Scheffler Favourite as Travelers Championship Highlights International Drought
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leads odds for the 2026 Travelers Championship, while the tournament records its longest drought for a non-American winner since 2016.
The 2026 Travelers Championship, serving as the final Signature Event on the PGA Tour schedule, commences on Thursday outside Hartford, Connecticut. Held at TPC River Highlands, the tournament features a $20 million purse and a competitive field comprising 61 players from the recent U.S. Open and five past champions. The course, a par 70 measuring 6,844 yards, is noted as one of the shortest and most accessible tracks on the Tour, a characteristic that contributed to Jim Furyk shooting the Tour’s only 58 at the venue in 2016.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the betting leader at +445, with no other player priced below +1500. Scheffler, who won the event in a playoff in 2024, holds the best career scoring average in the tournament’s history at 68.86 and has recorded three consecutive top-six finishes at TPC River Highlands. He currently seeks his first victory of the calendar year.
A significant historical trend defines this year’s field: the event has the longest drought for an international winner on the PGA Tour, with no non-American claiming victory since Russell Knox won in 2016. An American winner is priced as a -370 favourite, while a European victory is listed at +270. This domestic dominance persists despite seven international winners on the Tour this season, including major champions Rory McIlroy and Aaron Rai.
Notably, World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and World No. 10 Jon Rahm are not participating in this week’s event. McIlroy, who won the Masters in April, is one of two players in the world top 10 skipping the tournament. Rahm, who is affiliated with LIV Golf, is the other top-10 absentee.
American Wyndham Clark is priced as a longer-shot at +3300. Clark enters the event in strong form, having won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and finishing third at the U.S. Open. He is making his eighth straight start at this event, with his best previous result being a tied ninth place in 2024.
Among international contenders, Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is the shortest-priced non-USA player at +1700. England’s Tommy Fleetwood is priced at +1800; he was the 54-hole leader last year before finishing as runner-up. Fleetwood ranks in the top five on Tour for fairways hit and scrambling, and he attempts to become the second player this season to win a tournament after finishing as runner-up in the same event the previous year.
