over 6,800 yards, it’s one of the shorter courses players will face all year, and plenty of birdies will be made.

Jim Furyk holds the course record of 58, set back in 2016.

Who could post the best score in Thursday’s first round? Below are my first-round leader bets for the week.

Travelers Championship: First-Round Leader (FRL) Bets

Viktor Hovland +2800 First-Round Leader

When Hovland gets hot, especially his putter, he has the ability to go very low. This seems like a course where if he is hitting his irons like he can, he will give himself plenty of looks for birdies.

Hovland also has a scoring average of 68.29 in the first round this year, which is third on the PGA Tour.

Justin Thomas +5000 First-Round Leader

Given his recent struggles, this is a bit of a weird one, but +5000 is great value for a player who can go as low as anyone on the PGA Tour.

Even with his dismal U.S. Open performance, Thomas said he felt like his game was in a good place and will look to turn things around heading into the British Open. With not much to lose, Thomas could come out firing at pins on Thursday.

Sahith Theegala +5500 First-Round Leader

Theegala ranks eighth on the PGA Tour this year in birdie average, which will come into play this week, given how the course typically plays. 

Following a second-place finish here a year ago, Theegala will have good vibes and look to get off to a great start in Round 1.